-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Solomon and Mariana islands.

Dorsal profile of head moderately sloped. Preorbital bone very narrow, its width about half of eye diameter. Preopercular notch and knob poorly developed. Scale rows on back parallel to lateral line. Back and upper sides dark brown; lower sides and belly whitish with a silver sheen. Often with a series of four or five narrow yellow stripes on the sides below the lateral line. A prominent round, black spot on the back below the posterior part of the spinous portion of the dorsal fin.L. ehrenbergii differs from L. fulviflamma by having scale rows on the upper back that run parallel to the lateral line.

Inhabits very shallow coastal habitats, often in large schools near freshwater run-offs.