Gothus is named after the game of Go, referencing the similarity of the carapace patterns and granules with a Go board and stones.

The carapace is vibrantly colored,[2] and covered in small, round granules and tufts of setae.

The other species, Gothus consobrinus, was originally described as Actaea consobrina in 1873,[5] before being transferred to Actaeodes in 1967.

The position of Gothus is not stable, with the genus variously clustering with Liomerinae or with Xanthias and parts of Euxanthinae depending on the analysis.

[2] Species in the genus are known to inhabit crevices inside shallow coral reefs.