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Glite Dictionary
Thalassoma bifasciatum

Thalassoma bifasciatum

9.9
A small reef fish in the western Atlantic whose males have bright blue heads
  • noun
  • Specialized
: Thalassoma bifasciatum
  • A brilliant blue head distinguishes the male Thalassoma bifasciatum from the females and juveniles.

Examples

  • The coral reefs were teeming with Thalassoma bifasciatum darting among the rocks.

  • Marine biologists studied the mating behavior of Thalassoma bifasciatum in its natural habitat.

  • Look at that stunning Thalassoma bifasciatum!

  • The Thalassoma bifasciatum is often found swimming in coral reefs.

  • A brilliant blue head distinguishes the male Thalassoma bifasciatum from the females and juveniles.

  • Marine biologists studied the mating behavior of Thalassoma bifasciatum in its natural habitat.

  • The coral reefs were teeming with Thalassoma bifasciatum darting among the rocks.

Synonyms

bluehead
vsThalassoma bifasciatum
  • US
1 9.9

A small Atlantic fish whose male has a bright blue head

is the formal scientific name used in biology

Surface Forms

Thalassoma bifasciatum singular
Thalassoma bifasciatums plural

Morphology

Thalassoma + bifasciatum

This is a Latin binomial (scientific name) rather than a normal English collocation, so its specific meaning (a particular wrasse species) is not derived from everyday English word composition. Even if a learner recognised 'Thalassoma' as a fish, 'bifasciatum' is not an English lexical item and the species-specific sense would be unpredictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Thalassoma bifasciatum comes from Greek and Latin words. The part Thalassoma points to the 'sea' and bifasciatum means 'two bands', so the name describes a sea fish with two bands and a bright blue head.