| Main Ref. | Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene, 1990 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | light organs |
| Body shape lateral | short and / or deep |
| Cross section | oval |
| Dorsal head profile | clearly convex |
| Type of eyes | more or less normal |
| Type of mouth/snout | more or less normal |
| Position of mouth | sub-terminal/inferior |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Scale modified as armor of bony scutes; pale yellow to whitish with conspicuous black outlines on scales forming a network pattern; a pale luminescent organ on the side of lower jaw. |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | 14 - 15 |
| Pored lateral line scales | |
| Scales in lateral series | |
| Scale rows above lateral line | |
| Scale rows below lateral line | |
| Scales around caudal peduncle | |
| Barbels | 0 |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | |
| on upper limb | |
| total | 12 - 12 |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | no striking attributes |
| Fins number | 2 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal 0 - 0 |
| Ventral 0 - 0 | |
| Spines total | 5 - 7 |
| Soft-rays total | 12 - 12 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | more or less truncate; more or less normal |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Spines total | 0 - 0 |
| Soft-rays total | 11 - 12 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines 0 | |
| Soft-rays 14 - 15 | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position thoracic beneath origin of D1 | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays |