Fundulus majalis
- noun
- Specialized
:
Fundulus majalis
- The Fundulus majalis inhabits shallow waters and is often seen darting among marsh grasses.
Examples
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Marine biologists studied the diet of Fundulus majalis along the Gulf Coast.
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The Fundulus majalis is often found in coastal marshes.
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Because of its unique appearance, Fundulus majalis is easily distinguished from other killifish species.
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Have you ever seen a Fundulus majalis in the wild?
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Marine biologists studied the diet of Fundulus majalis along the Gulf Coast.
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Because of its unique appearance, Fundulus majalis is easily distinguished from other killifish species.
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The Fundulus majalis inhabits shallow waters and is often seen darting among marsh grasses.
Synonyms
A small fish with dark bars that lives in coastal marshes and bays
A small striped fish that lives in shallow bays and marshes on the United States Atlantic and Gulf coasts
A fish with black bars found in shallow bays and marshes along the US Atlantic and Gulf coasts
Surface Forms
Morphology
Fundulus + majalis
This is a Latin binomial (species) name: although 'Fundulus' is glossed as a small fish, the second element 'majalis' is not a common English lexeme and carries no transparent meaning for B1 learners. Species names function as lexicalized proper nouns and are not compositionally interpretable from their parts, so the overall meaning cannot be derived by a learner who only knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Fundulus majalis may come from Latin words that make a simple picture of the fish. One idea says Fundulus is a small form of a Latin word for 'bottom', because these fish stay near shallow marsh bottoms, and majalis means 'May', perhaps because they are often seen in spring. So the name helps you remember a small, black-barred fish that lives by the marsh bottom and is often seen in spring.
