lanternfish

American  

[lan-tern-fish] / ˈlæn tərnˌfɪʃ /

Or lantern fish

noun

plural

lanternfish,

plural

lanternfishes

1. any of several small, deep-sea fishes of the family Myctophidae, having rows of luminous organs along each side, certain species of which migrate to the surface at night.

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Etymology

Origin of lanternfish

First recorded in 1745–55; lantern + fish

Example Sentences

Free-diving off Costa Rica, Gabillon found herself in a vast superpod of spinner dolphins herding lanternfish.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Also known as lanternfish, myctophids are tiny, unassuming fish that travel remarkable distances from the deep ocean all the way to the surface.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2024

Years ago, hundreds of feet down, he drove a submersible through a shoal of lanternfish so big and dense, it was impossible for the sub’s sonar to gauge its size.

From National Geographic • Feb. 13, 2024

Octopus, lanternfish, siphonophores and other motley deep-sea creatures also make the nightly trek to avoid their own predators and to find food—in their case, the other migrators.

From Scientific American • Aug. 20, 2022

Atlantic fin whales eat a wide variety of foods, including krill, capelin, squid, herring, and lanternfish.

From Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic A Guide to Their Identification by Caldwell, David