Headlight fish

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Headlight fish
Diaphus effulgens.jpg
An illustration of the headlight fish, in the 1896 edition of Oceanic Ichthyology by Goode and Bean
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Myctophiformes
Family: Myctophidae
Genus: Diaphus
Species:
D. effulgens
Binomial name
Diaphus effulgens
(Goode and Bean, 1896)
Synonyms
  • Aethoprora effulgensGoode and Bean, 1896
  • Myctophum effulgens(Goode and Bean, 1896)
  • Myctophum aeolochrus (Barnard, 1927)
  • Diaphus macrophus (Parr, 1928)
  • Diaphus antelucens (Kulikova, 1961)

The headlight fish [2] (Diaphus effulgens) 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. [3] [4]

Contents

Description

This species can be distinguished from other deepwater fishes such as the lanternfish Myctophum affine and from Pearlsides (in the genus Maurolicus) by the large luminescent patch (from which the headlight fish gets its name) that covers the front of its head, between the nares. [2] The maximum reported length for this species is 15 cm (5.9 in). [5]

Taxonomy and naming

The headlight fish was first described by American ichthyologists George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean in 1896. [6] It was originally placed in the genus Aethoprora , which has since been synonymized into the headlight fish's current genus Diaphus. [7]

The generic name, Diaphus, is a combination of the Greek words Dia (Δία), meaning "through", and Physa (Φυσα), "bellows". [8] The species name, effulgens, is a Latin word meaning glittering or flashing. [8]

Distribution and habitat

The range of the headlight fish covers the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. In the eastern Atlantic, they are known from the Antarctic Convergence zone in the south to the English Channel in the north. [9] In the western Atlantic, they can be found from the east coast of the United States south to the southern border of Brazil. [9] In the Indian Ocean they are generally found from about 70°E to between 5°S and 38°S. [9] In the Pacific, they are known from 0° to 29°N, and are also seen in waters near Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. [9] [10] [11]

The species is both high-oceanic and mesopelagic. During daylight, the fish are found in deep water, from depths of 501 to 700 metres (1,640 to 2,300 ft), but at night they come up nearer the surface and have been observed from depths of 40 to 175 metres (130 to 570 ft). There is some size stratification with depth, and the female fish are believed to spawn in deep water. [9]

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Lanternfish 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.

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<i>Diaphus</i> Genus of fishes

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<i>Electrona risso</i> Species of fish

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.

Diaphus danae, the Dana lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Diaphus diadematus, the crown lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found worldwide.

Diaphus jenseni, the Jensen's lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found in the Indo-Pacific, the Southeast Atlantic Ocean and there South China Sea.

Diaphus mollis, the soft lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Diaphus regani, the Regan's lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Diaphus burtoni is a species of lanternfish found in the Philippines and the Western Central Pacific Ocean.

Diaphus whitleyi, is a species of lanternfish found in the Philippines and the Western Central Pacific Ocean.

Diaphus lucifrons is a species of lanternfish found in the Philippines and the Western Central Pacific Ocean.

Diaphus subtilis is a species of lanternfish found in the Atlantic Ocean.

Diaphus meadi, Mead's lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found pretty much worldwide.

Diaphus impostor, the imposter lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found in the Western Central Pacific Ocean.

Diaphus vanhoeffeni, is a species of lanternfish found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Diaphus dumerilii, Dumeril's lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Diaphus taaningi, the Slopewater lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Diaphus lucidus, the spotlight lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found worldwide.

Diaphus problematicus, the problematic lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found worldwide.

References

  1. ↑ Hulley, P. (2015). "Diaphus effulgens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T15598639A15603690. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T15598639A15603690.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Bigelow, Henry Bryant; Schroeder, William Charles (1953). Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. p. 142.
  3. ↑ Santos, R.S., F.M. Porteiro and J.P. Barreiros, 1997. Marine fishes of the Azores: annotated checklist and bibliography. Bulletin of the University of Azores. Supplement 1. pg. 45 doi : 10.13140/2.1.2002.4649
  4. ↑ Hoese, D.F., D.J. Bray, J.R. Paxton and G.R. Allen, 2006. Fishes. In Beasley, O.L. and A. Wells (eds.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35.2 Australia: ABRS & CSIRO Publishing.
  5. ↑ Hulley, P.A., 1986. Myctophidae. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. p. 290 doi : 10.1007/978-3-642-82858-4
  6. ↑ Goode, G. B. and T. H. Bean 1896 (23 Aug.)Oceanic ichthyology, a treatise on the deep-sea and pelagic fishes of the world, based chiefly upon the collections made by the steamers Blake, Albatross, and Fish Hawk in the northwestern Atlantic, with an atlas containing 417 figures. Special Bulletin U. S. National Museum No. 2. doi : 10.5962/bhl.title.2164
  7. ↑ Hulley, P.A., 1990. Myctophidae. p. 398. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI; Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1. doi : 10.1007/BF00042886
  8. 1 2 Romero, P., 2002. An etymological dictionary of taxonomy. Madrid, unpublished.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Diaphus effulgens" in FishBase . November 2019 version.
  10. ↑ Paxton, J.R., D.F. Hoese, G.R. Allen and J.E. Hanley, 1989. Pisces. Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Vol. 7. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra. ISBN   978-0-644-09430-6
  11. ↑ Paulin, C., A. Stewart, C. Roberts and P. McMillan, 1989. New Zealand fish: a complete guide. National Museum of New Zealand Miscellaneous Series No. 19. doi : 10.1080/00288330.2016.1177553
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