blurred lantern shark
Etmopterus bigelowi Shirai & Tachikawa, 1993
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The blurred lanternshark (Etmopterus bigelowi) is a little-known species of dogfish shark in the family Etmopteridae, found around the world in benthic and pelagic habitats from a depth of 110 m (360 ft) to over 1 km (0.62 mi) down. This shark forms the E. pusillus species group with the smooth lanternshark, which are distinguished from other members of its family by having irregularly arranged, flat-topped dermal denticles that give them a "smooth" appearance. Both species are slender-bodied with long heads, two dorsal fins bearing spines, no anal fins, and light-emitting photophores. The blurred lanternshark is larger, reaching 67 cm (26 in) or more in length. This species feeds on small squid, fishes, and fish eggs, and is ovoviviparous. It has been assessed as of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, because of its wide distribution and lack of threat from fishing pressure.
Wikipedia contributors, Blurred lanternshark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:35:24.355800+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Etmopterus bigelowi Shirai & Tachikawa, 1993
- Name authority
- Shirai & Tachikawa, 1993
- Common name
- blurred lantern shark
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Squaliformes
- Family
- Etmopteridae
- Genus
- Etmopterus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassSelachii
- superorderSqualomorphi
- orderSqualiformes Compagno, 1973
- familyEtmopteridae Fowler, 1934
- genusEtmopterus Rafinesque, 1810
- speciesEtmopterus bigelowi Shirai & Tachikawa, 1993
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Etmopterus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Etmopterus alphus Ebert, Straube, Leslie & Weigmann, 2016 | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Etmopterus burgessi Schaaf-Da Silva & Ebert, 2006 | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Etmopterus caudistigmus Last, Burgess & Séret, 2002 | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Etmopterus evansi Last, Burgess & Séret, 2002 | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| southern lanternsharkEtmopterus granulosus (Günther, 1880) | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Etmopterus joungi Knuckey, Ebert & Burgess, 2011 | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Laila’s lanternsharkEtmopterus lailae Ebert, Papastamatiou, Kajiura & Wetherbee, 2017 | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Etmopterus pseudosqualiolus Last, Burgess & Séret, 2002 | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Etmopterus samadiae White, Ebert, Mana & Corrigan, 2017 | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Etmopterus schultzi Bigelow, Schroeder & Springer, 1953 | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Etmopterus sculptus Ebert, Compagno & De Vries, 2011 | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| thorny lanternsharkEtmopterus sentosus Bass, D'Aubrey & Kistnasamy, 1976 | EtmopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Shirai, S., & Tachikawa, H. (1993). Taxonomic resolution of the Etmopterus pusillus species group (Elasmobranchii, Etmopteridae), with description of E. bigelowi, n. sp. Copeia, 1993 (2): 483–495. https://doi.org/10.2307/1447149 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3BM6Z. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.