pricklefish
noun
1A stickleback (now rare ).
2A member of the family Stephanoberycidae of small deep-sea fishes of tropical and subtropical waters, which bear spines ventrally and dorsally in front of the caudal fin and typically have toothed scales with backward-pointing spines.
Origin
Mid 17th century; earliest use found in Walter Charleton (1620–1707), physician and natural philosopher.