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The taxonomic characters of the marbled flathead, Platycephalus marmoratus Stead, 1908, are described and evaluated. In addition to the marbled body and dark brown to black caudal fin, the following combination of characters separates it from the other 14 species of the genus Platycephalus: 13 second dorsal and anal fin rays; 63-70 scales in the lateral line, with all pored scales lacking spines; snout and interorbit naked; no strong canine teeth on the jaws, palatines, and vomer; interopercular flap absent; and skinny sensory tubes on the suborbitals and preopercle partially covering the cheek region. It has been confirmed that the type series of the species was composed of the holotype and one paratype, although the paratype is presumably no longer extant.

The genus Sunagocia is established as a replacement name for the platycephalid fish genus Eurycephalus Imamura, 1996, which is preoccupied by the cerambycid beetle genus Eurycephalus Gray in Cuvier and Griffith, 1832. The genus currently contains three valid species : S. arenicola (Schultz, 1966), comb, nov., S. carbunculus (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1833), comb, nov., and S. otaitensis (Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1829), comb. nov. It is confirmed that Cuvier satisfied the nomenclatural requirements for availability of this last species, although several investigators have attributed the name to Parkinson, who made the unpublished drawing of S. otaitensis used in its original description and named the species. Two measurements, of head length and especially interorbital width, are helpful in distinguishing S. carbunculus, S. arenicola, and S. otaitensis from each other.