Its jaws hung vertically under the braincase, allowing them to open wide, a feature it shared with the earlier palaeonisciform fish, from which it may have been descended.

The genus Perleidus was later erected for this species, named after the comune (municipality) of Perledo in the Province of Lecco in Lombardy, northern Italy.

Several species from the Early Triassic were subsequently referred to the genus Perleidus based on superficial resemblances.

In 2017, a new genus, Teffichthys, was erected for Early Triassic species of "Perleidus".

[2][4] Perleidus is the name giving taxon for the family Perleididae and the order Perleidiformes.