Phosichthyidae

Lightfishes Temporal range: Early Eocene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Phosichthys argenteus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Stomiiformes
Family:	Phosichthyidae Weitzman, 1974
Genera
Phosichthys Hutton, 1872 Woodsia Grey, 1959
Synonyms
Photichthyidae

Lightfishes are small stomiiform fishes in the family Phosichthyidae ^{[1] [2] [3]} They are bioluminescent fishes, possessing rows of photophores along their sides, with which they hunt planktonic invertebrates, especially krill, copepods, and planktonic amphipods. ^[4]

In the past, a number of morphologically similar genera were classified in this family. However, a 2025 phylogenetic study found the latter family to be paraphyletic as previously described, comprising a number of distantly related genera from across the Stomiiformes. Due to this, the family was redefined as containing just three species in two genera.

The following genera are placed in this family: ^[5]

• Phosichthys Hutton, 1872
• Woodsia Grey, 1959

The earliest fossils of lightfishes are of the genus † Solterichthys Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale, 2025 from the Early Eocene of Italy. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

They are very small fishes found in oceans throughout the world: most species grow no longer than 10 cm.

References

1. Fricke, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Van der Laan, R. (2025). "ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION". California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 2025-08-14.
2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Phosichthyidae". FishBase . January 2006 version.
3. "Phosichthyidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 29 March 2006.
4. Carmo, Vanda; Sutton, Tracey; Menezes, Gui; Falkenhaug, Tone; Bergstad, Odd Aksel (2015-01-01). "Feeding ecology of the Stomiiformes (Pisces) of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. 1. The Sternoptychidae and Phosichthyidae" . Progress in Oceanography. 130: 172–187. Bibcode:2015PrOce.130..172C. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2014.11.003. ISSN   0079-6611.
5. Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Phosichthyidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 20 December 2025.
6. Nazarkin, Mikhail V.; Nam, Gi-Soo (2022-01-02). "A Miocene lightfish Vinciguerria sp. (Stomiiformes: Phosichthyidae) from the North-West Pacific with notes on the recent evolution of the genus". Historical Biology. 34 (1): 102–107. Bibcode:2022HBio...34..102N. doi:10.1080/08912963.2021.1900839. ISSN   0891-2963. S2CID   233709473.
7. A.m, Prokofiev (2002). "THE PHOSICHTHYIDAE (PISCES: STOMIIFORMES) FROM THE EOCENE-MIOCENE OF RUSSIA AND ADJACENT AREAS". Paleontological Journal. ISSN   0031-0301.
8. Calzoni, Pietro; Giusberti, Luca; Carnevale, Giorgio (2025-07-29). "THE YPRESIAN FISHES OF THE SOLTERI LAGERSTÄTTE (TRENTO, NORTHERN ITALY): A GLIMPSE INTO THE EARLY EOCENE TETHYAN MESOPELAGIC ASSEMBLAGES". Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia. 131 (2) 28705. Bibcode:2025RIPS..13128705C. doi: 10.54103/2039-4942/28705 . ISSN   2039-4942.