[2] The species was first scientifically described by the Australian zoologists Haynes Gibbes Alleyne and William John Macleay in 1877 based on a specimen collected from Hall Sound off Papua New Guinea, which was designated to be the holotype.

[5] The brassy trevally is a large species of fish, growing to a known maximum of 88 cm in length and 6.4 kg in weight.

[9][10] It is often confused with the giant trevally, Caranx ignobilis, but is best distinguished by its lighter dorsal colouring and abundant black spots.

Its range extends from South Africa and Madagascar north along the East African coast, but no records of the species are known from the Red Sea or Persian Gulf.

Records resume from India eastward throughout Southeast Asia, the Indonesian Archipelago and numerous Indian Ocean and East Pacific island groups.

[12] Other habitats the species is known from include rock outcrops in sandy bays and lagoons,[13] while juveniles are often found in tidal mangrove-lined creeks in turbid waters.

[12] Studies on the species in Natal estuaries found juveniles take predominantly crustaceans as prey, switching to teleosts as they mature.

[15] Other aspects of the species biology are poorly understood, including reproduction and movements, although catch data indicate higher numbers occur in South Africa in summer.

[23] The IGFA all tackle world record for the species stands at 7.90 kg (17 lb 7 oz) caught off of Bazaruto Island, Mozambique in 2008.