Scolopsis vosmeri was first formally described as Anthias vosmeri by the German physician and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch with its type locality given as Japanisches Meer, taken to mean Nagasaki in Japan but this is regarded as erroneous and the correct type locality is probably Tranquebar in India.

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

The background colour is reddish brown with a whitish caudal peduncle, the scales on the flanks have dark spots.

[7] There is normally a white longitudinal band running below the lateral line starting on the upper operculum to underneath the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin.

[7] Scolopsis vosmeri is typically encountered as solitary individual but this species will school in deeper waters.