Southern Lanternshark

About the Southern Lanternshark

The Southern Lanternshark is a shark of the family  Etmopteridae, found in the southeast Pacific Ocean.

Biology and Description:

The Southern Lanternshark is a large, heavy-bodied lanternshark with a big head. It has a bladelike uni cuspidate teeth in the lower jaw and teeth with cusps and cusplets in the upper jaw. Its body is stocky like, with conspicuous lines of denticles on the body, conspicuous black markings on the underside of the body and tail. Dark brown or black in colour, and possibly darker below. This species reaches a maximum size of 74.9 cm TL, and maturity is reached at about 46 cm TL. this species feeds on bony fish, squid, shrimp, and crabs. Its reproduction mode is ovoviviparous with 10-13 pups in a litter. The size at birth is of 18 cm TL.

Habitat:

The Southern Lanternshark is a bathydemersal species found on the outermost continental shelves and upper slopes at depths of 220-1620 m. Its distribution ranges from Southeast Pacific and Southwest Atlantic, south of Chile, Argentina and Falkland Islands.

Conservation:

Listed by the IUCN as Least Concern. There are currently no conservation measures in place for this species.

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