Lanternfish - Naked sardine (English spelling)

A general term for the Myctophiidae family of the Osteichthyes, or one of the fishes within it. Fish in this family are deep-sea fish with large eyes and many large and small light-emitting organs. Many species have been reported to move vertically for hundreds of meters from deep water during the day to near the sea surface at night. The light-emitting organs on the sides of the body are arranged in several groups, and their relative positions are an important characteristic that distinguishes between species. Large and small light-emitting organs are scattered around the head, including around the eyes, and their colors vary slightly. The snout is laterally compressed, and the pelvic fins are on the sides of the body. The scales are generally round and easily peeled off, and the Japanese name Myctophiidae has been given to these fish, but there are rare species that have comb scales. The dorsal fin is located near the center of the body, and the adipose fin is located behind it. The teeth are tiny and can be found on both the upper and lower jaws and the vomer. They have 28-45 vertebrae. They are found in the deep seas of the world and there are 32 genera and 235 species, making them extremely difficult to classify. They are important as food for medium and large fish and marine mammals, and are an important part of the marine food chain. They are not edible, with some exceptions.

The myrtle fin Diaphus watasei does not have a light gland on the caudal peduncle. It has a round, forward-facing dorsal light organ on the nose. It has an upper light organ in front of the eye and five light organs on the thorax. It has three light organs above the anus and four in front of the caudal fin. Its dorsal and anal fins consist of 14-16 rays, and it has 36-38 lateral line scales. It is commonly collected by bottom trawl net on the continental shelf and slopes of southern Japan. It has been reported to be distributed from Sagami Bay to the East China Sea and the Philippines.

[Ueno Teruya]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

硬骨魚綱ハダカイワシ目ハダカイワシ科の総称、またはそのなかの一種。この科の魚類は深海性で目が大きく、大小の多くの発光器を備える。多くの種類は昼間には深く、夜間には海面近くへと数百メートルの垂直移動を行うことが報告されている。体側の発光器はいくつかの群をなして配列し、その位置関係が種類を区別する重要な形質である。頭部には目の周辺をはじめとして大小の発光器が散在し、その色も微妙に異なる。吻(ふん)は側扁(そくへん)し、腹びれは体側にある。鱗(うろこ)は一般に円鱗(えんりん)ではがれやすく、ハダカイワシの和名がつけられているが、まれに櫛鱗(しつりん)をもつ種類もある。背びれは体の中央近くにあり、その後方に脂びれがある。歯は微小で上下両顎(りょうがく)、鋤骨(じょこつ)にみられる。脊椎(せきつい)骨数は28～45個。世界中の深海に分布し、その種類は32属235種ときわめて多い。分類はむずかしい。中形、大形の魚類や海生哺乳(ほにゅう)類の餌(えさ)として重要であり、海洋における食物連鎖の重要な部分を占める。一部を除いて食用とはされない。

　ハダカイワシDiaphus wataseiは、尾柄に発光腺(せん)をもたない。丸く前方を向いた鼻部背側発光器がある。眼前上部発光器をもち、胸部の発光器は5個。肛門(こうもん)上発光器は3個、尾びれ前発光器は4個。背びれと臀(しり)びれは14～16条からなり、側線鱗数は36～38個である。南日本の大陸棚およびその斜面で普通に底引網により採集される。相模(さがみ)湾から、東シナ海、フィリピンまで分布していることが報告されている。

［上野輝彌］

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