 "Caranx" itself is part of the larger jack and horse mackerel family Carangidae, part of the order Carangiformes.The species was first scientifically described by the Australian zoologists Haynes Gibbes Alleyne and Sir William John Macleay based on a specimen collected off Cape Grenville, Queensland, which was later designated to be the holotype.They named the species "Caranx bucculentus", with the specific epithet meaning 'with full cheeks' in Latin, referring to the species' wide mouth gape.