It is a toothless herbivore, 0.6 to 1.5 meters long, with a deeply forked tail. It is found throughout the warmer regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans, but the heaviest concentration is in Southeast Asia.
虱目魚主要生長在太平洋、印度洋的熱帶、亞熱帶水域，東南亞是最重要的產區。