Ninja lanternshark

The Ninja lanternshark (Etmopterus benchleyi) is a lanternshark of the family Etmopteridae found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Nicaragua, south to Panama and Costa Rica. The depth range of collections is from 836–1443m along the continental slope. E. benchleyi is the only Etmopterus species presently known from the Pacific coast of Central America.[1]

Ninja lanternshark
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Squaliformes
Family: Etmopteridae
Genus: Etmopterus
Species:
E. benchleyi
Binomial name
Etmopterus benchleyi
V. E. Vásquez, Ebert & Long, 2015

Type

The species was described from eight specimens collected off the Pacific Coast of Central America during an expedition of the Spanish research ship Miguel Oliver by D. Ross Robertson, a researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. One holotype and four paratypes were described and deposited with the United States National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.[1]

Description

The ninja lanternshark is coloured black with the mouth and eyes having white markings around them.[2] The maximum length of male specimens collected during the Miguel Oliver voyages is 325 millimetres (12.8 in) while that of the female specimens is 515 millimetres (20.3 in).[1] This species is distinct from other members of the E. spinax clade in having dense concentrations of dermal denticles closely surrounding the eyes and gill openings.[1]

Origin of scientific name

The shark was identified and named by shark researcher Vicky Vásquez. The specific name benchleyi derives from Peter Benchley, author of the 1974 novel Jaws that was used as a basis for Steven Spielberg's film of the same name.[1]

References
  1. Vásquez, V.E., Ebert, D.A. & Long, D.J. (2015). "Etmopterus benchleyi n. sp., a new lanternshark (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae) from the central eastern Pacific Ocean" (PDF). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 17: 43–55.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  2. Galloway, B. (2015). "This weird, newly discovered ninja lanternshark glows in the dark". redOrbit. Retrieved 25 Dec 2015.


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