stonefish

stonefish
/stohn"fish'/, n., pl. stonefishes, (esp. collectively) stonefish.
a tropical scorpion fish, Synanceja verrucosa, having dorsal-fin spines from which a deadly poison is discharged.
[1660-70; STONE + FISH]

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▪ Synancejidae
 any of certain species of venomous marine fish of the genus Synanceja and the family Synancejidae, found in shallow waters of the tropical Indo-Pacific. Stonefish are sluggish, bottom-dwelling fish that live among rocks or coral and in mud flats and estuaries. Thickset fish with large heads and mouths, small eyes, and bumpy skins covered with wartlike lumps and, sometimes, fleshy flaps, they rest on the bottom, unmoving, blending almost exactly with their surroundings in form and colour. They are dangerous fish. Difficult to see, they can, when stepped on, inject quantities of venom through grooves in their dorsal-fin spines. Wounds produced by these fish are intensely painful and sometimes fatal. A representative species is Synanceja verrucosa, which may grow about 33 cm (13 inches) long.

      The family Synancejidae includes a few other species of robust, warty fish. They are also venomous, though not as notorious as the stonefish.

      Certain scorpionfish of the family Scorpaenidae (order Scorpaeniformes) are also referred to as rockfish or stonefish.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • stonefish — [stōn′fish΄] n. pl. stonefish or stonefishes (see FISH) any of a family (Synanceiidae, order Scorpaeniformes) of tropical, marine bony fishes having venomous spines, a scaleless body, and a stonelike appearance …   English World dictionary

  • Stonefish — Taxobox name = Stonefish regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Actinopterygii ordo = Scorpaeniformes familia = Synanceiidae genus = Synanceia species = S. verrucosa binomial = Synanceia verrucosa binomial authority = Bloch Schneider,… …   Wikipedia

  • stonefish — nuodingoji karpuotė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Synanceia verrucosa angl. devilfish; poison scorpion fish; reef stonefish; stonefish rus. океанская бородавчатка ryšiai: platesnis terminas –… …   Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

  • stonefish — /ˈstoʊnfɪʃ / (say stohnfish) noun (plural stonefish or stonefishes) any of several species of highly venomous, tropical Indo Pacific fishes of Synanceja or a related genus, remarkably camouflaged to resemble weathered coral or rock, having… …  

  • stonefish — dryžoji varliažuvė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Halophryne diemensis angl. banded frogfish; stonefish rus. полосатая галофрина ryšiai: platesnis terminas – dryžosios varliažuvės …   Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

  • stonefish — noun Date: 1896 any of several small spiny venomous bony fishes (family Synanceiidae, especially genus Synanceja) common about coral reefs of the tropical Indo Pacific …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • stonefish — noun A venomous tropical marine fish resembling a piece of rock, of the genus Synanceia, found in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean …   Wiktionary

  • stonefish — n. any of a type of scorpion fishes native to the Indo Pacific …   English contemporary dictionary

  • stonefish — noun (plural same or stonefishes) a tropical Indo Pacific fish of bizarre appearance which rests motionless in the sand with its venomous dorsal spines projecting. [Synanceia verrucosa and other species.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • stonefish — stone•fish [[t]ˈstoʊnˌfɪʃ[/t]] n. pl. fish•es, (esp. collectively) fish. ich any tropical scorpionfish of the genus Synanceja that have dorsal fin spines from which a deadly poison is discharged • Etymology: 1660–70 …   From formal English to slang

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