Ethmopteric , or luminous black sharks , or prickly black sharks [1] ( lat. Etmopteridae, by the name of the type genus Etmopterus ) is a family of sharks of the cataract - like order , which includes 5 genera and 45 species. The body of these sharks is covered with luminous photophores . They live in all oceans with the exception of the Arctic Ocean . The maximum size is 30 cm. These deep-sea sharks are found in tropical and temperate waters, on the mainland and island slopes, less often on the shelf or in the open ocean. There are spikes at the base of both dorsal fins. There is a notch at the edge of the upper lobe of the caudal fin [2] .
| Ethmopter |
Etmopterus bigelowi |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
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| International scientific name |
|---|
Etmopteridae ( Fowler , 1934) |
| Synonyms |
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| Etmopterinae |
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