Watase's Lanternfish

Diaphus watasei

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth154–602 m
Water temperature15–29 °C
Best monthsApril, May, and December
How commonRare

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About this species

Diaphus watasei, also known as Watases lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish found in the Indo-west Pacific.

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

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 16 records
February: 15 records
March: 8 records
April: 22 records
May: 20 records
June: 8 records
July: 0 records
August: 14 records
September: 10 records
October: 7 records
November: 16 records
December: 28 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 154–602 m · Deepest record: 2,216.5 m

40–50 m: 2 records
50–60 m: 1 records
60–70 m: 1 records
70–80 m: 3 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 1 records
110–120 m: 0 records
120–130 m: 2 records
130–140 m: 0 records
140–150 m: 0 records
150+ m: 100 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 15–29 °C

14–16 °C: 4 records
16–18 °C: 6 records
18–20 °C: 26 records
20–22 °C: 9 records
22–24 °C: 7 records
24–26 °C: 37 records
26–28 °C: 62 records
28–30 °C: 27 records

Names and classification

English: Watase's Lanternfish, Watases Lanternfish

Names in 1 more languages

Japanese: Hadakaiwashi, ハダカイワシ

Similar species

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).
413 open-data records from 1913 to 2025.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

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