They are small marine fishes, growing up to 25 cm, and are found in tropical and subtropical waters throughout the world.

Setarchinae, or the family Setarchidae, were first described as a taxon by the Japanese ichthyologist Kiyomatsu Matsubara in 1943.

[1] The grouping is treated as a subfamily of the Scorpaenidae within the order Scorpaeniformes by the 5th Edition of Fishes of the World.

[2] However, other authorities, such as FishBase, regard the taxon as a family within the suborder Scorpaenoidei, part of the Perciformes.

[3] They are offshore fish which can be found at depths between 180 and 830 m (590 and 2,720 ft) and examination of the stomach contents of two species suggest that they feed in the water column.