ðɪ ɔːstɹˈeɪliən pɹˈaʊfɪʃᵻz wɜː fˈɜːst ɹˈɛkəɡnˌaɪzd æz ɐ fˈæmɪli ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti tˈuː baɪ ðɪ ɐmˈɛɹɪkən baɪˈɑːlədʒˌɪst θˈiːədˌoːɹ ɡˈɪl wɪððə tˈaɪp spˈiːsiːz ʌvðə fˈæmɪli bˌiːɪŋ pˈæɾiːkəs fɹˈʌntoʊ wˌɪtʃ hɐdbɪn dᵻskɹˈaɪbd baɪ dʒˈɑːn ɹˈɪtʃɚdsən ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi fˈoːɹ.
The Australian prowfishes were first recognised as a family in 1872 by the American biologist Theodore Gill with the type species of the family being Pataecus fronto which had been described by John Richardson in 1844.