Chaunax suttkisi was first formally described in 1989 by the American ichthyologist John H. Caruso with its type locality given as off Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea at 11°40'N, 62°33'W, at a depth of 585–622 m (1,919–2,041 ft).

[3] The genus Chaunax is one of two genera classified by the 5th edition of the Fishes of the World within the family Chaunacidae, the sea toads.

[5] Chaunax suttkusi has a globular, slight compressed body which tapers to a small, rounded caudal fin.

The lateral line is open and runs from the caudal peduncle to the head, with obvious canals connecting to branches under the eye, on the chin and along the lower flanks.

[8] The range of this species is thought to be extending northwards due to increasing temperatures as a result of climate change.