Hawaiian Lanternshark

1/28/2019

Photo credit: Unknown - The deep-sea fishes of the Hawaiian Islands Gilbert, Charles Henry, 1859-1928; Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931 // Wikipedia

Very little literature exists for this next demersal shark: the Hawaiian lanternshark (Etmopterus villosus). If you guessed by the scientific name that it is a lanternshark, you would be correct! Endemic to Molokai in Hawaii, they are found on or near the bottom here at about 406-911 metres depth and therefore scientists and conservationists aren’t worried about fishing pressure. They are known from only a handful of specimens, and have a maximum total length of 46 cm (1.5 ft).

Hawaiian lanternsharks are in the Etmopteridae family, and like other lanternsharks are dark brown to black in colour all around. They have a short little tail, short fin, and a spine to protect them in front of each dorsal fin. They are also known as “green eye sharks” for their large green eyes!

The IUCN has assessed these animals as Least Concern (LC).

WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS ANIMAL?

GLOSSARY

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 deepsea fishing.

Endemic: Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else.
Insular slope: The shelf around an island.
IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Trawl fisheries: Fisheries that pull a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats.
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.