Slender lightfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slender lightfish |
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The slender lightfish (scientific name: Vinciguerria attenuata) is a small, shiny fish. It belongs to a group of fish called ray-finned fish, which means its fins are supported by bony rays. This little fish lives deep in the ocean, in warm waters across the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. It is part of the Phosichthyidae family, known for their light-producing organs.
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About the Slender Lightfish
The slender lightfish has a body that is a bit long and gets narrower towards its tail. It can grow to be about 45 mm (1.8 in) long, which is roughly the size of a large paperclip.
Body Features
Its eyes are a bit like small tubes and are set close together. This helps the fish see both upwards and to the sides at the same time. The slender lightfish has a large mouth with a single row of teeth, some long and some short.
Fins and Lights
The fin on its back, called the dorsal fin, has 13 to 15 soft rays. Just behind it, there's a small, fleshy fin without any supporting rays, known as an adipose fin. Its side fins (pectoral fins) have 9 to 10 rays, and the fins on its belly (pelvic fins) have 6 to 7 rays. The fin underneath its body, near the tail (anal fin), has 13 to 16 rays.
One of the most interesting things about the slender lightfish is its photophores. These are special organs that produce light! They are found on the lower part of its head and in rows along its underside. The top of the fish's body is dark, while its sides are silvery. Its fins are clear and don't have any streaks.
Where Slender Lightfish Live
Vinciguerria attenuata can be found in many warm parts of the world's oceans. This includes the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Mediterranean Sea. You can also find them in the Indian Ocean and a large part of the Pacific Ocean. They live in areas between about 48 degrees North and 57 degrees South latitude.
Deep-Sea Home
These fish mostly live in the mesopelagic zone, which is also known as the "twilight zone" of the ocean. This zone is too deep for sunlight to reach strongly. During the day, they stay at depths between about 250 and 600 m (800 and 2,000 ft).
Daily Travels
The slender lightfish makes short diel vertical migrations. This means they move up and down in the water column each day. At night, they swim up to depths between 100 and 500 m (300 and 1,600 ft). Both young and adult slender lightfish are often found between 250 and 300 m (800 and 1,000 ft).
Larval Journey
When they are very young larvae, before they change into their adult form, they live at similar depths. However, during their metamorphosis (the big change), the larvae swim down deeper, to between 300 and 700 m (1,000 and 2,300 ft).
Life and Diet of the Slender Lightfish
The slender lightfish eats tiny living things that float in the ocean, which are called plankton. They especially like small crustaceans, such as copepods. Copepods are tiny creatures that look a bit like miniature shrimp.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Male and female slender lightfish are separate. They reproduce throughout the year, but most often in the spring and summer months. Both their eggs and their newly hatched larvae are also part of the ocean's plankton, drifting with the currents.
The larvae go through a process called metamorphosis when they are about 17 to 19 mm (0.67 to 0.75 in) long. This is a big change where they transform from their larval stage into a more adult-like form. It's during this transformation that their special light-producing organs, the photophores, start to develop.
