Mexican Lampfish, Triphoturus mexicanus

Mexican Lampfish, Triphoturus mexicanus. Fish caught off Point Loma, California, August 2010. Length: 6.0 cm (2.3 inches). Catch and identification courtesy of H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California.

The Mexican Lampfish, Triphoturus mexicanus, is a member of the Lanternfish or Myctophidae Family, and is known in Mexico as linternilla mexicana. Globally, there are three species in the genus Triphoturus, only one of which is found in Mexican waters, this fish from the Pacific Ocean.

The Mexican Lampfish has a long slender body that tapers toward the end. They are silvery black in color and darker around their head and the base of their caudal fin. Their anal, caudal, and dorsal fins are transparent. They have mid-sized eyes and a large mouth that extends past the eyes. They have a limited number of prominent photophores randomly positioned on their body. Their anal fin has 14 to 17 rays and their dorsal fin has 13 to 16 rays. The fins do not have spines. They have 11 to 14 gill rakers on their lower arch.

The Mexican Lampfish are an epipelagic and mesopelagic species found from the surface to depths up to 2,896 m (9,500 feet). They reach a maximum length of 8.0 cm (3.1 inches). They migrate vertically toward the surface at night to feed on zooplankton, then retreat toward the bottom at night to avoid predation. They can be attracted by lights at night and collected with dip nets. They are heavily preyed upon by numerous marine fish and mammals. Reproduction is oviparous with pelagic planktonic eggs and larvae. Although common, the Mexican Lampfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Mexican Lampfish is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

From a conservation perspective the Mexican Lampfish has not been formally evaluated. They are small in stature, seldom seen by humans and are of limited interest to most.