Pearly lanternfish (Myctophum nitidulum)

Scientific name: Myctophum nitidulum Garman, 1899

The Pearly lanternfish (Myctophum nitidulum) is a marine fish of the family Myctophidae.

Biology

High-oceanic, nyctoepipelagic at the surface and to 950 m and generally found between 475-850 m during the day. Neustonic to mesopelagic. Oviparous, with planktonic eggs and larvae. Lipid content is 3.8 % in fresh body weight and wax ester is 10.6 % in total lipids. Females reach sexual maturity at 4.8 cm, males at 3.5 cm.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Myctophum nitidulum
Family: Myctophidae (Lanternfishes)
Order: Myctophiformes (Lanternfishes)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 8.3
Depth range: 0–1000 m (0–3281 ft)
Environment: Marine; bathypelagic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 1000 m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: Circumglobal in all tropical and subtropical waters. Eastern Atlantic: Morocco to South Africa (as expatriates in Agulhas water pockets). Western Atlantic: between about 42?N and 34?S. Indian Ocean: between 7?N and 24?S. Pacific Ocean: between 32?N and 31?S, but extends northward to 40?N in the Kuroshio Current. South China Sea.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.42; tm=3)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026