Gasterosteidae

ninespine stickleback

Pungitius pungitius

Eight to twelve dorsal spines

• Coastal
• Circumpolar Arctic
• Transcontinental
• Atlantic Ocean
• Pacific Ocean
• East Asia
• Europe
• North America
• Polar regions
• Elongated
• Small

The ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), also called the ten-spined stickleback, is a freshwater species of fish in the family Gasterosteidae that inhabits temperate waters. It is widely but locally distributed throughout Eurasia and North America. Despite its name, the number of spines can vary from 8 to 12.