Prickly lanternfish

Dasyscopelus asper

Fish
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth1–1,120 m
Water temperature11–30 °C
Best monthsMay, September, and October
How commonOccasional

About this species

Dasyscopelus asper, previously Myctophum asperum, common name the prickly lanternfish, is a species of deep sea fish in the family Myctophidae, the "lanternfish".

Text from the Wikipedia article “Dasyscopelus asper”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 22 records
February: 19 records
March: 12 records
April: 11 records
May: 52 records
June: 34 records
July: 17 records
August: 21 records
September: 60 records
October: 44 records
November: 40 records
December: 32 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1–1,120 m · Deepest record: 5,141 m

0–10 m: 25 records
10–20 m: 1 records
20–30 m: 1 records
30–40 m: 5 records
40–50 m: 11 records
50–60 m: 9 records
60–70 m: 9 records
70–80 m: 8 records
80–90 m: 1 records
90–100 m: 2 records
100–110 m: 4 records
110+ m: 157 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 11–30 °C

10–12 °C: 7 records
12–14 °C: 3 records
14–16 °C: 7 records
16–18 °C: 6 records
18–20 °C: 13 records
20–22 °C: 44 records
22–24 °C: 20 records
24–26 °C: 58 records
26–28 °C: 76 records
28–30 °C: 28 records

Names and classification

English: Prickly lanternfish

Names in 2 more languages

Japanese: Arahadaka, アラハダカ
Korean: 얼비늘치

Other scientific names: Dasyscopelus naufragus, Myctophum asperum, Scopelus asper

Similar species

Dasyscopelus obtusirostris
Wisner's lantern fish
Dasyscopelus selenops
Spiny lantern fish
Dasyscopelus spinosus
Dasyscopelus brachygnathos
Nightlight lanternfish
Dasyscopelus lychnobius
Oriental Lanternfish
Dasyscopelus orientalis

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
428 open-data records from 1886 to 2023.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist