It naturally occurs in the Indian and the western Pacific Oceans and has colonised the eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.

In life it is bluish-green above and silvery below with a small black blotch on the margin of operculum near its upper edge.

[1] First recorded in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel in 2005,[4] it is now common in Levantine waters up to Iskenderun (Turkey) and has become an important species in local fisheries.

[6] Adult Decapterus russelli are benthic and form large schools in deeper water, although they may occasionally be found inshore in smaller groups where there are sheltered bays.

It is the most common species of Decapterus in coastal waters and on open shallows of the Indian Ocean.

Their main prey is smaller planktonic invertebrates,[5] with a study off India finding that the prawn Acetes indicus being the most numerous prey for both adult and juvenile fish but larger specimens hunt a wide variety of suitably sized fish, including Lactarius lactarius, Leiognathus spp., lanternfishes, eels, Nemipterus spp., Saurida tumbil, Boleophthalmus sp., Bregmaceros mcclellandi, Polynemus heptadactylus, Polynemus indicus, Cynoglossus spp., Trichiurus lepturus and Stolephorus spp.