Neosebastinae, or the family Neosebastidae, was first described as a taxon by the Japanese ichthyologist Kiyomatsu Matsubara in 1943.

[1] The grouping is treated as a subfamily of the Scorpaenidae within the order Scorpaeniformes by the 5th Edition of Fishes of the World.

[3] However, other authorities, such as FishBase, regard the taxon as a family within the suborder Scorpaenoidei, part of the Perciformes.

They have 13 long and robust venom bearing spines in the dorsal fin and 6-8 soft rays.

[5] They vary in size from a maximum total length of 50 cm (20 in) in the bighead gurnard perch (Neosebastes pandus) down to a maximum total length of 7 cm (2.8 in) in Whitley's gurnard perch (Maxillicosta whitleyi).