ˈrudder-fish
[rudder n.]
The name of several species of fish which follow or accompany vessels; esp. (a) the rudder-perch, a West Indian sea-fish; (b) the pilot-fish, Naucrates ductor; (c) the log- or barrel-fish (Lirus or Palinurus perciformis) of America; (d) a bluish fish (Seriola zonata), native to the Western Atlantic.
| 1734 in Phil. Trans. XXXVIII. 316 Perca marina, Sectatrix, the Rudder-Fish, so called because they are always seen following Ships, or sticking to the Rudders. 1792 M. Riddell Voy. Madeira 69 The hog-fish, the pilot or rudder-fish, whiting, bream. 1859 P. H. Gosse Lett. fr. Alabama 11 The spotted rudder-fish and the purple-banded pilot were often seen beneath the stern. 1888 Goode Amer. Fishes 221 The Rudder-Fish family, Stromateidæ, is represented on the coast by three species. Ibid. 234 The Banded Rudder-fish, Seriola zonata, has been observed as far north as Salem and Beverly. |