Description
English: Green lanternshark (Etmopterus virens) from the Gulf of Mexico
Source http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/fish4239.htm
Author SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC
Licensing
Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_lanternshark_nmfs1.jpg

The green lanternshark (Etmopterus virens) is a species of dogfish shark in the family Etmopteridae, found in the western central Atlantic Ocean. This species usually occurs on the upper continental slope below a depth of 350 m. Reaching 26 cm in length, the green lanternshark has a slender body with a long, thin tail and low, conical dermal denticles on its flanks. It is dark brown or gray with ventral black coloration, which contain light-emitting photophores that may serve a cryptic and/or social function. Green lanternsharks are thought to be gregarious and may attack their prey, squid and octopus often larger than themselves, in packs. Reproduction is aplacental viviparous, with females giving birth to litters of one to three young. This relatively common shark is an occasional, valueless bycatch of commercial fisheries; currently it does not appear to be significantly threatened by human activities. Order: Squaliformes, Family: Etmopteridae.