Emerald lantern shark

10/27/2016

NOAA\NMFS\Mississippi Laboratory - http://fishbase.org/photos/PicturesSummary.php?ID=25482&what=species

To some, it is known as the “blurred lantern shark.” In fact, Shirai and Tachikawa (1993) named it the “blurred smooth-dogfish;” the American Fisheries Society adopted the name, “blurred lantern shark” instead. However, Jose Castro suggests describing it as the “emerald lantern shark.” This is due to the bright emerald color that runs along its flanks. Otherwise, they’re completely black.

Well, besides the photophores under their belly, which are blue in color. Scientifically known as Etmopterus bigelowi, this shark has two dorsal fins, each protected by a large spine. They have profound morphometric changes with growth: in both sexes the length of the trunk increases allometrically of the total length. They have cool denticles in that they are flat and have four points.

They seem to be widely distributed, nearly cosmopolitan in warm, temperate waters. There was prior confusion with the smooth lanternshark, however. They have been identified in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, central/western Pacific Ocean. They are small in size, with maximum lengths being 67 cm (males) and 65 cm (females).

#Finfact: They are one of the largest lantern sharks!

These lantern sharks like to lurk in deep water, from depths of 163 – 1000 m (49- 304 ft), but can sometimes be observed in shallower depths. They appear to feast on small fish and squid. Not much else is known about them, except that they are viviparous with yolk-sac. The IUCN has assessed this shark as Least Concern (LC).

ever heard of this shark?

glossary

Allometric: The disproportionate growth of a part or parts of an organism as the organism changes in size.
Cosmopolitan: Worldwide distribution.
Crustaceans: Group of animals with a hard exoskeleton, jointed legs and segmented body.
IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Photophores: Organs that contain the light-producing chemicals or bacteria responsible for the bioluminescence.
Trunk: the region of a fish between the head and anus.
Viviparous with yolk-sac: Also known as aplacental viviparous and previously known as ovoviviparous/ovoviviparity; it is the production of eggs that are fertilised and hatch inside the female shark but the embryos lack a placental connection to the oviduct or uterus and so do not feed off the mother.