stickleback

/ˌstɪkəlˈbæk/
IPA guide

Other forms: sticklebacks

Definitions of stickleback
  1. noun
    small (2-4 inches) pugnacious mostly scaleless spiny-backed fishes of northern fresh and littoral waters having elaborate courtship; subjects of much research
    synonyms: prickleback
    see moresee less
    types:
    Gasterosteus aculeatus, three-spined stickleback
    of rivers and coastal regions
    Gasterosteus pungitius, ten-spined stickleback
    confined to rivers
    type of:
    acanthopterygian, spiny-finned fish
    a teleost fish with fins that are supported by sharp inflexible rays
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