spotted lanternfish
Myctophum punctatum Rafinesque, 1810
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
Myctophum punctatum is a species of mesopelagic fish in the family Myctophidae. Its common name is spotted lanternfish, sometimes spelled spotted lanterfish. It is found in the Northern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean at depths down to 1,000 m (3,280 ft). It is one of the dominant species in midwater assemblages near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Myctophum punctatum can grow to 11 cm (4.3 in) SL. It performs diurnal migrations to the surface at dusk. It feeds mostly on copepods and euphausiids.
Larvae of Myctophum punctatum have stalked eyes.
Wikipedia contributors, Myctophum punctatum; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:41:44.749076+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Myctophum punctatum Rafinesque, 1810
- Name authority
- Rafinesque, 1810
- Common name
- spotted lanternfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Myctophiformes
- Family
- Myctophidae
- Genus
- Myctophum
- 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
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderMyctophiformes
- familyMyctophidae Gill, 1893
- subfamilyMyctophinae Gill, 1893
- genusMyctophum Rafinesque, 1810
- speciesMyctophum punctatum Rafinesque, 1810
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Myctophum. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Myctophum aurolaternatum Garman, 1899 | MyctophidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pearly lanternfishMyctophum nitidulum Garman, 1899 | MyctophidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| metallic lanternfishMyctophum affine (Lütken, 1892) | MyctophidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Serpe humboldti Risso, 1810 Risso, 1810 | synonym |
| Scopelus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1810) (Rafinesque, 1810) | synonym |
| Stylophthalmus lobiancoi Mazzarelli, 1909 Mazzarelli, 1909 | synonym |
| Gasteropelecus humboldti Risso, 1810 Risso, 1810 | synonym |
| Mychtophum punctatum Rafinesque, 1810 Rafinesque, 1810 | synonym |
| Scopelus caninianus Valenciennes, 1850 Valenciennes, 1850 | synonym |
| Scopelus heideri Steindachner, 1881 Steindachner, 1881 | synonym |
| Symbolophorus humboldti (Risso, 1810) (Risso, 1810) | synonym |
| Myctophum humboldti (Risso, 1810) (Risso, 1810) | synonym |
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.
- Rafinesque, C. S. (1810). Indice d’ittiologia siciliana ossia catalogo metodico dei nomi latini : italiani, e siciliani, e siciliani dei pesci, che si rinvengono in Sicilia disposti secondo un metodo naturale eseguito da un appendice che contiene la descrizione di alcuni nuovi pesci siciliani. Ill Opuscolo del signore C.S. Rafinesque Schmaltz. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.6893 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:44ZX4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.