Worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas, but absent from the Mediterranean Sea. The pectoral fin is moderately long, usually reaching beyond the second dorsal fin origin but not beyond the end of its base.
Color is black metallic dark blue changing through yellow to silver on the belly.
The belly frequently has about 20 broken, nearly vertical lines. The dorsal and anal fins and finlets are bright yellow. An oceanic species occurring above and below the thermoclines. They school primarily by size, either in monospecific or multispecies groups. Larger fish frequently school with porpoises, also associated with floating debris and other objects.