Sladenia zhui was first formally described in 1976 by the Chinese ichthyologists Ni Yong, Wu Han-Ling and Li Sheng with its type locality given as Western North Pacific Ocean.

[2] The genus Sladenia is one of 4 extant genera in the family Lophiidae which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies in the monotypic suborder Lophioidei within the order Lophiiformes.

The specific name zhui honours Zhu Yuan-Ding, a former president of the Shanghai Ocean University and director of the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, for his important contributions to education about fisheries and science, particularly the ichthyological knowledge of China.

There are many pointed cirri on the skin, arranged in patches or wavy lines on the head, lower jaw and caudal peduncle.

They have been collected from depths between 655 and 979 m (2,149 and 3,212 ft) on deep rocky and coral reefs on the continental slope.