The dusky velvetfish was first formally described in 1843 as Synanceia aspera by the Scottish naval surgeon, Arctic explorer and naturalist John Richardson with the type locality given as "Seas of Japan", the type being collected during the voyage of HMS Sulphur.

Subsequently, only the dusky velvetfish was retained within Aploactis and this was eventually recognised as a valid genus and Richardson had designated S. aspera as its type species in 1844.

[7] The name of the genus, Aploactis is a compound of "haplo" meaning "single" or "simple", and actis, meaning "ray", presumed to refer to the simple, unbranched soft rays of the fins.

the specific name aspera means "rough", an allusion to the velvety prickles in the ody of this fish.

[1] The dusky velvetfish is found in the Western Pacific Ocean and the Eastern Indian Ocean where it has been recorded from Japan, China, New Caledonia and Australia, [1][9][10] In Australia it is found from Shark Bay to Rowlet Shoals in Western Australia and from Cape York in Queensland to Sydney in New South Wales.