Panamic Flashlightfish

Panamic Flashlightfish, Phthanophaneron harveyi

Panamic Flashlightfish, Phthanophaneron harveyi. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, August 2010. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches).

The Panamic Flashlightfish, Phthanophaneron harveyi, is a member of the Flashlight or Anomalopidae Family, that is also know as the Gulf Flashlightfish and is in Mexico as ojo de linterna panámica. Globally, there is only this species in the Phthanophaneron Genus, and it is found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean. It was first reported in the scientific literature in 1976 and is extremely rare.

The Panamic Flashlightfish has an oblong body. They are uniform blackish-brown in color without any distinctive markings. They have a prominent pearly white luminous organ under each eye (with light produced by symbiotic bacteria) that is equipped with a strange skin flap that can be raised and lowered to regulate the “blinking” light emission that attracts zooplankton. They have a large bony spine-laden head, a short blunt snout, large blue eyes, and an oblique mouth that opens in the front and extends to the rear margin of the eyes. Their anal fin has 2 spines and 10 rays and their caudal fin is deeply forked. They have 2 separate dorsal fins, the first with 4 spines and the second with 1 spine and 14 or 15 rays. Their body is covered with small rough scales; below the lateral line the scales are enlarged and some have blue spots.

The Panamic Flashlightfish is found from the surface to depths up to 95 m (310 feet) over and within rocky bottoms. They reach a maximum of 26 cm (10 inches) in length. They are believed to be vertical migrators following zooplankton toward the surface at night and returning to the depths and shelter in rocky caves during daylight. Reproduction is via pelagic eggs that are not guarded. The Panamic Flashlightfish 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 Panamic Flashlightfish is unique and cannot be confused with any other species.

The Panamic Flashlightfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean and is  found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, southward along the southwest coast of Baja and in the Sea of Cortez, and from Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur, southward along the central and southeast coasts of Baja.

From a conservation perspective the Panamic Flashlightfish has not been formally evaluated and is current considered to be Data Deficient. They are exceedingly rare, seldom seen by humans, and is of limited interest to most.