Original description as Perca apoda:
- Walbaum, Johann Julius. 1792. "Petri Artedi sueci genera piscium". Quibus systema totum ichthyologiae proponitur cum classibus, ordinibus, generum characteribus, specierum differentiis, observationibus plurimis. 3:1-723 (ffm00472)
Conservation: Lutjanus apodus is not evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species.