Species: Etmopterus perryi, Dwarf Lantern Shark

Etmopterus perryi Springer & Burgess, 1985

Dwarf Lantern Shark

Body stout; head and snout flat, long, broad, depth at front of eye 2/3 width; no nictitating eyelids; spiracle large, behind eye; mouth short, at acute angle; upper teeth with a large central point plus usually <3 smaller points on each side, 25-30 rows, lower teeth compressed and blade-like, with small, oblique tips, 32-34 rows; five gill slits, all before pectoral base, very short; two dorsal fins, second larger (but <2X area of 1st), both with long thick grooved spines, 2nd spine ~2X length of first; first dorsal with origin over/just behind pressed-down pectoral tip, fin much nearer pectoral fin axil than origin of pelvics; pectorals rounded; no anal fin; no ridges between pectoral and pelvic fins, no precaudal pits, no keel on tail base; tail fin strongly asymmetrical, notch at top, relatively short (top margin length ~snout tip to pectoral origin); fins without rear fringes; denticles needle like, densely and randomly arranged, cover head and body; flank denticles with slender, hooked points, wide spaced, not in longitudinal rows.

Head and body grey to dark brown above, black below; dark blotch at tip of each tail fin lobe; elongate black mark above & behind pelvics, two black blotches on lower profile of tail base; middle of back without a white stripe but with a central black line or row of black dots.

Size: 21.2 cm.

Habitat: Upper continental slopes

Depth: 230-598 m.

Southern Caribbean.