threespine stickleback

American  

[three-spahyn stik-uhl-bak] / ˈθriˌspaɪn ˈstɪk əlˌbæk /

Also three-spined stickleback

noun

1. a widely distributed stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, occurring in marine, brackish, or fresh waters throughout the northern hemisphere.

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Etymology

Origin of threespine stickleback

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

In Big Bear Valley, burros pose the greatest threat to such rare and endangered species as Big Bear checkerbloom flowers, slender-petaled mustard plants, and the unarmored threespine stickleback fish.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2023

Environmental advocates and the state Supreme Court had also raised concerns about potential harm to the unarmored threespine stickleback.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2017

Two distinct species of the threespine stickleback dart about in several lakes of British Columbia, where the two fishes could easily mate with each other.

From US News • Jun. 29, 2010