Lophius budegassa was first formally described in 1807 by the Italian biologist Maximilian Spinola with its type locality given as the Gulf of Genoa.

[3] The genus Lophius is one of 4 extant genera in the family Lophiidae which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies in the monotypic suborder Lophioidei with the order Lophiiformes.

[2] Lophius budegassa is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean from north of Scotland and southern Norway to Senegal and in the Mediterranean.

[11] In the Levant Sea the most common prey were the deep-water rose prawn (Parapenaeus longirostris) and the green-eyed shortnose (Chlorophthalmus agassizi).

[9] Lophius budegassa is a valued food fish and is targeted by commercial fisheries, especially off Spain and Portugal.