褶胸鱼科是辐鳍鱼纲巨口鱼目的其中一科，分布于全球三大洋的深海。

本科鱼体短侧扁而高，体长小(一般小于12公分)，呈银白色，体侧具发光器。眼大，口裂接近垂直；上下颔有细齿，体被薄鳞易脱落或无鳞片。腹部多有由鳞片构成之腹脊。背鳍前方往往有硬棘；脂鳍低；腹鳍小，在背鳍起点下方或下前方。

The marine hatchetfishes or deep-sea hatchetfishes as well as the related bottlelights, pearlsides and constellationfishes are small deep-sea ray-finned fish of the stomiiform family Sternoptychidae. They are not closely related to and should not be confused with the freshwater hatchetfishes, which are teleosts in the characiform family Gasteropelecidae. The Sternoptychidae have 10 genera and about 70 species altogether.