rabbitfish

[ rab-it-fish ]

noun

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

1. a puffer, Lagocephalus laevigatus.
2. a chimaera, Chimaera monstrosa.

rabbitfish

/ ˈræbɪtˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. a large chimaera, Chimaera monstrosa , common in European seas, with separate caudal and anal fins and a long whiplike tail
2. any of the spiny-finned tropical marine fishes of the family Siganidae of Indo-Pacific waters. They have a rabbit-like snout and spines on the pelvic or ventral fins

Word History and Origins

Origin of rabbitfish¹

1820–30; rabbit + fish, from the resemblance of its nose to a rabbit's

Example Sentences

The bright yellow rabbitfish, for example, overgrazes seagrass beds, destroying plants that provide a key habitat for local species and sequester carbon.

From Reuters

In one project, a fishing guild experimented with sustainable management for rabbitfish, a local delicacy.

From Washington Post

They can avoid overfishing key herbivores like the rabbitfish that nurture the reefs by clearing away excessive algae.

From New York Times

While not a fish-eating species like the lionfish, the rabbitfish does have some venomous spines and could affect native species by depriving resident herbivores of aquatic food sources.

From Washington Times

Temperatures now let invasive species, such as algae-grazing rabbitfish, introduced through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea, explode.

From National Geographic