sailfish

sailfish
/sayl"fish'/, n., pl. (esp. collectively) sailfish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) sailfishes.
1. a large tropical and subtropical marine fish, Istiophorus platypterus, of the family Istiophoridae, distinguished by a long, high dorsal fin, long pelvic fins, and a double keel on each side of the tail.
2. any of several related fishes having a high dorsal fin.
[1585-95; SAIL + FISH]

* * *

Valued food and game fish in the genus Istiophorus (family Istiophoridae) of warm and temperate waters worldwide.

It has a long, rounded spear extending from its snout but is distinguished from marlins and related species by its slimmer form, long pelvic fins, and especially its large, sail-like dorsal fin, which is bright blue and spotted. Deep blue above and silvery below, they grow to about 11 ft (3.4 m) long and 200 lbs (90 kg) or more. They feed mainly on other fishes. Its classification is uncertain, and one (I. platypterus) to several species may be recognized.

Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus)

D. Corson
Shostal

* * *

fish
 (genus Istiophorus), valued food and game fish of the family Istiophoridae (order Perciformes) found in warm and temperate waters around the world. The sailfish has a long, rounded spear extending from its snout but is distinguished from related species, such as marlins, by its slimmer form, long pelvic fins, and, most especially, its large, saillike dorsal fin. It is a deep blue fish, silvery below, with a bright blue, spotted dorsal fin. Size ranges to about 3.4 m (11 feet) and 90 kg (200 pounds) or more. It feeds mainly on other fishes. The classification of the sailfish is uncertain, and one (I. platypterus) or two species may be recognized.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sailfish OS — Разработчик Jolla Ltd. Семейство ОС GNU/Linux Исходный код Открытое программное обеспечение Поддерживаемые языки Мультиязычный Тип ядра Монолитное ядро (Linux) …   Википедия

  • sailfish — [sālfish΄] n. pl. sailfish or sailfishes (see FISH) any of a genus (Istiophorus, family Istiophoridae) of large, tropical marine billfishes with elongated scales, a sail like dorsal fin, and a sword shaped upper jaw …   English World dictionary

  • Sailfish — Sail fish, n. (Zo[ o]l.) (a) The banner fish, or spikefish ({Histiophorus}.) (b) The basking, or liver, shark. (c) The quillback. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Sailfish — This article is about the fish. For the submarines, see USS Sailfish.Taxobox name = Sailfishes fossil range = fossilrange|14|0Middle Miocene to Present [cite journal last = Sepkoski first = Jack authorlink = coauthors = title = A compendium of… …   Wikipedia

  • sailfish — Liver Liv er, n. [AS. lifer; akin to D. liver, G. leber, OHG. lebara, Icel. lifr, Sw. lefver, and perh. to Gr. ? fat, E. live, v.] (Anat.) A very large glandular and vascular organ in the visceral cavity of all vertebrates. [1913 Webster] Note:… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sailfish — Quillback Quill back , n. (Zo[ o]l.) An American fresh water fish ({Ictiobus cyprinus} syn. {Carpiodes cyprinus}); called also {carp sucker}, {sailfish}, {spearfish}, and {skimback}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sailfish — /ˈseɪlfɪʃ/ (say saylfish) noun (plural sailfish or sailfishes) any of the large marine fishes constituting the genus Istiophorus, characterised by a very large dorsal fin likened to a sail, and related to the swordfishes, as I. ludibundus of… …  

  • Sailfish Cove Resort — (Голд Кост,Австралия) Категория отеля …   Каталог отелей

  • Sailfish Beach Villas — (Анс Буало,Сейшельские острова) Категория отеля: 3 звездочный отель Адрес: Ans …   Каталог отелей

  • Sailfish class submarine — The United States Navy had two submarines of the Sailfish class. Those two submarines were:*USS Sailfish (SSR 572) *USS Salmon (SSR 573) …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”