glacier lanternfish

Benthosema glaciale

Ten Point Three Centimeters Myctophid Fish from Western Atlantic

Northern Hemisphere
Regional distribution
Marine fish
Atlantic Ocean
Africa
Europe
North America
Fusiform
Small

Benthosema glaciale, or glacier lantern fish, is the most common species of lanternfish and important part of the midwater ecosystem of northern North Atlantic. It feeds on small crustaceans, including copepods, krill and amphipods, along with other small invertebrates.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Lanternfishes
Family: Myctophidae
Genus: Benthosema
Maximum length: 10.3 cm
Water: Marine
Body shape: fusiform
Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: Norway and Greenland south to Morocco, and from Mauritania to Guinea (Mauritanian Upwelling Region). Seasonally present from Morocco to Mauritania along the edge of the continental shelf. Also known from the Mediterranean Sea. Western Atlantic: Baffin Bay to northern edge of Gulf Stream. Northwest Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951 ).
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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