Pygmy Lanternfish, Lampanyctus pusillus (Johnson 1890)
An illustration of the Pygmy Lanternfish, Lampanyctus pusillus. Source: Rhyll Plant. License: CC BY Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
The Pygmy Lanternfish is the smallest species in the genus Lampanyctus.
Identifying features:
Body slender, supracaudal and infracaudal luminous organs present, infracaudal organ relatively short;
A single photophore on cheek, VLO photophore well below lateral line, AOa2 photophore level with others in series;
Secondary photophores present on all body scales, most obvious branchiostegal membranes;
No luminous scales at adipose-fin base;
Skin black, fins clear.
Pygmy Lanternfish, Lampanyctus pusillus (Johnson 1890)
More Info
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Distribution |
Recorded in Australian waters from off Newcastle, New South Wales, to off Bunbury, Western Australia. Elsewhere, southern circumglobal in association with the Subtropical Convergence(also in the North Atlantic). In a recent study, Bernal et al. (2013) found that adult Pygmy Lanternfish were distributed throughout the water column, while the larvae were only found in the upper 200 m. |
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Conservation |
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Species Citation |
Scopelus pusillus Johnson, 1890, Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1890: 457. Type locality: Madeira, eastern Atlantic. |
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Author |
Dianne J. Bray & John R. Paxton |
Pygmy Lanternfish, Lampanyctus pusillus (Johnson 1890)
References
Bernal, A., M.P. Olivar & M.L. Ferna´ndez de Puelles. 2013. Feeding patterns of Lampanyctus pusillus (Pisces: Myctophidae) throughout its ontogenetic development. Mar Biol 160: 81–95 DOI 10.1007/s00227-012-2064-9
Brandt, S.B. 1981. Effects of a warm-core eddy on fish distribution in the Tasman Sea off east Australia. Marine Ecology Progress Series 6: 19-33 figs 1-7
Hulley, P.A., 1986. Myctophidae. p. 282-321. In M.M. Smith & P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Checklist of the fishes of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 63: 9-50.
Johnson, J.Y. 1890. On some new species of fish from Madeira. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1890: 452-459.
Olivar, M.P. & L.E. Beckley, 1997. Larval development of Lampanyctus species (Pisces: Myctophidae) from the SW Indian Ocean, and species groups based on larval characters. Bull. Mar. Sci. 60(1): 47-65.
Olivar, M.P., H.G. Moser & L.E. Beckley, 1999. Lanternfish larvae from the Agulhas current (SW Indian Ocean). Sci. Mar. 63(2): 101-120.
Paxton, J.R., Gates, J.E. & Hoese, D.F. 2006. Myctophidae. pp. 508-531. in Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp.
Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp.
Paxton, J.R. & Bray, D.J. 2008. Family Myctophidae. pp. 270-294. in Gomon. M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.
Young, J.W., T.D. Lamb & R.W. Bradford. 1996. Distribution and community structure of midwater fishes in relation to the subtropical convergence off eastern Tasmania, Australia. Mar. Biol. 126(4): 571-584.
