Order MYCTOPHIFORMES

Common name: Lanternfishes
Summary:

This order includes two families of deepsea pelagic and benthopelagic fishes which share a combination of osteological and musculature characteristics; most have intrinsic bioluminescence. Myctophiforms comprise more than half of all deep-sea biomass, and are a critical component of marine ecosystems worldwide.

Author: Bray, D.J. 2022
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Lanternfishes, MYCTOPHIFORMES in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Jul 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/order/27

Order References

de Busserolles, F., Fitzpatrick, J.L., Paxton, J.R., Marshall, N.J. & Collin, S.P. 2013. Eye-Size Variability in Deep-Sea Lanternfishes (Myctophidae): An Ecological and Phylogenetic Study. PLoS ONE 8(3): e58519. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058519

Davis, M.P., Holcroft, N.I., Wiley, E.O., Sparks, J.S. & Smith, W.L. 2014. Species-Specific Bioluminescence Facilitates Speciation in the Deep Sea. Marine Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2406-x.

Denton, J.S.S. 2012. Seven-locus molecular phylogeny of Myctophiformes (Teleostei; Scopelomorpha) highlights the utility of the order for studies of deep-sea evolution. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 76: 270–292.

Martin, R.P., Olson, E.E., Girard, M.G., Smith, Wm.L. & Davis, M.P. 2018. Light in the darkness: New perspective on lanternfish relationships and classification using genomic and morphological data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 121: 71-85,  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2017.12.029

Paxton, J.R. 1972. Osteology and relationships of the lanternfishes (family Myctophidae). Bull Nat Hist Mus LA 13: 1–78.