ɪt wʌz fˈɜːst dᵻskɹˈaɪbd baɪ tʃˈæpmən ɡɹˈænt ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi wˈʌn, ænd wʌz nˈeɪmd ˈæftɚ hˌɜːpɪtˈɑːlədʒˌɪst kˈɑːɹl pˈæɾɚsən ʃmˈɪt.
It was first described by Chapman Grant in 1931, and was named after herpetologist Karl Patterson Schmidt.