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Largescale New Lanternfish
Neoscopelus macrolepidotus Johnson, 1863
Above and below: A Largescale New Lanternfish trawled during the NORFANZ expedition at a depth between 798 m and 880 m, north of Lord Howe Island, May 2003 (CSIRO H6029-03). Photo: R. McPhee © NORFANZ. View larger image.
The Largescale New Lanternfish has a single short-based dorsal fin followed by an adipose fin. It has deciduous scales that are often lost when fish are caught in trawl nets. There is a row of photophores along the midline of the belly and two rows on the sides of the body. The body is brown with tinges of pink. The head is silver and the fins are pinkish.
It grows to 25 cm in length.
This species occurs in continental slope waters of most tropical and temperate marine waters.
In Australia it is known from the central coast of New South Wales, south to Victoria and Tasmania, and around the south of the country to the Great Australian Bight. It is also known from off north-western Western Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Related links
- View the Deepsea fishes list
Further reading
- Paxton, J.R. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
