The fringefin trevally has an ovate body, with distinctive orange-yellow fins and a black opercular spot.

The fringefin trevally is restricted to the waters of the Indo-Pacific, ranging from northern Australia to Papua New Guinea and eastern Indonesia.

The fringefin trevally is the only member of the monotypic genus Pantolabus, one of around 30 genera in the jack and horse mackerel family Carangidae, which in turn is part of the order Carangiformes.

[3] The fringefin trevally was scientifically described by the Australian naturalist William Macleay in 1881 based on the holotype specimen taken in Rockingham Bay of Queensland, Australia.

[4] He named the species Caranx radiatus, with the specific epithet derived from the Latin word for 'radiating' in reference to the elongated fin filaments.

[9] Further revisions recognised the priority of Caranx radiatus as the first description and agreed with the placement in a monotypic genus.

[11] The fringefin trevally was included in a phylogenetic study based upon morphological characteristics by Soko Gushiken.

[10] The fringefin trevally is predominantly an inshore species, rarely found in waters greater than 30 m deep.

The species does not appear to change habitat with age, with individuals of various stages of their lives found in estuarine, inshore, and shelf environments.

[10] The fringefin trevally is not a commercially targeted species, but still makes up a small percentage of the northern Australian prawn trawls.