The genus contains 17 species occurring in tropical and warm temperate waters of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Western Indian Ocean and the eastern Pacific.

[4] S. cirrosa had been described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of the Systema Naturae published in 1758 and its type locality was given as the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic.

[6] However, the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise tribes or subfamilies within the Sciaenidae which it places in the order Acanthuriformes.

[7] The name of the genus, Umbrina, is a diminutive of umbra meaning "shade", this was a name used by early naturalists for drums and croakers, in a similar way to scion or Sciaena.

The body is dark brown or silver-colored and has opaque stripes or vertical bars.