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Genus: Etmopterus, Lantern Shark, Lantern Sharks


All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

top teeth: 1 large with 1+ small points each side
lower teeth: blades with notch + oblique point

ETMOPTERUS

LANTERN SHARKS

Body cylindrical to slightly compressed; snout short; no nictitating eyelids; spiracle large, behind eye; mouth short, at acute angle; teeth in upper and lower jaws not the same, upper with long slender centre cusp and one or more cusplets on sides, lower jaw with compressed blade-like teeth; five gill slits, all before pectoral base; all small; two dorsal fins, first generally smaller than second, both with long thick-grooved spines; origin of first dorsal behind rear margin of pectoral; no anal fin; no ridges between pectoral and pelvic fins, no precaudal pits; no keel on tail base; tail fin strongly asymmetrical, notch under top lobe; conspicuous black marks and luminescent organs from belly along tail base.

A circumglobal genus with 17 species; nine in our area.