[1] The genus name is a compound of prion, "saw", and notus, "back", as Lacépède saw three free dorsal spines when he was describing the type species P. evolans but these were probably the result of damage to the specimen.

[2] There are currently 23 recognized species in this genus:[3] P. murielae is based on a single holotype and in 2020 it was proposed that this was a juvenile of P. ophyras,[4] and this taxon is treated as a junior synonym of P.

[7] Fossils of Prionotus have been found in England and along the Atlantic Cast of the United States from Florida to New Jersey.

These fishes are less active in the daylight hours and are mostly nocturnal, using their enlarged separate pectoral fin rays to walk along the substrate and detect prey buries in the sand or mud.

These rays can manipulate objects and detect prey using chemoreception, The bony, square head can be used to excavate small prey items from the substrate and their rather catholic diet includes crustaceans, cephalopods, gastropods, bivalves, amphipods, eggs, other fish and seaweed, juveniles eat more copepods.