On the basis of data from 6,950 specimens, together with re-worked records from the collections of the world’s major research institutions and museums, the lanternfish genus Bolinichthys (family Myctophidae) is reviewed. A key to, and descriptions of the seven species comprising the genus are given. The vertical and geographic distributions of the component species (B. distofax, B. indicus, B. longipes, B. nikolayi, B. photothorax, B. pyrsobolus, and B. supralateralis) are examined and discussed in relation to physical and biological oceanographic parameters. In most species there are correlations with water mass structure. However, the distribution of B. supralateralis demonstrates a more complex relationship to bottom topography and local current systems.