These are medium sized, usually red, nocturnal fishes with big scales and dark eyes. They rest by day under ledges or in caves and roam freely over the reef at night. Squirrelfishes are prickly and spiny with spines on their gill covers. Those of some species are venomous. Their bodies are usually marked with horizontal row like silvery spots. They exhibit very nervous behavior when approached by divers during the day. This and their dark eyes probably gave them their name.

Hawaiian Squirrelfish
(Sargocentron xantherythrum)

This squirrelfish is the one most often seen by divers in Hawaii. It is red with silvery stripes. Its dorsal fin is deep red with white spine tips. It has a spine on the upper edge of the gill covering that is much longer than the spine on the lower edge.