Identification
Benoit's lanternfish is a tiny deep-sea fish of only 5 to 7 cm with large eyes and rows of light-producing organs (photophores) along the belly and flanks. The body is dark blue to black. The photophores produce a blue-green glow through bioluminescence.
Ecology
Lives in the deep ocean, at 200 to 700 meters depth during the day, migrating to the surface at night to feed on plankton. This vertical migration is one of the largest mass animal movements on Earth. Lanternfish collectively represent an enormous biomass in the world's oceans.
In the Netherlands
Not native to the North Sea. Occasionally washed ashore or found in deep Atlantic water surveys.
