Like other species in its genus, the ladyfish has a long, slender, rounded body covered with silvery scales.

[4] The ladyfish is distributed in the western North Atlantic Ocean from New England to Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico.

[4] Its distribution overlaps with the malacho (Elops smithi) in the southeast US and the southern Gulf of Mexico.

[5] Like other members of the Elopidae, the ladyfish is a pelagic fish that spawns in the sea, but little is known about this marine phase.

[7] Subadults move into the lower reaches of the embayments, and upon maturation, proceed to offshore, marine habitats.