surfperch

American  

[surf-purch] / ˈsɜrfˌpɜrtʃ /

noun

plural

surfperch,

plural

surfperches

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.

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surfperch British  

/ ˈsɜːfˌpɜːtʃ /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of surfperch

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

Example Sentences

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

Like the glistening scales on the surfperch and swordtails that Cummings studied, the túngara’s costly mating call did not evolve to convey any pragmatic information about health or fitness.

From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2019

These surfperch easily sense the contrast between light and dark, but they are less sensitive to differences in hue.

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