Neoscopelidae

Blackchins
Large-scaled Lantern Fish Neoscopelus macrolepidotus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Myctophiformes
Family:	Neoscopelidae
Genera
Neoscopelus Scopelengys Solivomer

The Neoscopelidae (blackchins or nesoscopelids) are a small family of deep sea fish closely related to the lanternfish. They are found in tropical and subtropical marine waters worldwide.^[1]

They can be distinguished from the lanternfish only by a few technical characters, such as the position of the anal fin being far behind that of the dorsal fin. Some, but not all, species also lack the light-emitting organs (photophores) of the lanternfish. They are typically between 20 centimetres (7.9 in) and 30 centimetres (12 in) in length.^[2]

Species

There are just six known species of neoscopelid, grouped into three genera:^[2]

Family Neoscopelidae

• Genus Neoscopelus
  • Neoscopelus macrolepidotus - Large-scaled lantern fish
  • Neoscopelus microchir - Shortfin neoscopelid
  • Neoscopelus porosus - Spangleside neoscopelid
• Genus Scopelengys
  • Scopelengys clarkei
  • Scopelengys tristis - Pacific blackchin
• Genus Solivomer
  • Solivomer arenidens

References

1. ^ Hulley, P. Alexander (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 127–128. ISBN 0-12-547665-5. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2008). "Neoscopelidae" in FishBase. December 2008 version.