Lanternfishes are small mesopelagic fish of the large family Myctophidae. One of two families in the order Myctophiformes, the Myctophidae are represented by 246 species in 33 genera, and are found in oceans worldwide. Lanternfishes are aptly named after their conspicuous use of bioluminescence. Their sister family, the Neoscopelidae, are much fewer in number but superficially very similar; at least one neoscopelid shares the common name 'lanternfish': the large-scaled lantern fish, Neoscopelus macrolepidotus.
Ridgeheads, also known as bigscales, are a family of small, deep-sea stephanoberyciform fish. The family contains approximately 37 species in five genera; their distribution is worldwide, but ridgeheads are absent from the Arctic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Although the family is one of the most widespread and plentiful of deep-sea families, none of its members are of interest to commercial fishery.
Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters – being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore – in contrast with demersal fish that do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reefs.
Argyropelecus hemigymnus, the half-naked hatchetfish, short silver hatchetfish or spurred hatchetfish, is a deep-sea hatchetfish of the genus Argyropelecus found mesopelagically in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans as well as in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a small species rarely exceeding 38 millimetres (1.5 in) standard length. It feeds on zooplankton, particularly ostracods and copepods. Sexual maturation occurs at length of about 22 mm, and adult males have more developed olfactory organs than females, i.e. the species is sexually dimorphic.
Sloane's viperfish, Chauliodus sloani, is a predatory, mesopelagic dragonfish found in deep-pelagic waters across the world. The species was first described by German scientists Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Schneider in their 1801 book Systema ichthyologiae: iconibus CX illustratum, volume 1. Its size can range from 64 mm to 260 mm, and it is an iridescent silver-blue color. It has two rows of photophores, one on each side of the ventral part of its body. It is believed that C. sloani adjusts the intensity of ventral photophores during diurnal migrations to camouflage itself from predators that might see its shadow from below.
Electrona is a genus of lanternfishes in the family Myctophidae.
Warming's lantern fish, Ceratoscopelus warmingii, is a lanternfish of the family Myctophidae, found circumglobally in both hemispheres, at depths of between 700 and 1,500 m during the day and between 20 and 200 m at night. Its length is about 8 cm (3.15 in).
The devil fish or giant devil ray is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae. It is currently listed as endangered, mostly due to bycatch mortality in unrelated fisheries.
The deep scattering layer, sometimes referred to as the sound scattering layer, is a layer in the ocean consisting of a variety of marine animals. It was discovered through the use of sonar, as ships found a layer that scattered the sound and was thus sometimes mistaken for the seabed. For this reason it is sometimes called the false bottom or phantom bottom. It can be seen to rise and fall each day in keeping with diel vertical migration.
Electrona risso is a species of myctophiform ray-finned fish in the family Myctophidae, the lanternfishes. It is known commonly as the electric lantern fish, chubby flashlight fish, and Risso's lantern-fish. It is a widespread species of all the oceans.
Notoscopelus is a genus of lanternfishes.
The Antarctic lanternfish or Electrona antarctica mainly inhabits the Antarctic deep, warm waters. It the dominant species in the Southern Ocean. Their life span is about 4–5 years and they mature after 2–3 years. Their maximum length is 12.5 cm. Their feeding depends upon area to area. Small fish primarily feed on copepods, euphausiid larvae, and hyperiids. This species is mainly the nektonic prey species of seabirds in open water. It is an important krill predator and serves as prey for a majority of seabirds. It is one of the southernmost fish species, being recorded as far south as 74°40′S in the Ross Sea.
Myctophum punctatum is a species of mesopelagic fish in the family Myctophidae. Its common name is spotted lanternfish, sometimes spelled spotted lanterfish. It is found in the Northern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean at depths down to 1000m. It is one of the dominant species in midwater assemblages near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Benthosema glaciale, or glacier lantern fish, is the most common species of lanternfish and important part of the midwater ecosystem of northern North Atlantic.
Notoscopelus elongatus is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea where it is found in deep water habitats, rising to near the surface to feed at night and descending to great depths by day. It is a common species with no particular threats, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed its conservation status as being of least concern.
Notoscopelus resplendens, commonly known as the patchwork lampfish or patchwork lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is found in the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific Ocean. It spends the daylight hours in deep water, rising at night to near the surface. This fish was first described by the Scottish naturalist and arctic explorer John Richardson in 1845.
Notoscopelus caudispinosus is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is found in the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific Ocean. It spends the day below 1,000 m (3,300 ft), rising towards the surface to feed at night.
Notoscopelus kroyeri, commonly known as the lancet fish, is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is endemic to the North Atlantic Ocean where it is found in deep water habitats, spending its day at great depths and its night near the surface. It was previously regarded by some authorities as being a subspecies of Notoscopelus elongatus; one of the differences between the two being that N. elongatus has 25 or fewer gill rakers while N. kroyeri has 26 or more.
Lampadena speculigera is a species of lanternfish in the subfamily Lampanyctinae. It is a mesopelagic fish that is found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Its vernacular name is mirror lanternfish.
The headlight fish is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is also sometimes referred to as the headlight lanternfish, or even the lanternfish, though it is not the only species to be called this.
