Indo-West Pacific: East Africa to the Solomon Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Australia. Recently recorded from Tonga. Usually referred to as Lutjanus lineolatus by previous authors.

Dorsal profile of head gently sloped. Preorbital bone very narrow, much less than eye diameter. Preopercular notch and knob poorly developed. Scale rows on back rising obliquely above lateral line. Generally silvery white, with a broad yellow stripe running along the side from the eye to the caudal fin base. A series of faint narrow yellow horizontal lines is on the lower half of the body. The fins are pale yellow to whitish.

Inhabits offshore coral reefs and trawling grounds. Trawled to depth of almost 100 m. Frequently encountered in large schools with other Lutjanus species.