The pluma porgy was first formally described in 1868 by the Frenchzoologist Alphonse Guichenot with its type locality given as Martinique.

[2] The genus Calamus is placed in the family Sparidae within the order Spariformes by the 5th edition of Fishes of the World.

[5] In many parts of the Caribbean, this species is simply known as the pluma, while in Jamaica it is sometimes called the pimento grunt,[6] and is sometimes known as the West Indian porgy in the United States.

[9] Pluma porgies inhabit are found only in the western Atlantic, in a region from the Bahamas to Brazil; this includes much of the southern Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

[12] Pluma porgies are the most common member of their genus in the Antilles, where they are often used for food,[12] although ciguatera poisoning has been reported as a result of this.