Kryptophanaron alfredi Silvester & Fowler, 1926

Open encyclopedia reference

Kryptophanaron alfredi, the Atlantic flashlightfish, is a species of flashlight fish native to the western Atlantic Ocean. During the day, it is found in waters as deep as 200 metres (660 ft). On moonless nights, it ascends to shallow waters around 25 metres (82 ft) in depth where it feeds on small shrimp and copepods as it swims over the ocean floor. This species grows to a length of 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) TL. This species is the only known member of the genus Kryptophanaron and can be found in the aquarium trade.

Kryptophanaron alfredi has a special organ near its mouth that is specially adapted for the growth of luminescent bacteria (Photobacterium). Enough light is generated from millions of bacteria that the fish can navigate over coral reefs at night and attract prey to their light. The light organ has a membrane that descends like an eyelid to control the amount of light emitted.

Wikipedia contributors, Kryptophanaron; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:56:37.857877+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Kryptophanaron alfredi Silvester & Fowler, 1926

Name authority

Silvester & Fowler, 1926

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Trachichthyiformes

Family

Anomalopidae

Genus

Kryptophanaron

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderTrachichthyiformes
11. familyAnomalopidae Gill, 1889
12. genusKryptophanaron Silvester & Fowler, 1926
13. speciesKryptophanaron alfredi Silvester & Fowler, 1926

Close classified relatives

No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.

Browse 9 records assigned to Anomalopidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

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.

1. Silvester, C. F.; Fowler H. W. (1926). A new genus and species of phosphorescent fish, Kryptophanaron alfredi. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, v. 78: 245–247, Pls. 18–19. 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:3RF2L. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.