Bathylychnops exilis
Encyclopedia
Bathylychnops exilis is a translucent, mesopelagic
fish and the only known species in the genus Bathylychnops. It is found in the northern Pacific
.
The species is notable for unusual protuberances that grow from its eyes, which each have "a well developed lens" and a retina, and which have led to the species being called a "four-eyed" fish. It has been suggested that the purpose of these extra eyes is detection of threats from below, since these eyes point downwards.
The fish was first described in 1958 by Daniel Cohen.
Mesopelagic
The mesopelagic is that part of the pelagic zone that extends from a depth of 200 to 1000 metres below the ocean surface. It lies between the photic epipelagic above and the aphotic bathypelagic below, where there is no light at all...
fish and the only known species in the genus Bathylychnops. It is found in the northern Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
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The species is notable for unusual protuberances that grow from its eyes, which each have "a well developed lens" and a retina, and which have led to the species being called a "four-eyed" fish. It has been suggested that the purpose of these extra eyes is detection of threats from below, since these eyes point downwards.
The fish was first described in 1958 by Daniel Cohen.