Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of numerous small fishes of the family Fundulidae and related families of the order Cyprinidontiformes, chiefly inhabiting fresh and brackish waters in warm regions and popular in home aquariums.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A name given about New York to fishes of the family Cyprinodontidæ and genera Fundulus and Hydrargyra, having an elongated form, depressed scaly head, bands of pointed teeth in the jaws, and a dorsal fin mostly in advance of the anal, with from 11 to 17 rays.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) Any one of several small American cyprinodont fishes of the genus Fundulus and allied genera. They live equally well in fresh and brackish water, or even in the sea. They are usually striped or barred with black. Called also
minnow , andbrook fish . Seeminnow .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of a number of tiny fish in the
Cyprinodontiformes order ofray-finned fish.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun small mostly marine warm-water carp-like schooling fishes; used as bait or aquarium fishes or in mosquito control
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Di Guilio says it's happened in North Carolina too, with something called killifish.
NPR Topics: News 2011
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The functions of the fish, a minnow called the killifish, have been affected in ways that could harm reproduction, the study found.
NYT > Home Page By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON 2011
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Specifically, he's looking for small fish such as killifish, gambusia and anchovies.
unknown title 2009
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A recent study from Louisiana State University found that a common marsh fish species—the killifish—have been severely damaged and deformed by the oil, threatening their ability to reproduce.
Rocky Kistner: The Macondo Monkey on BP's Back Rocky Kistner 2011
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Atlantic silverside, Atlantic menhaden, mummichog, striped killifish, and winter flounder comprised more than 92 percent of the sample.
Kyle Rabin: A View to a (Fish) Kill: A Firsthand Perspective on Fish-Killing Cooling Systems Kyle Rabin 2011
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Atlantic silverside, Atlantic menhaden, mummichog, striped killifish, and winter flounder comprised more than 92 percent of the sample.
Kyle Rabin: A View to a (Fish) Kill: A Firsthand Perspective on Fish-Killing Cooling Systems Kyle Rabin 2011
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As Times-Picayune outdoors writer Bob Marshall reported recently, scientists are concerned that low levels of toxic compounds could be damaging fish species like the marsh-dwelling killifish, a key species of the gulf ecosystem:
Rocky Kistner: Disaster in the Gulf: So What Are We Doing About It? Rocky Kistner 2011
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For example, Adenia italicized is a genus if killifish and also of passionflowers.
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Common fish are carp Cyprinus carpio and eel Anguilla anguilla; a threatened species is the Spanish killifish Aphanius iberus.
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In Ecoregion 27, the plains killifish occurs in large numbers in some streams.
mollusque commented on the word killifish
My favorite kind of killifish is the mummichog.
December 17, 2007
sonofgroucho commented on the word killifish
As well it might be!
December 17, 2007
reesetee commented on the word killifish
You must have a fun job, mollusque. :-)
December 17, 2007
mollusque commented on the word killifish
I do. I'm a curator at the natural history museum in Philadelphia. Any Wordie who comes through town is welcome to contact me for a behind-the-scenes tour.
December 18, 2007
reesetee commented on the word killifish
So I heard! (On Facebook, maybe?) Wow, a tour sounds like great fun. Nice of you to extend the offer. :-)
December 18, 2007
bilby commented on the word killifish
Mangrove killifish can live in trees.
July 31, 2009
mollusque commented on the word killifish
But contrary to the linked article, they are not the only vertebrates that can reproduce without a mate. Parthenogenesis has been demonstrated in some sharks.
August 1, 2009