There are 10 species in this order, all found in one family. Bonefish are found in shallow inshore waters around the world.

The fish in this order lack an adipose fin. The adipose fin is a fleshy fin found on some fish that is located between the dorsal fin and the caudal fin.

Bonefish are bottom-dwellers and are usually found in shallow, brackish waters in estuaries, reefs, bays, and grass flats in tropical and warm temperate waters around the world. They can survive in oxygen-poor water by inhaling air into their lung-like air bladders.

In North America, the bonefish is found along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. It is most plentiful in South Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. The threadfin bonefish is found along the coasts of Mexico and Central America.