The longlure frogfish was first formally described as Chironectes multiocellatus in 1837 by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes with its type locality given as Havana.

[4] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Antennarius in the family Antennariidae within the suborder Antennarioidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.

[5] The longlure frogfish has the genus name Antennarius which suffixes -ius to antenna, an allusion to first dorsal spine being adapted into a tentacle on the snout used as a lure to attract prey.

[2] The longlure frogfish has a short, fat, globular body, and its skin is thick and covered in highly modified scales called dermal spicules.

The frogfish has small eyes, a very large mouth that is directed upwards, and pectoral fins situated on stalks.

The basic color of the longlure frogfish is highly variable, ranging from pale yellow to bright red or dark green to reddish brown.

It also has a phase where the body is completely black, except for the ends of the paired fins which are white, and for a pale area that resembles a saddle on the back.

The illicium is the first spine of the dorsal fin, highly modified into a long rod with a lure (esca) at the end.

It can move and suck in prey at speeds as quickly as 0.006 seconds, so only high-speed film can catch the action.