Glacier lantern fish
📖 Overview
High-oceanic, mesopelagic at depths between 375-800 m during daytime and 12-200 m during night. Depth range from 0-850 m and from 541-1085 m in the eastern Ionian Sea . Photophores present. Feeds mainly on calanoid copepods, also euphausiids and copepodites. Feeding occurs at night in Norwegian fjords and in northwest Africa . Mature from about 3 cm onward. Spawning peaks in the Mediterranean in late spring with east-to-west progression. Female produces 160-2,000 eggs depending on her size .
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 14; Anal soft rays: 17 - 19. Males with single black-bordered supracaudal gland; females with two infra-caudal luminous patches; occasional specimens with both. Luminous organs in the anal area, 5-6 anteriorly and 5-7 posteriorly, 11-13 total.: fusiform / normal.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Glacier lantern fish is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
Semelparous, reported to perish after spawning .. Spawns both north and south of the Polar Fronts in the eastern North Atlantic.
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; pelagic-oceanic; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 1407 m , usually 300 - 400 m . Deep-water; 81°N - 7°N, 81°W - 61°E south to Morocco, and from Mauritania to Guinea (Mauritanian Upwelling Region).
🌿 Ecology
calanoid copepods, also euphausiids and copepodites
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
Scientific Synonyms
| Scientific Name | Author | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benthosema glacialis | Reinhardt | 1837 | Synonym |
| Benthosoma glaciale | Reinhardt | 1837 | Synonym |
| Lampanyctus glacialis | Reinhardt | 1837 | Synonym |
| Myctophum glaciale | Reinhardt | 1837 | Synonym |
| Myctophum glaciale knipovitschi | Soldatov | 1939 | Synonym |
| Myctophum glaciale thori | Tåning | 1918 | Synonym |
| Myctophum glacialis | Reinhardt | 1837 | Synonym |
| Scopelus glacialis | Reinhardt | 1837 | Homotypic |
| Scopelus parvimanus | Günther | 1864 | Synonym |
| Scopelus scoticus | Günther | 1889 | Synonym |
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 735 records indexed .
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