Species: Etmopterus bigelowi, Blurred Lantern Shark
D1 spine > D1 base

Etmopterus bigelowi Shirai & Tachikawa, 1993
Blurred Lantern Shark
Body slender; head and snout flattened, broad, at level of eyes head is wider than deep; snout long, thick, flat; no nictitating eyelids; spiracle large, behind eye; mouth short, at acute angle; upper teeth with a stout, thick central point plus 1 (female) to 3-5 (male) smaller points on each side, 19-24 rows, lower teeth compressed and blade-like, with small, oblique tips that become more erect in large fish, 25-39 rows; five gill slits, all before pectoral base, very short, length ~2X spiracle; two dorsal fins, second bigger than first, both with long thick grooved spines; first dorsal located just behind pectorals, distance from pectoral axil to 1st dorsal >1/3 interdorsal space, center of first dorsal nearer pectoral fin axil than origin of pelvics; 1st dorsal spine long & stout, >/ = 1st dorsal base; pectoral fin broad, ~triangular, ends just before 1st dorsal fin; no anal fin; no ridges between pectoral and pelvic fins, no precaudal pits, no keel on tail base; tail long; tail fin strongly asymmetrical, notch at top; denticles on sides of body without points, block-like, skin smooth.
Dark brown to blackish, a little darker below; a small white blotch between eyes; fins with light edges; inconspicuous, blurry dark areas on side of head, above pelvic fin, at lower origin of tail fin, on underside of pectoral; luminescent organs visible as black dots and streaks on underside of head and body.
Size: 73 cm.
Habitat: Outer continental shelf and upper slopes; partly epipelagic in open ocean.
Depth: 110-1000 m.
All three oceans: Gulf of Mexico to Argentina.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Offshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Bottom + water column
- Near Bottom
- Near Surface
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Water column
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bentho-Pelagic
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Sharks/rays
- Bony fishes
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Live birth
- No pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Also in Brazil
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends South of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 73
- Depth Range Min
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- 110
- Depth Range Max
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- 1000