Smooth Lanternshark

Growing to a length of at least 67 cm (26 in), the blurred lanternshark has a slender body, large head, and short tail. The snout is wedge-shaped and slightly flattened, tapering to a point. The nostrils are large, with short flaps of skin in front. The eyes are oval in shape with a deep anterior notch in the orbit. The mouth has long furrows at the corners that extend halfway to the first of five gill slits. There are 19–24 tooth rows in the upper jaw, each with a narrow central cusp flanked by 2–4 pairs of smaller cusplets, increasing in number with age in males over 45 cm (18 in) long. There are 25–39 tooth rows in the lower jaw, each tooth with a smooth-edged, knife-like cusp and their bases interlocked to form a single cutting surface; the teeth of males over 43 cm (17 in) long and females over 35 cm (14 in) long become more erect with age. The first dorsal fin is close to the pectoral than the pelvic fins, and bear a straight, grooved spine in front. The second dorsal fin is half again as tall as the first and bears a longer, curved spine. The pectoral fins are rounded at the tips, with the distance between them and the medium-sized, angular pelvic fins about equal to the distance between the dorsal fins. The anal fin is absent. The caudal peduncle is narrow, leading to a caudal fin with a well-developed lower lobe and a broad upper lobe with a ventral notch near the tip. …

Blurred lanternsharks have been caught around the world over continental and insular shelves and slopes, submarine ridges, and seamounts. In the Atlantic Ocean, it is known from the Gulf of Mexico to Argentina, and off western and southern Africa. In the Indo-Pacific, it has been reported from off Okinawa and Australia, as well as on the Emperor and Hancock Seamounts in the central North Pacific and over the Nazca Plate off Peru. It is partially pelagic and occurs at depths of 110–700 m (360–2,300 ft) in open water, and from 163 m (535 ft) to over 1 km (0.62 mi) near the bottom. Like many other lantern sharks, adults are found deeper than juveniles.

The diet of the blurred lanternshark consists of squid, smaller dogfish sharks, lanternfishes, and fish eggs. Reproduction is ovoviviparous, with developing embryos being sustained by a yolk sac and being born live at a length of 16 cm (6.3 in). Males attain sexual maturity at around 31–39 cm (12–15 in) long, and females at 38–47 cm (15–19 in) long.