There are currently five recognized species in this genus:[2][3] Electrona lanternfishes are small, discoid fishes.

[5] Larval forms of many deep-water species are found to inhabit inshore waters.

[6] Migration patterns vary between different species, size groups, life history stages, sex, latitude, time and season.

During the day they concentrate between 400 and 1000 m.[6] During the night, they migrate close to the surface between 5–100 m. These diel vertical migrations are primarily performed because zooplankton, their main food, is concentrated in the upper layers, while they need to go deep during the day in order to avoid predators.

In the Arabian Sea, fish spawn during all seasons but significantly increases during monsoon transition periods (March–June and September–November).