nounplural noun dragonfish, plural noun dragonfishes

• A deep-sea fish with a long slender body.

  a fish with long sharp teeth, a barbel on the chin, and luminous organs on the body (families Stomiatidae and Idiacanthidae)
  ('Antarctic dragonfish') a fish of southern polar seas with a flattened head (family Bathydraconidae)

  ‘Midwater species, such as lanternfishes, hatchetfishes and dragonfishes have rows of lights along the underside of the body, probably for mating and identification as well as foraging.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Fishes began with a coelacanth, a carp, and a dragonfish and ended with a goldfish.’
  • ‘The crocodile dragonfish is one of the stranger-looking denizens of Antarctic waters the spiny plunderfish is a bottom-dweller’
  • ‘Most creatures emit a bluish green glow, but this dragonfish can shine red light on its prey that is visible to its eyes alone.’
  • ‘Stomiidae is a family of deep-sea ray-finned fish including the barbeled dragonfishes and (in the subfamily Malacosteinae) the loosejaws.’