The distribution of these species extends from the entire Mediterranean region throughout the neighboring states of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf to southwest India.

The bodies of water are often directly connected to the sea and have a high content of sulphides or magnesium compounds .

[5] Aphanius, the type genus of the Aphaniidae, was introduced in 1827 by the Italian naturalist Giovanni Domenico Nardo.

[3] Because of the polyphyly of the Cyprinodontidae, the genus was transferred to an independent family, the Aphaniidae, in mid-2017 by the German ichthyologist Jörg Freyhof and two Turkish colleagues.

[6] With the introduction of the genus Paraphanius and the revalidation of Aphaniops in April 2020, the family is no longer monotypic.