Carapidae

/kærəˈpeɪdiː/ noun

Definition

A family of marine fish known as pearlfishes, small elongated fish that often live inside sea cucumbers or other marine animals.

Etymology

Modern scientific Latin name derived from carapax/carapace, referring to the shell-like appearance or behavior of these fish, with -idae suffix standard in zoological nomenclature.

Kelly Says

Pearlfishes practice one of nature's strangest parasitism—they live inside sea cucumbers' bottoms, and scientists named them using a word for shells because early naturalists thought they looked armored.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.