| Etmopterus Temporal range: Middle Eocene to Present | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Velvet belly lanternshark (Etmopterus spinax) | |
| | |
| Green lanternshark (Etmopterus virens) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Division: | Selachii |
| Order: | Squaliformes |
| Family: | Etmopteridae |
| Genus: | Etmopterus Rafinesque, 1810 |
| Type species | |
| Etmopterus aculeatus Rafinesque, 1810 | |
Etmopterus is a genus of lantern sharks in the squaliform family Etmopteridae. They are found in deep sea ecosystems of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. [2]
A number of species in this genus function as host to the specialized parasitic barnacle Anelasma squalicola , which embeds itself into the skin of the shark and extracts nutrients from its bloodstream. [3]
There are currently 45 recognized species in this genus:
There are at least two extinct species found in Etmopterus. [17]