family Holocentridae

9.5

A group of tropical reef fish like squirrelfish and soldierfish

noun
/ˈfæmɪli hoʊloʊˈsɛntrɪdeɪ/

Specialized

: familia Holocentridae

Members of the family Holocentridae are often called squirrelfishes due to their appearance and nocturnal habits.

Examples

The family Holocentridae includes many brightly colored reef fish found in tropical waters.
Biologists study the family Holocentridae to understand reef ecosystem dynamics.
The family Holocentridae includes various species of colorful fish.
Did you know that the family Holocentridae is often found in coral reefs?
The family Holocentridae is characterized by its unique adaptations for life in tropical reefs.
Fish from the family Holocentridae are known for their distinctive eyes and vibrant colors.
Researchers documented the behavior of the family Holocentridae during nighttime explorations of coral reefs.

Synonyms

Holocentridae

vsfamily Holocentridae

Specialized

9.9

A group of sea fish with large eyes and spiny fins that live on tropical reefs

is the general name for the group without noting those distinctive features

Surface Forms

family Holocentridae singular

families Holocentridae plural

Morphology

family + Holocentridae

The phrase is compositionally analyzable: 'family' clearly signals a taxonomic grouping, so a learner who knows that sense will infer this refers to a biological family called Holocentridae. However, the specific content of that family (that it is a group of marine fish called squirrelfishes) is encoded in the proper name Holocentridae and cannot be derived from the constituents, so the meaning is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Family Holocentridae may come from two old Greek words, holos and kentron, meaning 'whole' and 'spine', because these fish have a long line of strong spines along their backs. Their common name squirrelfish comes from their bright red colour and quick, nervous movements that remind people of a squirrel, so today the name refers to this family of colourful reef fish.