Notoscopelus caudispinosus anal fin and 11 to 13 in the pectoral fins. There are groups of photophores (small light organs) on the head and sides of the body. Above the caudal peduncle there is a row of eight to nine luminous scale-like segments in adult males, but male fish lack luminous organs above the eye and on the cheek. "N. caudispinosus" differs from closely related species in having fewer than 15 gill rakers. This species has a wide oceanic distribution in deep water habitats. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean between the equator and about 35°N, but is absent from
Velvet belly lanternshark well-separated from one another. The coloration is brown above, abruptly transitioning to black below. There are thin black marks above and behind the pelvic fins, and along the caudal fin. The velvet belly possesses numerous photophores that emit a blue-green light visible from away. Varying densities of photophores are arranged in nine patches on the shark's sides and belly, creating a pattern unique to this species: photophores are present along the lateral line, scattered beneath the head but excluding the mouth, evenly on the belly, and concentrated around the pectoral fins and beneath the caudal peduncle. The maximum reported length