The warty prowfish was first formally described in 1861 as Pataecus maculatus by the German-born British ichthyologist Albert Günther with the type locality given as Fremantle in Western Australia.

[2] In 1936 the Australian teacher and ichthyologist Eric Oswald Gale Scott classified this species within the monotypic genus Aetapcus.

[5] A recent study placed the Australian prowfishes into an expanded stonefish clade, Synanceiidae, because all of these fish have a lachrymal sabre that can project a switch-blade-like mechanism out from underneath their eye.

The colour is very variable, they are frequently dusky yellow, or greyish to olive-brown, or even orange to red, marked with darker blotches and spots.

[11] When disturbed these fishes may emit a cloud of distasteful liquid as a protective measure.