Original description as Gillichthys mirabilis:
- Cooper, James G. 1864. "On new genera and species of Californian fishes - No. III". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 3(7-8):108-114 (ffm00439)
Conservation: Gillichthys mirabilis is evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species as (LC) least concern (2010).