Ninja lanternshark

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Ninja lanternshark
Ninja lanternshark Vasquez et al 2015.png
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Superorder: Selachimorpha
Order: Squaliformes
Family: Etmopteridae
Genus: Etmopterus
Species:
E. benchleyi
Binomial name
Etmopterus benchleyi
, & , 2015

The ninja lanternshark (Etmopterus benchleyi) is a lanternshark of the family Etmopteridae found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Nicaragua, south to Panama and Costa Rica. The depth range of collections is from 836 to 1443 m along the continental slope. E. benchleyi is the only Etmopterus species presently known from the Pacific Coast of Central America.[1]

Type[]

The species was described from eight specimens collected off the Pacific Coast of Central America during an expedition of the Spanish research ship Miguel Oliver by , a researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. One holotype and four paratypes were described and deposited with the United States National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.[1]

Description[]

The ninja lanternshark is coloured black with the mouth and eyes having white markings around them.[2] The maximum length of male specimens collected during the Miguel Oliver voyages is 325 millimetres (12.8 in) while that of the female specimens is 515 millimetres (20.3 in).[1] This species is distinct from other members of the E. spinax clade in having dense concentrations of dermal denticles closely surrounding the eyes and gill openings.[1]

Origin of scientific name[]

The shark was identified and named by shark researcher . The specific name benchleyi derives from Peter Benchley, author of the 1974 novel Jaws that was used as a basis for Steven Spielberg's film of the same name.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Vásquez, V. E.; Ebert, D. A. & Long, D. J. (2015). "Etmopterus benchleyi n. sp., a new lanternshark (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae) from the central eastern Pacific Ocean" (PDF). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 17: 43–55.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  2. ^ Galloway, B. (2015). "This weird, newly discovered ninja lanternshark glows in the dark". redOrbit. Retrieved 25 Dec 2015.


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