Georges Cuvier used another generic name, Scyris, for the genus in 1829, but the name Alectis was rediscovered by James Douglas Ogilby in 1913[citation needed] and had priority.

[5] A single species has been identified the fossil record, Alectis simus (Stinton, 1979), from the Eocene period of England.

[7] The genus has a circum-tropical distribution, with adults generally restricted to reefs in coastal areas down to 100 m, while juveniles are often pelagic.

[4] All species are considered fine game fish, attaining large sizes and capable of blistering runs.

The flesh of the genus is generally considered very good for culinary purposes, although at least one species has been implicated in a case of Ciguatera poisoning.