Myctophidae

1 9.9

A family of small deep-sea fish called lanternfish that make light along their bodies

noun
/mɪkˈtɒfɪdi/

Specialized

: Myctophidae

The ocean is home to many fascinating creatures, including Myctophidae, which are known for their unique light-producing organs.

Examples

Marine biologists studied the diet of Myctophidae to understand their role in the deep-sea ecosystem.
Researchers discovered a new species of Myctophidae during their expedition to the Mariana Trench.
Myctophidae and Gonostomatidae showed a very low value of density (< 1 larvae/100 m3).

Academic text (2018)

Synonyms

lanternfish

vsMyctophidae

1 9.6

A small deep-sea fish with rows of light organs along its sides that rises to the surface at night

is the scientific family term for these fishes, not the individual fish name

Surface Forms

Myctophidae singular

Myctophidas plural

Etymology

Myctophidae is a scientific family name formed from the fish genus Myctophum and the family ending -idae, where -idae means 'family' in scientific names. These fish are known as lanternfishes because they make light, so thinking of Myctophidae as 'the family of Myctophum', the light-making or 'lantern' fishes, helps explain why the word means a group of small, deep-sea, light-producing fishes.