New shark species can light up the sea

New York, Dec 30: Researchers have discovered a new species of lanternshark that can light up the dark and deep sea for its benefit. Called Etmopterus benchleyi, the newly identified species is the only lanternshark discovered in the the Pacific coast of Central America, the researchers said. It is one among 40 other lanternshark species with the ability to glow in the oceans. But the new species can be distinguished from its closest relatives based on a combition of colouration, proportiol body measurements, arrangement of dermal denticles, and size at maturity, the study said. It has a uniform dark-black coulouring, as opposed to the greys and browns seen on other lanternsharks, said study lead author Vicky Vasquez from Pacific Shark Research Center in California, US. The newly identified shark also has a different number and distribution of photophores, which are the tiny cup-shaped organs that give lanternsharks the ability to glow, Live Science reported. (IANS)