killifish

[kil-ee-fish]

noun

plural

killifish ,

plural

killifishes .

1. any of several small, oviparous cyprinodont fishes, especially of the genus Fundulus, found in salt, brackish, and fresh waters.

2. any of several livebearers.

killifish

/ ˈkɪlɪˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of killifish¹

1805–15, perhaps kill ² + -i- (unexplained) + fish

Word History and Origins

Origin of killifish¹

C19: see _kill ², _fish

Example Sentences

The African turquoise killifish lives in ephemeral ponds in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

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A team of researchers from Cologne, Germany, has now investigated the age-related fasting effects in killifish.

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Such a case unfolded recently for the ichthyologist Wilson Costa of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, who has long studied the diversity of killifish inhabiting southeastern Brazil's Atlantic Forest.

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California killifish infected with a trematode flatworm, for example, are 10 times to 30 times more likely to become meals for birds than uninfected fish.

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So the parasite creates cysts on its host’s brain, causing the hapless killifish to splash around on the surface of the water and flash its shiny belly, baiting the birds.

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