ɐplˈoʊktɪnˌɪdiː wʌz fˈɜːst fˈɔːɹməli ɹˈɛkəɡnˌaɪzd æz ɐ fˈæmɪli baɪ ðɪ ɐmˈɛɹɪkən ˌɪkθɪˈɑːlədʒˌɪsts dˈeɪvɪd stˈɑːɹ dʒˈoːɹdən ænd ˈɛdwɪn tʃˈæpɪn stˈɑːɹks ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹ.ðə fˈɪfθ ᵻdˈɪʃən ʌv fˈɪʃᵻz ʌvðə wˈɜːld klˈæsᵻfˌaɪz ðə fˈæmɪli wɪðˌɪn ðə sˈʌboːɹdɚ skˈoːɹpiːnˌɔɪdeɪ wˌɪtʃ ɪn tˈɜːn ɪz klˈæsᵻfˌaɪd wɪðˌɪn ðɪ ˈɔːɹdɚ skˈoːɹpiːnˌɪfoːɹmz.
Aploactinidae was first formally recognised as a family by the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan and Edwin Chapin Starks in 1904.The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the family within the suborder Scorpaenoidei which in turn is classified within the order Scorpaeniformes.