Halieutopsis simula was first formally described as Dibranchus simulus in 1912 by the American ichthyologists Hugh McCormick Smith and Lewis Radcliffe with its type locality given as near Malavatuan Island off southern Luzon at 13°48'30"N, 120°28'40"E, , Albatross station 5283, from a depth 280 fathoms (1,680 ft; 510 m).

[5] The family Ogcocephalidae is classified in the monotypic suborder Ogcocephaloidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes in the 5th edition of Fishes of the World.

[6] Hamieutopsis sumula has the genus name Halieutopsis which suffixes opsis, meaning "looking like" to halieut which is derived from halieutaea, Greek for an "angler" or "fisherman".

The specific name simula is a dimunitive of simus which means "snub-nosed", a reference to the small rostrum of this species.

[7] Hamieutopsis simula has the head and body shaped like a box-like disc which is not highly flattened.