/skwerr"euhl fish', skwur"-/ or, esp. Brit., /skwir"-/ , n. , pl. ( esp. collectively ) squirrelfish , ( esp. referring to two or more kinds or species ) squirrelfishes .
any of several brightly colored, nocturnal fishes of the family Holocentridae, inhabiting shallow waters of tropical reefs, esp. the reddish Holocentrus ascensionis of the West Indies, armed with sharp spines and scales.
[ 1795-1805; perh. after the sound it makes out of water, likened to a squirrel's bark ]