Kingdom Animalia Family Anomalopidae Rank Species | Class Actinopterygii Phylum Chordata Order Beryciformes | |
Genus Kryptophanaron
Silvester & Fowler, 1926 Similar Anomalopidae, Beryciformes, Photoblepharon, Splitfin flashlightfish, Silver spinyfin | ||
Kryptophanaron alfredi, the Atlantic flashlightfish, is a species of flashlight fish native to the western Atlantic Ocean. During the day, it is found in waters as deep as 200 metres (660 ft). On moonless nights, it ascends to shallow waters around 25 metres (82 ft) in depth where it feeds on small shrimp and copepods as it swims over the ocean floor. This species grows to a length of 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) TL. This species is the only known member of its genus and can be found in the aquarium trade.
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Distribution
K. alfredi has a wide range in the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea and can be found around numerous islands, including the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Navassa Island, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Honduran Bay Islands, and Curacao.
Conservation
Although not much is known about the population of K. alfredi due to its deep-water habitat and nocturnal behavior, it is listed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN because of its large range and lack of major threats.