They are small- to large-sized, deep-bodied fish characterised by a certain gill raker and jaw morphology, often appearing very similar to jacks in the genus Caranx.

They inhabit the subtropical and tropical regions of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans, often occupying coastal areas, including reefs, bays, and estuaries, rarely venturing far offshore.

[1] A number of recent phylogenetic studies on the family has placed Carangoides in the subfamily Caranginae (or tribe Carangini), being most closely related to the genera Alectis, Atropus, Selene, and Uraspis.

They occur on the coastlines of countries in this range, although are most prolific in the Indo-Pacific region, having high species densities around Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and northern Australia.

[5] Most species are coastal in nature, inhabiting continental shelf marine environments including reefs, bays, sandflats, lagoons, and even estuaries.

Like all jacks and trevallies, they can be caught on a variety of baits and lures, and with some members reaching 1 m in length, are considered formidable game fish.

[9] They are generally considered to be excellent to fair table fare,[10] although a number of ciguatera poisonings have been linked to the species of this genus.