Lobotes was first proposed as a genus in 1830 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier with Holocentrus surinamensis, originally described by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1790 from Suriname, as its type species.

[1][2] Some authorities treat Lobotes as a monospecific genus with L. pacifica being regarded as a synonym of a single pantropical L.

[3] Lobotes is one of two genera in the family Lobotidae which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies in the order Spariformes.

The soft rayed parts of the dorsal and anal fins are high and have rounded ends reaching past the caudal peduncle to resemble additional tails.

Ctenoid scales cover the body, including the base of the dorsal and anal fins, although they are not present on the cheek.