prickleback

/ˈprɪkəlˌbæk/

Definitions of prickleback

1. noun

   small elongate fishes of shallow northern seas; a long dorsal fin consists entirely of spines
   types:

   Lumpenus lumpretaeformis, snakeblenny

   found in Arctic and northern Atlantic waters

   eelblenny

   eellike fishes found in subarctic coastal waters

   type of:

   blennioid, blennioid fish

   elongated mostly scaleless marine fishes with large pectoral fins and reduced pelvic fins
2. 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: stickleback

   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