Fishermen catch ‘twilight zone' creature marking its first record in Taiwan
Commercial fishing vessels trawling the waters off the coast of Taiwan pulled in several deep-sea creatures never before reported in the region.
Four Japanese lanternfish were collected from northeastern and southwestern Taiwan, marking the first time the species has been recorded in Taiwanese waters, according to a study published June 9 in the peer-reviewed journal Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria.
The species inhabits the mesopelagic or 'twilight zone,' at depths below 980 feet during the day and migrate up to depths of 65-650 feet at night, according to the study.
These are the southernmost records of Japanese lanternfish, researchers said. The species was previously only known from the Northern and Central Pacific, according to the study.
The specimens were described as having large mouths, pale slender bodies with pockets of scale outlined in black, 'dusky' fins, and a 'uniformly black' head, according to the study.
While the Taiwan specimens shared many of the same characteristics as other Japanese lanternfish, 'several major differences were noted' when compared with other specimens, including eye diameter and distance between eyes, fin length, and the number of pelvic fin rays, according to researchers.
'We suggest that more specimens are needed to determine if these differences are intraspecific variations or not,' researchers said.
The research team included Yo Su, Jian-Fu Huang and Fan-Yi Yang.
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