DiscoverSpeciesSharks and rays
Splendid lanternshark
Etmopterus splendidus
- Usual depth210–563 m
- Water temperature22–28 °C
- Best monthsApril
- How commonRare
About this species
The splendid lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae found in the western Pacific at depths between 120 and 210 m. Through the classification of Etmopterus species into several clades based on the positioning of their bioluminescent photophores, the splendid lanternshark can be considered a member of the Etmopterus pusillus clade.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Splendid 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: 0 records
- February: 0 records
- March: 0 records
- April: 2 records
- May: 0 records
- June: 1 records
- July: 0 records
- August: 1 records
- September: 1 records
- October: 1 records
- November: 0 records
- December: 0 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 210–563 m · Deepest record: 562.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 22–28 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Splendid lanternshark
Names in 3 more languages
- German
- Prachtvoller Laternenhai
- Japanese
- Futoshimifujikujira, Futosimi-Fujikujira, フトシミフジクジラ
- Simplified Chinese
- 斯普蘭汀烏鯊, 斯普蘭汀燈籠棘鮫, 黑沙
Similar species
Velvet bellyEtmopterus spinax
- Southern lanternshark
Etmopterus granulosus
- Blackbelly lanternshark
Etmopterus lucifer
Great lanternsharkEtmopterus princeps
- Black-bellied Deep-sea Dogifsh
Etmopterus molleri
- Slender lanternshark
Etmopterus pusillus
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).
- 46 open-data records from 1966 to 2014.
- Species data updated November 2, 2026.
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