Book excerpt: Part Seven in the Fishes of the Western North Atlantic series describes the neosopelids (2 genera, 4 species) and lanternfishes (20 genera, 82 species), with an account of Atlantic mesopelagic zoogeography that serves as a model for predicting occurrences of many ocean animals. There are accounts of 86 species in 2 families and 22 genera of bony fishes, among the most abundant of deep oceanic waters, and prime species for the study of oceanic zoogeography and for monitoring and assessment of the oceans. Specialist authorships of its sections include detailed species descriptions with keys, life history and general habits, abundance, range, and relation to human activity, such as economic and sporting importance. The text is written for an audience of amateur and professional ichthyologists, sportsmen, and fishermen, based on new revisions, original research, and critical reviews of existing information. Species are illustrated by exceptional black and white line drawings, accompanied by distribution maps and tables of meristic data.