[bat-fish] 
) -fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) -fish⋅es. | 1. | any of the flat-bodied, marine fishes of the family Ogcocephalidae, as Ogcocephalus vespertilio, common in the southern Atlantic coastal waters of the U.S. |
| 2. | a stingray, Aetobatis californicus, found off the coast of California. |
| bat·fish (bāt'fĭsh') n. pl. batfish or bat·fish·es Any of various marine anglerfishes of the family Ogcocephalidae, having a retractable appendage above the mouth. |
batfish
any of about 60 species of fishes of the family Ogcocephalidae (order Lophiiformes), found in warm and temperate seas. Batfishes have broad, flat heads and slim bodies and are covered with hard lumps and spines. Some species have an elongated, upturned snout. Batfishes grow at most about 36 cm (14 inches) long. They are poor swimmers and usually walk on the bottom on thickened, limblike pectoral and pelvic fins. Most live in the deep sea, but some inhabit shallow water
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