osmerid

English

An osmerid, Osmerus mordax (rainbow smelt)

Noun

osmerid (plural osmerids)

1. (zoology) Any fish of the family Osmeridae, a smelt.
   • 1966, Kenneth Stafford Norris, Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises, page 663:

     Getting back to feeding, we found it convenient at Point Mugu to use two forms of fish: the smaller osmerids for training purposes (they are cleaner than cut fish), and mackerel.

   • 1997, Journal of Ichthyology, volume 37, page 207:

     She proved the independence of the evolutionary development of osmerids and plecoglossids which form an independent suborder and clearly outlined main traits of similarity and difference of the Salmonoidei and the osmerids.

   • 2009, Gene Helfman, Bruce B. Collette, Douglas E. Facey, Brian W. Bowen, The Diversity of Fishes: Biology, Evolution, and Ecology, page 279:

     Osmerids are generally small, silvery, elongate fishes that swim in the water column.

Synonyms

• (any fish of family Osmeridae): smelt

Anagrams

• Mesidor, Ormside, misdoer, moiders