Pentapodus emeryii was first formally described in 1843 by the Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer John Richardson with its type locality given as Barrow Island in Western Australia.

[3] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Pentapodus within the family Nemipteridae which it places in the order Spariformes.

[4] Pentapodus emeryii has a specific name which honours the artist, amateur naturalist and First Lieutenant aboard the HMS Beagle during an 1837-1841 survey of the Australian coast, James Barker Emery.

[2] There is a wide yellow stripe from the tip of the pointed snout to the eye, where it divides into two thinner stripes, one running along the middle flank to the caudal peduncle, with an upper strip running from the eye to the rear end of the dorsal fin.

It is found off northwestern Australia, in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea the Philippines.