lanternfish

or lan·tern fish

[ lan-tern-fish ]

noun

, plural (especially collectively) lan·tern·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) lan·tern·fish·es.

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lanternfish¹

First recorded in 1745–55; lantern + fish

Example Sentences

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

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

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

Nobody knows what they were eating, she wrote, but lanternfish and hatchetfish are abundant at the depths the whale reached.

From Washington Times

The penguins are attracted by the many sea creatures that gather at such thermal edges—especially the bird’s main prey, lanternfish, which form huge schools some 100 meters or more below the surface.

From Science Magazine