rough sagre

Etmopterus princeps

A lanternshark named for disputed glow

Northern Hemisphere
Regional distribution
Marine fish
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Africa
Europe
North America
Oceania
Elongated
Large

The great lanternshark (Etmopterus princeps) is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found in the northeast and northwest Atlantic. Its name was given because, at the time of its discovery, it was thought to be bioluminescent, but this has been challenged.

Class: Sharks and Rays
Order: Dogfish Sharks
Family: Etmopteridae
Genus: Etmopterus
Maximum length: 94 cm
Water: Marine
Body shape: elongated
Distribution: Northwest Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada to New Jersey, USA. Northeast Atlantic: southern Iceland along Atlantic slope to Faeroes, Hebrides, UK, English Channel, Bay of Biscay and Gibraltar, Mauritania. Nominally recorded from New Caledonia in the Western Central Pacific, but its status there needs clarification - other large species of lanternsharks ( Etmopterus baxteri and Etmopterus unicolor ) may be involved (Ref. 31367 ).
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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