Circumglobal. Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada and Bermuda to approximately Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Appears to be absent from the Gulf of Mexico. Eastern Atlantic: St. Helena, Ascension, Cape Verde, and Gulf of Guinea; Azores and Madeira. Indian Ocean: Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Seychelles, Mascarenes, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Eastern Pacific: Gulf of California and Revillagigedo Island to Ecuador.

Body elongate, slender, and somewhat circular in cross section; posterior edge of upper jaw straight dorsally, moderately rounded and oblique ventrally; edge of shoulder girdle (cleithrum) with two small papillae, the lower one larger; dorsal and anal fins each followed by a separate finlet; black metallic blue green; belly is silvery white; dorsal edge of operculum with a small black mark.

Prefer clear oceanic waters, frequently around islands. Sometimes near the surface, but generally caught between 40 and 200 m depth.