squirrelfish

American  

[skwur-uhl-fish, skwuhr-, skwir-] / ˈskwɜr əlˌfɪʃ, ˈskwʌr-, ˈskwɪr- /

noun

plural

squirrelfish,

plural

squirrelfishes

1. any of several brightly colored, nocturnal fishes of the family Holocentridae, inhabiting shallow waters of tropical reefs, especially the reddish Holocentrus ascensionis of the West Indies, armed with sharp spines and scales.

---

squirrelfish British  

/ ˈskwɪrəlˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any tropical marine brightly coloured teleost fish of the family Holocentridae

---

Etymology

Origin of squirrelfish

First recorded in 1795–1805; perhaps after the sound it makes out of water, likened to a squirrel's bark

Example Sentences

Parrotfish browsed here and there, chewing on the coral, alongside reddish squirrelfish, yellow French grunts and large schools of blue tang.

From New York Times • Oct. 8, 2015

The self-proclaimed "traditional" guides, who have fished Boca Grande for decades, troll live squirrelfish, crabs and shrimp at night.

From Time Magazine Archive

Rick watched a pair of brown doctorfish about eight inches long swim by below, then his attention was attracted by a brilliant red squirrelfish peering out of a cleft.

From The Wailing Octopus by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)

Tiny demoiselles fluttered around them, and a pair of red squirrelfish watched from the shelter of a purple coral fan.

From The Wailing Octopus by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)