Midshipman's Head

Shown here is a portrait of the head of a midshipman fish. The skin surface is adorned by rows of pores that contain lateral line organs. Lateral line organs are sensitive to water disturbances and so help the fish to form an image underwater movement. The lateral line organs interdigitate with pearl-like photophores that are bioluminescent, that is they emit light. The precise function of the photophores remains unknown.