surfperch

American  

[surf-purch] / ˈsɜrfˌpɜrtʃ /

noun

surfperch, plural surfperches plural

1. any of several fishes of the viviparous family Embiotocidae, mostly inhabiting shallow waters along the Pacific coast of North America: named for certain similarities to perch.

---

surfperch British  

/ ˈsɜːfˌpɜːtʃ /

noun

1. Also called: sea perch.  any viviparous marine percoid fish of the family Embiotocidae, of North American Pacific coastal waters

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• surfperch
  plural
• surfperches
  plural

Etymology

Origin of surfperch

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; surf + perch ²

Example Sentences

She was astounded by the dynamic beauty of surfperch in the kelp forest: the way they communicate through the color and brightness of their skin, flashing blue, silver and orange to attract mates.

From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2019

For several years, she studied various species of surfperch, repeatedly diving in the kelp forests with a Plexiglas-protected spectrometer to quantify and characterize the light in different habitats.

From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2019

When she examined the eyes of one surfperch species, Hypsurus caryi, that swam through variously lit parts of the forest, she found an abundance of opsin proteins4.

From Nature • Oct. 6, 2015

The researchers also found traces of small marine mammals, along with rockfish, sculpin, surfperch as well as herring and/or sardine.

From Scientific American • Mar. 3, 2011

The wetland is home to lingcod, halibut and surfperch, a plate-shaped fish that looks like its own fossil.

From Time Magazine Archive