The stripedfin ronquil was first formally described as Bathymaster jordani in 1889 by the American ichthyologist Charles Henry Gilbert with the type locality given as Puget Sound in Washington.

[4] The genus name is an anglicization from the Spanish word ronco, ronquillo being a diminutive, and which means "one who grunts", although Jordan and Starks did not mention croaking.

This species can be distinguished from other members of the Bathymaster family by its cheek scales and the absence of some features in the cephalic lateralis system.

[6] The adults are primarily benthic (bottom-dwelling) along rocky continental shelf and upper slope waters of the north-eastern Pacific Ocean.

This is thought to be beneficial due to increased growth in the warmer surface water and reduced predation at shallower depth.