flying gurnard

American  

noun

1. any marine fish of the family Dactylopteridae, especially Dactylopterus volitans, having greatly enlarged, colorful pectoral fins that enable it to glide short distances through the air.

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flying gurnard British  

noun

1. any marine spiny-finned gurnard-like fish of the mostly tropical family Dactylopteridae , having enlarged fan-shaped pectoral fins used to glide above the surface of the sea

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Etymology

Origin of flying gurnard

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The other species of flying gurnard occur in the Indian Ocean and the seas around China and Japan.

From Project Gutenberg

Another group of very interesting fish out of water are the flying gurnards, common enough in the Mediterranean and the tropical Atlantic.

From Project Gutenberg

Among the fishes in the first four cases, the visitor should notice the flying gurnards; the sea scorpions, and flying sea scorpions; the paradise fish; and the perches, including the fingered variety.

From Project Gutenberg

These were either flying gurnards or kitelike sea robins, whose lips glowed in the dark, at night scrawling fiery streaks in the air before plunging into the murky waters like so many shooting stars.

From Project Gutenberg