The species is fairly common in tropical to subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific, ranging from Madagascar in the west to Japan in the east, typically inhabiting inshore reefs.

Orange-spotted trevallies are powerful predators, taking a variety of small fish, nekton, and crustaceans, and reach sexual maturity around 25 cm long.

[2] The species was first scientifically described by the Swedish naturalist Peter Forsskål in 1775 based on a specimen taken from the Red Sea which he designated to be the holotype.

[5] The species was also independently renamed three times after Forsskål's description, the first coming from Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg, who named the species Caranx immaculatus, although he did not accurately publish the name, leading Georges Cuvier to rename the fish as Caranx auroguttatus in 1833, which was later transferred to Carangoides.

[9] The chest of the orange-spotted trevally is completely scaled, occasionally having a narrow naked region on the underside near the ventral fins.

[8] In 2005, orange-spotted trevally reportedly had been caught in the Mediterranean Sea, indicating they had become Lessepsian migrants, passing through the Suez Canal to extend their range.

[12] This claim has been disputed, though, with the source of the report coming under question due to the presence of other species unknown to the Mediterranean shown in the purported photograph.

[11] The orange-spotted trevally is occasionally taken throughout its range by hook and line, gill nets, and other artisanal gear, although in most areas it is bycatch and does not form a large part of these fisheries.

There, the orange-spotted trevally is one of the most common fish found just above the sea floor, and is taken by wire traps and sold fresh at local markets.

[16] The development of the fishing fleet of the United Arab Emirates has caused a number of species to be overexploited, but the orange-spotted trevally is still being taken at sustainable levels.