 Other synonyms of the species include "Squalus barbatus" (Gmelin, 1789), "Squalus lobatus" (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), "Squalus appendiculatus" (Shaw & Nodder, 1806), and "Squalus labiatus" (Bleeker, 1857).The spotted wobbegong's genus name is based on the Greek words "orektos" and "lobos", and translates roughly to "stretched out lobe".Its specific name, "maculatus", means "spotted" in Latin, named as such for the spotted pattern of its body.