Lanternfish

Lanternfish is the name of a large group of small fish with pearllike organs that give off light. The ability of certain living things to produce light is called bioluminescence (see Bioluminescence). More than 1,000 species of fish are bioluminescent. Most of them, including lanternfish, live in the deep waters of the open sea.

The lanternfish has organs along the sides of its head and body that enable the fish to create its own light.
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There are over 230 species of lanternfish. Most adult lanternfish are less than 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. The fish's light-producing organs, called photophores, develop chiefly on the lower part of the body. Each species has a different arrangement of photophores. Lanternfish use their bioluminescence to communicate with one another and to attract prey. Their light also acts as a camouflage to protect them from enemies. The fish are invisible from below because their glowing undersides match the light of the sunlit or moonlit sea surface. In addition, the dark, unlighted backs of many lanternfish match the darkness of the deep water, making them invisible to enemies above.

Lanternfish often form schools of hundreds of thousands of fish. They are found at greater depths during the day and migrate to shallower depths at night.

Scientific Classification. Lanternfish belong to the lanternfish family, Myctophidae.

Contributor: Leighton R. Taylor, Jr., Ph.D., Scientific Fellow, California Academy of Sciences.

Lanternfish

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