The island trevally is distributed throughout the offshore waters of the tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
In the Indian Ocean, it ranges from Mozambique on the east coast of Africa north to the Gulf of Aden, but has not been recorded further north until India and Sri Lanka.
Its range extends throughout Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and northern Australia in the eastern Indian Ocean.
In the Pacific, the species has been recorded from Taiwan, Japan, and Hawaii to the Revillagigedo Islands off Mexico in the eastern Pacific, as well as many Pacific islands.

As the species common name partly suggests, the island trevally very rarely is found on the continental shelves, instead living around offshore islands formed by volcanic activity or isolated slivers of continental material remaining from continental drifting.
These islands are often quite large, and have most of the geographical features of the continental environment, including beaches, reefs, lagoons, and even estuaries.
The island trevally is known from all of these habitats, as well as slightly deeper seaward reefs up to 50 m deep.

In Hawaii, the species is less frequently found inside protected bays, and more often slightly further offshore presumably due to competition with other species.

The island trevally is one of a number of carangid species known to be attracted to man-made fish-attracting devices, which are installed to aggregate fish for anglers.
The island trevally is distributed throughout the offshore waters of the tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In the Indian Ocean, it ranges from Mozambique on the east coast of Africa north to the Gulf of Aden, but has not been recorded further north until India and Sri Lanka. Its range extends throughout Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and northern Australia in the eastern Indian Ocean. In the Pacific, the species has been recorded from Taiwan, Japan, and Hawaii to the Revillagigedo Islands off Mexico in the eastern Pacific, as well as many Pacific islands.
As the species common name partly suggests, the island trevally very rarely is found on the continental shelves, instead living around offshore islands formed by volcanic activity or isolated slivers of continental material remaining from continental drifting. These islands are often quite large, and have most of the geographical features of the continental environment, including beaches, reefs, lagoons, and even estuaries. The island trevally is known from all of these habitats, as well as slightly deeper seaward reefs up to 50 m deep.
In Hawaii, the species is less frequently found inside protected bays, and more often slightly further offshore presumably due to competition with other species.
The island trevally is one of a number of carangid species known to be attracted to man-made fish-attracting devices, which are installed to aggregate fish for anglers.
Island trevally