Original description as Lepisosteus spatula:
- Lacepède, Bernhard G. E. 1802. "Histoire naturelle des poissons". Histoire naturelle des poissons. 4:160-162 (ffm00094)
Synonyms (1):
- Litholepis adamantinus Rafinesque, 1818, with type locality at Ohio, Wabash, Green rivers, etc., U.S.A. Determiner: Wiley, 1976
- Lepisosteus chasei Rafinesque, 1820, with type locality at Mississippi River and Lake Pontechartrain, the Mobile, Red River, Lower Ohio, etc., eastern U.S.A. Determiner: Wiley, 1976
- Lepisosteus (Atractosteus) berlandieri Girard, 1858, with type locality at Matamoros (Tamaulipas), Mexico. Determiner: Wiley, 1976
- Atractosteus lucius Duméril, 1870, with type locality at Tampico, Mexico. Determiner: Wiley, 1976
Conservation: Atractosteus spatula is not evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species.