stickleback

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of various small freshwater and marine fishes of the family Gasterosteidae, having erectile spines along the back.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Any fish of the family Gasterosteidæ: so called from the sharp spines of the back. They are small fishes, a few inches long, of 5 genera, Gasterosteus, Pygosteus, Eucalia, Apeltes, and Spinachia. but very pugnacious and rapacious, being especially destructive to the spawn and fry of many larger fishes. They inhabit fresh waters and sea-arms of northern Europe, Asia, and North America to the number of nearly 20 species. The common two- or three-spined stickleback, banstickle, burnstickle, or tittlebat, is G. aculeatus, 4 inches long. Another is the nine-or ten-spined, Pygosteus pungitius. The fifteen-spined stickleback, or sea-stickleback, is Spinachia vulgaris, of the northerly coasts of Europe, a marine species, from 5 to 7 inches long, of very slender elongate form, with a tubular snout. They are among the most characteristic fishes of the northern hemisphere in the colder regions. Except in the breeding-season, they live in shoals, and are sometimes numerous enough to become of commercial value for their oil or for manure. They are noted for the construction of elaborate nests which the male builds for the eggs, in which several females often or generally deposit their burden. The eggs are comparatively few, and while being hatched are assiduously guarded by the male. The local or popular synonyms of the sticklebacks are numerous, among them prickleback, sprickleback, stickling, and sharpling.

Wiktionary

1. n. Any one of numerous species of small fishes of the genus Gasterosteus and allied genera. The back is armed with two or more sharp spines. They inhabit both salt and brackish water, and construct curious nests.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of small fishes of the genus Gasterosteus and allied genera. The back is armed with two or more sharp spines. They inhabit both salt and brackish water, and construct curious nests. Called also sticklebag, sharpling, and prickleback.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. small (2-4 inches) pugnacious mostly scaleless spiny-backed fishes of northern fresh and littoral waters having elaborate courtship; subjects of much research