White-spotted lantern fish

White-spotted lantern fish
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Myctophiformes
Family:	Myctophidae
Genus:	Diaphus
Species:	D. rafinesquii
Binomial name
Diaphus rafinesquii (Cocco, 1838)
Synonyms [2]
Collettia rafinesquei(Cocco, 1838) Collettia rafinesquii(Cocco, 1838) Diaphus intermediusBorodin, 1930 Diaphus rafinesquei(Cocco, 1838) Myctophum rafinesquei(Cocco, 1838) Myctophum rafinesquii(Cocco, 1838) Nyctophus rafinesquiiCocco, 1838 Scopelus rafinesqui(Cocco, 1838) Scopelus rafinesquii(Cocco, 1838)

The white-spotted lantern fish (Diaphus rafinesquii), also called Rafinesque's lanternfish, is a species of fish in the family Myctophidae. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

Etymology

Its specific name refers to the polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783–1840). ^[7]

The name "doormat parkinglightfish" was coined by D. E. McAllister in his 1990 book A List of the Fishes of Canada, being one of many common names he conceived in the book (French: lampe-veilleuse pailasson). ^[8] These common names were subsequently used in the Encyclopedia of Canadian Fishes by Brian W. Coad. ^[9] In a review of Coad's book, Erling Holm remarked that many of the names coined by Mcallister differed significantly from the standard set by Robins et. al., deemed widely accepted, and promoted by the Committee on Names of Fishes. ^{[10] [11]} For the names of deep-sea fish (including "doormat parkinglightfish"), which are unlikely to have day-to-day use, Holm deemed the names "unnecessarily complex, easily misspelled, or downright silly". ^[10]

Description

Diagram of Diaphus rafinesquii, with photophores indicated

Lateral and dorsal views

The white-spotted lantern fish is silvery in colour, spotted with photophores, with a maximum length of 9 cm (3.5 in). ^[12]

Habitat

Diaphus rafinesquii is bathypelagic or mesopelagic and oceanodromous, living at depths of 40–2,173 m (131–7,129 ft) in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. ^{[13] [14] [15]} During the day, it is typically found at 325–750 m (1,066–2,461 ft) and at night, the adults are at 300–600 m (980–1,970 ft) and the young at 40–200 m (130–660 ft). ^[16]

Freshly-caught specimen of Diaphus rafinesquii.

Behaviour

Males are slightly larger; spawning is in autumn and winter. ^[17]

References

1. "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species".
2. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Diaphus rafinesquii (Cocco, 1838)". www.marinespecies.org.
3. Mundy, Bruce C. (July 25, 2005). Checklist of the Fishes of the Hawaiian Archipelago. Bishop Museum Press. ISBN   9781581780444 – via Google Books.
4. McEachran, John; Fechhelm, Janice D. (July 25, 1998). Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico, Vol. 1: Myxiniformes to Gasterosteiformes. University of Texas Press. ISBN   9780292752061 – via Google Books.
5. "White-spoted lantern fish - Diaphus rafinesquii - (Cocco, 1838)". eunis.eea.europa.eu.
6. Wisner, Robert L. (July 25, 1976). "The Taxonomy and Distribution of Lanternfishes (Family Myctophidae) of the Eastern Pacific Ocean". Department of Defense, Navy Department, Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity – via Google Books.
7. Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United (August 1, 2020). Identification guide to the mesopelagic fishes of the central and south east Atlantic Ocean. Food & Agriculture Org. ISBN   9789251330944 – via Google Books.
8. McAllister, D. E. (1990). A list of the fishes of Canada. Ottawa: National Museum of Natural Sciences. ISBN   0660130556. OL   1956338M . Retrieved 16 March 2025.
9. Coad, Brian W. (1995). Encyclopedia of Canadian Fishes. Ottawa: Canadian Museum of Nature & Canadian Sportsfishing Production Inc.
10. Erling, Holm (1998). Encyclopedia of Canadian Fishes, by Brian W. Coad [Review], in The Canadian field-naturalist. Vol. 112. Ottawa: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. pp. 174–175. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
11. Page, Lawrence M.; Bemis, Katherine E.; Dowling, Thomas E.; Espinosa-Pérez, Héctor S.; Findley, Lloyd T.; Gilbert, Carter R.; Hartel, Karsten E.; Lea, Robert N.; Mandrak, Nicholas E.; Neighbors, Margaret A.; Schmitter-Soto, Juan J.; Walker, Jr., H. J. (September 27, 2023). Page, Lawrence M.; Bemis, Katherine E.; Dowling, Thomas E.; Espinosa-Pérez, Héctor S.; Findley, Lloyd T.; Gilbert, Carter R.; Hartel, Karsten E.; Lea, Robert N.; Mandrak, Nicholas E.; Neighbors, Margaret A.; Schmitter-Soto, Juan J.; Walker, H. J. (eds.). "Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, 8th edition" . American Fisheries Society (8). doi:10.47886/9781934874691. ISBN   978-1-934874-69-1 . Retrieved 16 March 2025.
12. "Diaphus rafinesquii". www.fishbase.se.
13. Nafpaktitus, Basil G.; Backus, Richard H.; Craddock, James E.; Haedrich, Richard L.; Robison, Bruce H.; Karnella, Charles (October 23, 2018). Order Iniomi (Myctophiformes): Part 7. Yale University Press. ISBN   9781933789170 – via Google Books.
14. "Marine Species Identification Portal : Diaphus rafinesquei". species-identification.org.
15. Wienerroither, Rupert; Bjelland, Otte (2013). "First record of Diaphus rafinesquii (Cocco, 1838) (Myctophidae) in the Norwegian Sea". Fauna Norvegica. 32: 39–43. doi: 10.5324/fn.v32i0.1528 – via ResearchGate.
16. "Diaphus rafinesquii (Cocco, 1838) White-spotted lantern fish". fishbase.in.
17. "Diaphus rafinesquii | NBN Atlas". species.nbnatlas.org.