[prik-uh
l-bak] 
| 1. | any of several blennioid fishes of the family Stichaeidae, usually inhabiting cold waters, having spiny rays in the dorsal fin. |
| 2. | stickleback. |
[stik-uhl-bak] | any of the small, pugnacious, spiny-backed fishes of the family Gasterosteidae, inhabiting northern fresh waters and sea inlets, the male of which builds and guards the nest. |
prickleback
any of numerous fishes constituting the family Stichaeidae (order Perciformes). All of the approximately 60 species are marine, and most are restricted to the northern Pacific Ocean; a few species occur in the North Atlantic. Members of the family are characteristically elongate, with a low dorsal fin running the length of the body. In most species the pelvic fins are reduced or absent, a typical feature of the blennies, a group of fishes to which pricklebacks belong. They get their name from the presence of spiny rays that compose the dorsal fin.
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