killifish

kil·li·fish

K0059400 (kĭl′ĭ-fĭsh′)n. pl. killifish or kil·li·fish·es 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.

[Perhaps kill + fish.]

killifish

(ˈkɪlɪˌfɪʃ) n, pl -fish or -fishes (Animals) any of various chiefly American minnow-like cyprinodont fishes of the genus Fundulus and related genera, of fresh and brackish waters: used as aquarium fishes, to control mosquitoes, and as anglers' bait[C19: see kill², fish]

kil•li•fish

(ˈkɪl iˌfɪʃ)

n., pl. (esp. collectively) -fish, (esp. for kinds or species) -fish•es. 1. any small freshwater fish of the family Cyprinodontidae, used as bait and for mosquito control. 2. Also called topminnow. any of several small North American freshwater killifishes, used as bait and for mosquito control. 3. any of several livebearers. [1805–15, Amer.; killi- (perhaps kill² + -y² + fish]

Thesaurus

Noun

killifish - small mostly marine warm-water carp-like schooling fishes; used as bait or aquarium fishes or in mosquito controlcyprinodont - any member of the family CyprinodontidaeFundulus heteroclitus, mummichog - silver-and-black killifish of saltwater marshes along the Atlantic coast of the United StatesFundulus majalis, may fish, mayfish, striped killifish - black-barred fish of bays and coastal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the United Statesrivulus - found in small streams of tropical America; often kept in aquariums; usually hermaphroditicAmerican flagfish, flagfish, Jordanella floridae - a fish with a dark-blue back and whitish sides with red stripes; found in swamps and streams of Florida

killifish

killifish,

any of more than a thousand species of small fish of the several families of the order Cyprinodontiformes (toothed minnows or toothed carps), a group that includes also the topminnows and many popular aquarium fishes (e.g., the guppy or rainbow fish, Poecilia reticulata) among its brightly colored tropical species. Most North American toothed minnows are oviparous, i.e., bearing young hatched from eggs, and some are quite colorful; however, the tropical viviparous species (i.e., bearing live young) are preferred for aquariums, since they are easier to raise. Killifishes average from 2 to 4 in. (5–10 cm) in length and have compressed bodies, small mouths with projecting lower jaws, unforked tails, and large scales. They live in ponds, streams, ditches, and salt marshes throughout the United States and feed on insect larvae, crustaceans, and small water plants. The banded killifish is found in the Mississippi basin; the common killifish (5 in./12.5 cm) is an eastern species. Guppies can survive temperatures of up to 100&degF; (38&degC;) as can certain topminnows of the W United States. The greenish-gray female guppy (1 1-2 in./3.75 cm) produces from 12 to 25 live offspring every few weeks; in captivity they must be separated from the cannibalistic adults. The rainbow colors of the male guppy (1 in./2.5 cm) are marked with black spots and bars. Like the guppy, the 2-in. (5-cm) Gambusia, a topminnow of the S Atlantic and the Gulf, bears live young and is important in controlling mosquitoes, on whose larvae both the guppy and the minnow feed. Killifishes are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Actinopterygii, order Cyprinodontiformes.

killifish

kil·li·fish

killifish

kil•li•fish

killifish

killifish,

killifish

Words related to killifish

noun small mostly marine warm-water carp-like schooling fishes

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