ABSTRACT
The order Myctophiformes includes two families of luminous (most species), pelagic or benthopelagic fishes that occupy deep-sea habitats in all oceans. Worldwide, the Neoscopelidae is represented by six species in three genera and the Myctophidae by >235 species in 32 genera (Hulley 1994; Nelson 1994). Stiassny (1996) reviewed myctophiform systematics, presented new evidence for monophyly of the order and of the two constituent families, and supported Rosen (1973) and Johnson (1992) in placing myctophiforms as the sister group to acanthomorph fishes.
