How far can you swim? Every evening, lanternfish swim up from a depth of 300-1500 m (980-4,920 ft) to feed on zooplankton at the surface of the ocean. This is quite the impressive feat considering that the change in pressure is as much as 50 atmospheres and the temperature can change up to 20°C (36°F); all this compounded by the fact that largest lanternfish is only 30 cm (11.81 in) long!
(Image: A spinycheek lanternfish (Benthosema fibulatum) by Scott and Jeanette Johnson)
Families: 2 - Myctophidae (“lanternfish”) and Neoscopelidae (“blackchins”)
Anatomy: body is compressed laterally; large, side-facing eyes; large mouth located at the tip of the snout; adipose fin is present; most have photophores (bioluminescence)
Diet: zooplankton, larger species may also eat small fish and crustaceans
Habitat: oceans worldwide, but tend to remain near coasts, around the continental slope; many undergo vertical migrations, spending the daylight hours in the bathypelagic zone, between 300 and 1,500 m (980 and 4,920 ft) deep, and rise to the epipelagic zone, between 10 and 100 m (33 and 328 ft) deep at night, following the migration of plankton
Evolved in: Late Cretaceous
(source)
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Propaganda under the cut:
Lanternfish (family Myctophidae) are among the most widely distributed, diverse, and populous vertebrates, with some estimates suggesting that they may have a total global biomass of 1.8 to 16 gigatonnes, accounting for up to 65% of all deep-sea fish biomass. The estimated global biomass of lanternfish is 550–660 million tonnes, several times the entire world fisheries catch.
The photophores (light-producing organs) of lanternfish emit a weak blue, green, or yellow light, and are known to be arranged in species-specific patterns. In some species, the pattern varies between males and females.
Lanternfish of the genus Diaphus (image 2) have photophores on the front of their face, which function as “headlights”.
Taaningichthys paurolychnus is the only lanternfish which lacks photophores.
At least one lanternfish was found with over 80 pieces of plastic bits in its gut, according to scientists monitoring ocean plastic in the Pacific Ocean's eastern garbage patch.
Sonar operators, using the newly developed sonar technology during World War II, were puzzled by what appeared to be a false sea floor 300–500 metres deep at day, and less deep at night. This turned out to be due to millions of marine organisms, particularly lanternfish, with swimbladders that reflected the sonar.
The Large-scaled Lantern Fish (Neoscopelus macrolepidotus) (which is actually a blackchin of the family Neoscopelidae, not a lanternfish) has a row of photophores along each side of its tongue. Why they have photophores on their tongues is unknown, but could be a possible aid in feeding and species recognition in the deep sea.
