These authorities consider the Bembridae to belong to the suborder Platycephaloidei, along with the families Parabembridae, Hoplichthyidae, Platycephalidae and Plectrogeniidae within the Perciformes.

[3] Bembridae derives its name from its type genus Bembras which was coined by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier in 1829 but he did not explain its etymology.

However, it is thought that it may come from an ancient Greek word for some sort of small fish, such as anchovy, sprat or smelt.

[7] Benbridae deepwater flatheads have large, flattened heads with elongated subcylindrical bodies which have not spiny scutes.

[9] Bembridae deep-water flatheads have an Indo-Pacific distribution and are mainly found in the South China Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the waters near Southern Indonesia and Australia.