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Soldier fish

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sol⋅dier⋅fish

[sohl-jer-fish]
–noun, plural (especially collectively) -fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) -fish⋅es.
1. any of several squirrelfishes of the family Holocentridae.
2. any of various other brightly colored fishes.

Origin:
1880–85, Americanism; so called from its sharp spines and rough scales

rainbow darter

–noun
a stout darter, Etheostoma caeruleum, inhabiting the Great Lakes and Mississippi River drainages, the spawning male of which has the sides marked with oblique blue bars with red interspaces.
Also called soldierfish.


Origin:
1880–85, Americanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Encyclopedia

soldierfish

any of about 70 species of large-eyed, colourful, tropical reef fish of the family Holocentridae (order Beryciformes). Squirrelfish are edible fish found throughout the tropics. They have spiny fins and rough, prickly scales; some also have a sharp spine on each cheek. Most squirrelfish are red in colour, and many are marked with yellow, white, or black. The largest species is probably Holocentrus spinifer, a Pacific squirrelfish growing about 60 cm (24 inches) long. Squirrelfish are carnivorous and nocturnal, hiding by day among the reefs

Learn more about soldierfish with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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