Black-bellied Deep-sea Dogifsh

Etmopterus molleri

Sharks and rays
IUCN: Data deficient

Usual depth400–750 m
Water temperature8–28 °C
Best monthsApril, May, and September
How commonOccasional

About this species

The slendertail lanternshark or Moller's lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found in the western Indian Ocean between latitudes 34°N and 46°S at depths between 250 and 860 m. It can grow up to 46 cm in length.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Slendertail lanternshark”, 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: 3 records
February: 2 records
March: 3 records
April: 19 records
May: 19 records
June: 3 records
July: 9 records
August: 2 records
September: 27 records
October: 9 records
November: 6 records
December: 5 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 400–750 m · Deepest record: 1,475 m

20–30 m: 1 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110–120 m: 0 records
120–130 m: 0 records
130+ m: 636 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 8–28 °C

6–8 °C: 2 records
8–10 °C: 19 records
10–12 °C: 137 records
12–14 °C: 361 records
14–16 °C: 54 records
16–18 °C: 13 records
18–20 °C: 16 records
20–22 °C: 45 records
22–24 °C: 28 records
24–26 °C: 10 records
26–28 °C: 12 records

Names and classification

English: Black-bellied Deep-sea Dogifsh, Moller's Deepsea Shark, Mollers Deepsea Shark, Moller's Lanternshark, Mollers Lantern Shark, Mollers lantern shark, Slendertail lanternshark, Slendertail Lanternshark

Names in 3 more languages

German: Schmalschwanz-Laternenhai
Japanese: ヒレタカフジクジラ
Simplified Chinese: 模拉里燈籠棘鮫, 莫氏烏鯊, 黑沙

Other scientific names: Acanthidium molleri

Similar species

Velvet belly
Etmopterus spinax
Southern lanternshark
Etmopterus granulosus
Blackbelly lanternshark
Etmopterus lucifer
Great lanternshark
Etmopterus princeps
Slender lanternshark
Etmopterus pusillus
Blurred lantern shark
Etmopterus bigelowi

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).
876 open-data records from 1906 to 2014.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

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