lungfish

[ luhng-fish ]

noun

, plural (especially collectively) lung·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) lung·fish·es.

1. any of various slender, air-breathing fishes of the order (or subclass) Dipnoi, of rivers and lakes in Africa, South America, and Australia, having a lunglike air bladder as well as gills and growing to a length of 3 to 6 feet (0.9 to 1.8 meters).

lungfish

/ ˈlʌŋˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any freshwater bony fish of the subclass Dipnoi, having an air-breathing lung, fleshy paired fins, and an elongated body. The only living species are those of the genera Lepidosiren of South America, Protopterus of Africa, and Neoceratodus of Australia

lungfish

/ lŭng′fĭsh′ /

1. Any of several tropical freshwater fish of the order or subclass Dipnoi that, in addition to having gills, have lunglike organs for breathing air. Lungfish have a long, narrow body, and certain species can survive periods of drought inside a mucus-lined cocoon in the mud. The lungfish and the coelacanths are the only living lobe-finned fishes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lungfish¹

First recorded in 1880–85; lung + fish

Example Sentences

Frogs, salamanders and lungfish had far bigger genomes than humans did.

From New York Times

And in the cargo hold of a steamship, a young lungfish arrived from Australia to a new home at an aquarium in San Francisco.

From New York Times

Seeking to learn about the evolutionary origins of acoustic communication in vertebrates, the scientists recorded 53 species from four major clades — turtles, tuatara, caecilians and lungfish — to analyze what they heard.

From Salon

He also wants to compare the sounds of land vertebrate and lungfish with those of other fish to see whether the acoustic evolutionary tree extends even further back in time.

From Science Magazine

The creatures included 50 turtles, a tuatara, a lungfish and a caecilian.

From BBC