bitterling

American  

[bit-er-ling] / ˈbɪt ər lɪŋ /

noun

1. a cyprinid fish, Rhodeus sericeus, found in central and eastern Europe, the female of which has a long, bright yellow or red ovipositor to deposit eggs in the mantle cavity of mussels.

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bitterling British  

/ ˈbɪtəlɪŋ /

noun

1. a small brightly coloured European freshwater cyprinid fish, Rhodeus sericeus : a popular aquarium fish

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Etymology

Origin of bitterling

1875–80; < German, equivalent to bitter bitter + -ling -ling ¹

Example Sentences

The bitterling lost her standing and the doe rabbit and mouse were reinstated as nature's best indicators of human pregnancy.

From Time Magazine Archive

When the urine of an occasional nonpregnant woman was discovered to be stimulating to the bitterling, experimenters admitted themselves bewildered.

From Time Magazine Archive

Unexpectedly, extract of the cortices of adrenal glands stimulated the bitterling precisely the way ovarian hormones did.

From Time Magazine Archive

A. B. M. R. F.'s conclusion: Subsequently the Chicago obstetricians discovered that male urine also caused the bitterling to project her ovipositor.

From Time Magazine Archive

The freshwater mussel cannot continue its race without the unconscious co-operation of the minnow, and the freshwater fish called the bitterling cannot continue its race without the unconscious co-operation of the mussel.

From The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) A Plain Story Simply Told by Thomson, J. Arthur