Etmopteridae

{{Short description|Family of sharks}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| name = Lantern sharks

| image = Etmopterus spinax Sardinia.jpg

| image_caption = Velvet belly lanternshark, Etmopterus spinax

| taxon = Etmopteridae

| authority = Fowler, 1934

}}

The Etmopteridae are a family of sharks in the order Squaliformes, commonly known as lantern sharks. Their name comes from the presence of light-producing photophores on their bodies. The members of this family are small, under {{convert|90|cm|in|abbr=on}} long, and are found in deep waters worldwide.{{FishBase family |family=Etmopteridae |month=February |year=2011}} The 45 species are placed in five genera. Three-quarters of the species are in the genus Etmopterus.