the species was first identified and named by the french naturalist georges cuvier in 1829 after receiving a specimen that was listed as having been collected in the "southern seas". this holotype specimen was apparently taken near the coastline of tasmania, australia. four junior synonyms were subsequently placed on the species, with castelnau applying both "s. insularis" and "s. terra-reginae", thiollière applying "s. diadoi" and whitley "s. ciliata diadoi" to the species. all of these names are invalid under the iczn nomenclature rules, which states that the first correct naming is the one to be used. many of these synonyms were applied due to confusion over "s. ciliata" and the nearly identical, closely related species "s. analis". the species was also misidentified as "s. gracilis", a synonym of "s. maculata", the trumpeter whiting; and also "s. bassensis", the southern school whiting.