Trichasterops riaticus

In the depths of the Riatis Ocean in the north of Eryobis lives a funny looking creature. Akin to a small black squid with four large fins and six small tentacles tipped with bioluminescent bulbs. But it is no squid, it is in fact a type of nienktvis. 

Known as Trichasterops riaticus, this hand sized little fish is best known for its black, leathery skin and bioluminescent organs on the ends of their flattened barbels. It is theorized that these are used to lure and guide plankton and other prey towards its mouth in a similar manner to the lantern leviathan, of which it is suspected to be a close relative.

Not much is known about its lifestyle because it has never been properly observed in the wild. All we have of it are dead specimens that were trapped on deep lines and fleeting ROV footage often rarely more than a few second long. One thing we can say for sure is that Trichasterops are afraid of light, which could indicate that there are other, possibly larger predators in the abyss of the Riatis that also use bioluminescence to hunt.