Talk:spearfish

Possible missing senses

Chambers 1908 defines spear-fish as "a kind of carpsucker, also sailfish and skimback" and "the bill-fish, a histiophoroid fish related to the swordfish". Equinox ◑ 23:14, 8 June 2019 (UTC)

Paging @DCDuring. —Μετάknowledge^{discuss/deeds} 23:24, 8 June 2019 (UTC)

• Century had a taxonomic name that turned out to be correct.
• Fishbase had a species from another genus of marlin, but no other "spearfishes" other than those now at derived terms.
• Fishbase has no fish named carpsucker, but has river carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio) and highfin carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio).
• Fishbase has no vernacular name containing skimback.
• Fishbase has two speices of genus Istiophorus called sailfish
• Fishbase has seven species in five genera called billfish, but do not report spearfish as one of their vernacular names. Two of the billfish are of the genus Istiophorus.

I am reluctant to add taxonomic names to vernacular name entries without some support other than the various older dictionaries. Fishbase is by far the best single source for vernacular names of fish. DCDuring (talk) 03:41, 9 June 2019 (UTC)