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Tripletails are common name for the members of the Lobotidae family. They are found in the tropical and subtropical parts of the all oceans. They are mainly marine fishes that inhabit bays, muddy estuaries and lower reaches of large rivers. They are recognized by having rounded lobes on second dorsal and anal fin, giving a 3 tailed appearance. They may be wrongly identified as groupers. However, they lack the usually 3 flat spines on the upper part of groupers opercle.

Tripletails are carnivorous fish feeding on benthic crustaceans and small fish. They are often found floating on its side near the surface along with floating objects.

There is only one genus and 2 species of Lobotidae worldwide. Malaysia has only one species, Lobotes surinamensis. The other species, Lobotes pacificus is only found in the Eastern Pacific.