The Etmopteridae are a family of sharks in the order Squaliformes, commonly known as lantern sharks. Their name comes from the presence of light-producing photophores on their bodies. The members of this family are small, under 90 cm (35 in) long, and are found in deep waters worldwide.[1] The 45 species are placed in five genera. Three-quarters of the species are in the genus Etmopterus.

Lantern sharks
Velvet belly lanternshark, Etmopterus spinax
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Squaliformes
Family: Etmopteridae
Fowler, 1934

Genera

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References

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  1. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Etmopteridae". FishBase. February 2011 version.