A superpod of spinner dolphins and a school of mobula rays devour a baitball of lanternfish off of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula.
Lanternfishes undergo huge vertical migrations of hundred of meters as they follow their zooplanktivorous prey upwards at night. Their journey typically begins shortly before sunset, and, at its peak, myctophids (and many other deepwater fish families) can be plucked from the surface waters, offering the possibility for their capture in the aquarium trade. In fact, researchers have been doing so for years in order to better study the luminescent properties of this group.Myctophid luminescence is the result of a luciferin-luciferase reaction—the same chemistry which creates the cold light of fireflies. This is fundamentally different from the other group of shallow-water bioluminescent fishes: the Flashlightfishes of the Family Anomalopidae, which have a specialized organ for culturing light-producing bacteria. The soft, bluish glow emitted by lanternfishes occurs in small circular organs known as photophores lining the undersides of the body, providing the fish with “counter-illumination”. This serves to mask the fish’s outline from below when seen against the small amount of blue light that reaches the mesopelagic depths. There are roughly 250 species of lanternfish, and each is said to possess its own unique arrangement to its photophores, making these structures highly important for species recognition amongst both fish and scientist alike. Many also have additional patches of luminous tissue that serve a more direct role in intraspecific communication. In some, such as the Headlightfish Diaphus, the luminous organs occur in association with the eyes, while in others these organs are positioned on the caudal peduncle and are sexually dimorphic, with males having them dorsally and females ventrally. Unlike the serially arranged photophores, which emit a constant blue light, these other types of luminous organs are behaviorally controlled and only briefly flashed when communicating. One unusual observation was made when a researcher unwittingly held the phosphorescent dial of his watch near a captive lanternfish, which the fish proceeded to respond to with its own flash of light. The most abundant species in shallow tropical waters are typically Benthosema pterotum and B. fibulatum, though Diaphus, Myctophum and Hygophum are also commonly trawled near surface waters. Specimens captured in this manner, particularly for Benthosema, are reported to lose many of their scales and would likely prove difficult to keep in captivity long-term. Should specimens ever be targeted for the aquarium trade, they would likely need to be hand-netted and transported quite carefully to avoid damage. One trait working to this fish’s advantage though is their ability to tolerate low oxygen levels, an adaptation to similar conditions often found in the mesopelagic depths.
資料映像を整理していたら、生きたlantern fish（ハダカイワシ）の映像が出てきました。何とも神秘的な青白い光です。 詳しくは、わがままな釣魚水槽で（http://aliake0amakusa.blogspot.com/）
The typical lifespan for a lanternfish is said to vary from 1-5 years, though it’s likely captive specimens could prove longer lived. In the wild, myctophids are on the menu for many different animals, from larger deepwater fishes to penguins and dolphins, undoubtedly making it challenging for them to grow to a ripe old age. Their delectability relates to their high fat content—so fatty are these fishes that consumption in large quantities is said to cause diarrhoea. For this reason, as well as the difficulties in processing these small fishes, they have limited utility for our own species, being mostly used as fertilizers and animal feed.While lanternfishes may not be as aesthetically grotesque as some of the other specialized fishes with which it shares its deepwater home, they are nonetheless fascinating little fishes and one which could make for a truly unique aquarium display. Hopefully someday soon aquarium collectors can make these available, as I imagine I’m not the only one who’d like to keep a school of these glowing beasts.