Larvae of the Lanternfish Lampanyctus intricarius (Myctophidae) from the Southwestern Pacific Ocean

摘要

The genus Lampanyctus belongs to the family Myctophidae and, according to the latest estimates {Catalog of Fishes..., 2014), includes 25 or 26 species, widespread in temperate and tropical waters of the World Ocean. Myctophids constitute a major component of the trophic chain of oceanic fish species and play a considerable role in the feeding of commercially important species. Since some lanternfish species form large agglomerates during some periods of their life cycle, this family attracts more and more attention as a group that includes promising species for commercial fishing in the near future (Ahlstrom et al., 1976; Valinassab et al., 2007).