This family is also known as Discoglossidae, but the older name Alytidae has priority and is now recognized by major reference works.

[2][3][4][5] Some researchers, though, suggest that Alytes and Discoglossus are different enough to be treated as belonging to separate families, implying resurrection of the Discoglossidae.

[2] The term "discoglossid" has also been used to refer to many primitive fossil frogs that share plesiomorphic (ancestral) similities to alytids, but that are probably not closely related.

[6] The family contains three extant genera, Alytes, Discoglossus, and Latonia.

The genera Bombina and Barbourula also used to be under this family, but have now been moved to the Bombinatoridae.