Identification
A small deep-sea fish of 5 to 10 cm with a stocky, oval body and conspicuously large eyes. Dark blue to black. Rows of photophores along the body in a species-specific pattern produce blue-green light.
Ecology
Lives in the mesopelagic zone at 200 to 1000 meters by day. Performs a daily vertical migration to the surface at night to feed on plankton. Lanternfish collectively represent one of the largest fish biomasses on Earth.
In the Netherlands
Found in deep waters west of the British Isles and the northeastern Atlantic. Absent or extremely rare in the shallow North Sea itself.
