'Mallotus villosus' definitions:

Definition of 'Mallotus villosus'

From: GCIDE
  • Mallotus \Mal*lo"tus\, n. [NL., fr Gr. ? fleecy.] (Zool.) A genus of small Arctic fishes. One American species, the capelin (Mallotus villosus), is extensively used as bait for cod. [1913 Webster] Mallow

Definition of 'Mallotus villosus'

From: GCIDE
  • Capelin \Cape"lin\, n. [Cf. F. capelan, caplan.] (Zool.) Either of two small marine fishes formerly classified in the family Salmonid[ae], now within the smelt family Osmeridae: Mallotus villosus, very abundant on the coasts of Greenland, Iceland, Newfoundland, and Alaska; or {Mallotus catervarius}, found in the North Pacific. The Atlantic variety has been used as a bait for the cod. [Written also capelan and caplin.] [1913 Webster + PJC]
  • Note: This fish, which is like a smelt, is called by the Spaniards anchova, and by the Portuguese capelina. However the anchovy used as a food is a different fish. --Fisheries of U. S. (1884). [1913 Webster + PJC]