Tydemania navigatoris was first formally described in 1913 by the German-born Dutch zoologist and biogeographer Max Carl Wilhelm Weber, with its type locality given as Madura Sea at 7°15'S, 115°15.6'E, Siboga station 12, from a depth of 289 m (948 ft).

[3] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the family Triacanthodidae in the suborder Triacanthoidei in the order Tetraodontiformes.

The specific name, navigatoris, means "sailor" or "mariner", an allusion Weber did not explain but it may be a reference to Tydeman's occupation.

The teeth are compressed from the front to the back, broad and flattened towards the tip with a single row in each jaw.

[6] Tydemania navigatoris has an Indo-West Pacific distribution and it has been recorded to be found in East Africa, the Bay of Bengal, Japan, China, Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia.