Overview

Lanternsharks are miniature deepwater predators that often carry their own dim light show. In PocketShark, this family entry signals a small dark shark of the deep slope, usually better known from catches than from direct observation. Most lanternsharks are small, dark sharks with no anal fin, dorsal spines, and light-producing photophores arranged in species-specific patterns. Lanternsharks are found in deep tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters worldwide. Many species have localized ranges or are known from only a few deepwater regions.

They usually inhabit outer continental shelves, slopes, seamount flanks, and deep pelagic layers, often well below sunlight.

Known as an ultra-small deep-water shark.

Why it matters: The photophore patterns of lanternsharks are so distinctive that they can help separate similar-looking species.

Common nameDwarf Lanternshark
Scientific nameEtmopterus perryi
FamilyEtmopteridae
OrderSqualiformes
Max length0.2 m
Depth range280 to 440 meters
ConservationData deficient
RegionCaribbean coast of South America
DietSmall squid and crustaceans
HabitatDeep continental slope
Why it stands outBioluminescent belly

What this shark is

Most lanternsharks are small, dark sharks with no anal fin, dorsal spines, and light-producing photophores arranged in species-specific patterns.

Where it lives

Lanternsharks are found in deep tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters worldwide. Many species have localized ranges or are known from only a few deepwater regions.

They usually inhabit outer continental shelves, slopes, seamount flanks, and deep pelagic layers, often well below sunlight.

How it differs from similar sharks

Bioluminescent belly

Compare it against Brown lanternshark, Etmopterus Alphus, and Etmopterus Benchleyi.

Why it is notable

They seldom interact directly with people. Most information comes from deepwater surveys and incidental capture.

Species-level taxonomy was verified from Sharkipedia's current species list and taxonomy workbook. In this pass, the narrative fields are cautious family-level placeholders synthesized from broad shark references, chiefly the FAO Sharks of the World catalogue, because a stronger multi-source species-level synthesis was not assembled here without risking invented detail. Replace this with a direct species-level synthesis before publication in the app.

Related shark pages

These links are meant to help readers continue through related species, not force extra clicks.