nounplural noun needlefish, plural noun needlefishes

• Any of a number of long, slender fish with elongated beaklike jaws containing sharply pointed teeth.

  Also called garfish

  ‘Flyingfishes are nested within halfbeaks, and sauries are nested within needlefishes.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The phylogenetic position of needlefishes relative to halfbeaks fits his prediction.’
  • ‘As juveniles, these fish compete with needlefishes and small snapper for food.’
  • ‘For example, the long jaws of gar and needlefish arose independently and give these disparate taxa the most velocity specialized mandibles yet measured in fishes.’
  • ‘Ubiquitous fusiliers massed by the thousand, with blue triggers, dozens of needlefish and swarms of other smaller reef fish.’