The ninja lanternshark (Etmopterus benchleyi) is of the family Etmopteridae, found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Nicaragua, south to Panama and Costa Rica.

One holotype and four paratypes were described and deposited with the United States National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.[1] The ninja lanternshark is coloured black, with the mouth and eyes having white markings around them.

[1] This species is distinct from other members of the E. spinax clade in having dense concentrations of dermal denticles closely surrounding the eyes and gill openings.

[3] This is because when ninja lanternsharks are feeding in shallower waters, their luminescent underside has the same appearance as the sunlight filtering down from above and camouflages them from potential predators below.

However, when they are in the deep sea, their luminous appearance attracts smaller prey to them which consist of shrimp and other small fish and crustaceans.