The Brazilian snapper was first formally described in 2007 by the Brazilian marine biologist Rodrigo Leão de Moura and the American marine scientist Kenyon C. Lindeman with the type locality given as Camurupim Reef near Tamandaré in Pernambuco State, Brazil.
In 2007, Rodrigo Leão de Moura and Kenyon C. Lindeman, a Brazilian marine biologist and an American marine scientist respectively, formally described the Brazilian snapper with the type locality at Camurupim Reef near Tamandaré in Pernambuco State, Brazil.