spadefish

/spayd"fish'/, n., pl. (esp. collectively) spadefish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) spadefishes.

a deep-bodied marine fish of the genus Chaetodipterus, esp. C. faber, of Atlantic coastal waters of North America.

[1695-1705; prob. SPADE² + FISH, in allusion to its shape]

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Any of about 17 species (order Perciformes) of predominantly tropical marine fishes with five or six vertical black bands on the deep, laterally compressed, silvery body.

The bands may disappear with age, and adults may be solid white, black, or silver. The Atlantic spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) ranges from New England to Brazil. It feeds primarily on marine invertebrates, particularly crustaceans and ctenophores.

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▪ fish

 (family Ephippidae), any of about 17 species of marine fishes (order Perciformes), predominantly tropical though also found in temperate regions. In appearance the spadefishes are deep-bodied and laterally compressed, with five or six vertical black bands on a silvery body. The vertical bars may disappear with age, the adults being solid white, black, or, more commonly, silver.

      The Atlantic spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) is a western Atlantic species that ranges from New England to Brazil. It feeds primarily on marine invertebrates, particularly crustaceans and ctenophores (comb jellies).

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