malacopterygian

malacopterygian [ˌmæləˌkɒptəˈrɪdʒɪən]

adj

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) of, relating to, or belonging to the Malacopterygii, a group of teleost fishes, including herrings and salmon, having soft fin rays

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any malacopterygian fish; a soft-finned fish Compare acanthopterygian

[from New Latin Malacopterygii, from malaco- + Greek pterux wing, fin]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

malacopterygian - any fish of the superorder Malacopterygii soft-finned fish Malacopterygii, superorder Malacopterygii - an extensive group of teleost fishes having fins supported by flexible cartilaginous rays order Ostariophysi, Ostariophysi - in some classifications considered a superorder comprising the Cypriniformes and the Siluriformes cypriniform fish - a soft-finned fish of the order Cypriniformes siluriform fish, catfish - any of numerous mostly freshwater bottom-living fishes of Eurasia and North America with barbels like whiskers around the mouth gadoid, gadoid fish - a soft-finned fish of the family Gadidae eel - voracious snakelike marine or freshwater fishes with smooth slimy usually scaleless skin and having a continuous vertical fin but no ventral fins teleost, teleost fish, teleostan - a bony fish of the subclass Teleostei beaked salmon, Gonorhynchus gonorhynchus, sandfish - fish of sandy areas of western Pacific and Indian oceans having an angular snout for burrowing into sand clupeid, clupeid fish - any of numerous soft-finned schooling food fishes of shallow waters of northern seas whitebait - the edible young of especially herrings and sprats and smelts anchovy - small herring-like plankton-eating fishes often canned whole or as paste; abundant in tropical waters worldwide salmonid - soft-finned fishes of cold and temperate waters whitefish - silvery herring-like freshwater food fish of cold lakes of the northern hemisphere smelt - small trout-like silvery marine or freshwater food fishes of cold northern waters tarpon, Tarpon atlanticus - large silvery game fish of warm Atlantic coastal waters especially off Florida Albula vulpes, bonefish - slender silvery marine fish found in tropical mud flats and mangrove lagoons argentine - any of various small silver-scaled salmon-like marine fishes lanternfish - small fish having rows of luminous organs along each side; some surface at night lizardfish, snake-fish, snakefish - tropical fishes with large mouths in lizard-like heads; found worldwide greeneye - bottom-dwellers having large eyes with metallic green luster lancet fish, lancetfish, wolffish - large elongate scaleless oceanic fishes with sharp teeth and a long dorsal fin that resembles a sail handsaw fish - a soft-finned fish of the genus Alepisaurus Lampris regius, opah, moonfish - large elliptical brightly colored deep-sea fish of Atlantic and Pacific and Mediterranean Lampris guttatus, New World opah - from Nova Scotia to West Indies and Gulf of Mexico ribbonfish - marine fish having a long compressed ribbonlike body king of the herring, oarfish, Regalecus glesne, ribbonfish - thin deep-water tropical fish 20 to 30 feet long having a red dorsal fin