Parapterois was described as a genus in 1876 by the Dutch physician, herpetologist and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker, Bleeker designated Pterois heterurus, which he had described from Ambon Island in 1856, as the type species of the new genus.
Parapterois was identified as a genus in 1876 by the Dutch physician, herpetologist, and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker. Bleeker chose Pterois heterurus, which he had previously described from Ambon Island in 1856, as the type species for the new genus.