---
title: Lanterneye fishes (Anomalopidae)
scientific_name: Anomalopidae
common_name: Lanterneye fishes
rank: Family
published: 2024-11-19T18:41:51.573Z
updated: 2026-08-03T21:27:02.819Z
tags: Lanterneye fishes, Anomalopidae, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/lanterneye-fishes
---

# Lanterneye fishes (*Anomalopidae*)

## Quick facts

- **Rank:** Family
- **Scientific name:** Anomalopidae
- **Body shape:** Oval - Egg-shaped body, deeper than it is thick - damselfishes, surgeonfishes.
- **Species listed here:** 1

## How to recognise this group

- dark body colouration
- large, oval light organs below each eye
- intermittent flashing of suborbital light organs
- hides in deep caves or crevices during day

Lanterneye fishes (Anomalopidae) are robust, somewhat compressed fishes reaching up to 30 cm (12 in) in length. They are characterized by their dark body coloration, typically black or dark brown. A distinctive, large, oval bioluminescent organ sits below each eye, from which their common name is derived. These organs host symbiotic luminous bacteria and are controlled by a movable eyelid or by retracting the entire organ into a pouch. This allows the fish to produce a flashing light, which they use to attract prey, signal to conspecifics, and confuse predators.

During daylight hours, Lanterneye fishes conceal themselves in deep caves, under ledges, and within crevices on outer reef slopes, typically at depths ranging from 5 m (16 ft) to over 100 m (330 ft). They emerge at night to actively feed on zooplankton and small invertebrates. Encounters with divers are generally uncommon, a result of their cryptic daytime habits and preference for darker, deeper reef environments.


## Species (1)

- [Indian Flashlight Fish (Photoblepharon steinitzi)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/lanterneye-fishes/indian-flashlight-fish)

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*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/lanterneye-fishes)*
*Updated: August 3, 2026*