Broadbanded Lanternshark

11/5/2018

SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC - http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/fish4221.htm

Broadbanded Lanternshark, Etmopterus gracilispinis, is a shark of in the family Etmopteridae, that has been observed in the western and southeast of the Atlantic Ocean.

This stout little lanternshark (maximum size of males 35 cm total length and females 33 cm) is covered in small conical denticles that feeds on a variety of animals (like tiny fish, cephalopods like squid and octopus, and shrimp). They are a dark brown to black color dorsally and like many other deepwater sharks are also dark coloured on their bellies. They have broad, black marks on their causal fin which is quite short. Found in the outer continental shelves and upper to middle continental slopes, they occur from 100 metres deep down to 1,000 metres deep.

This species is presumed to be viviparous with a placenta, and pups are said to measure 13 cm total length (TL) at birth for this benthic species. We could not find the IUCN assessment.

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GLOSSARY

Cephalopods: The most intelligent, mobile, and largest of all molluscs. These include: squid, octopuses, cuttlefish, the chambered nautilus, and their relatives.
Continental shelf: Extends from a continent underwater, resulting in a shallow-water area.
Continental slope: The steep slope from a continental shelf to the ocean floor; usually around 20 km (12.4 miles) wide and made up of mud and silt substrate. It is an ideal area for deep sea fishing.
Dermal denticles: Scales found in cartilaginous fishes: sharks, skates, rays, chimaeras.
Dorsal fin: Fin located on the back.
Dorsal side: The top of an animal.
IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.