Aphilodontinae is a monophyletic group of soil centipedes previously known as the family Aphilodontidae in the order Geophilomorpha.

[7] A phylogenetic analysis of the family Geophilidae based on morphology confirms the monophyly of the subfamily Aphilodontinae.

[4] The three species in the Brazilian genus Mecophilus have the fewest legs (33 or 35 pairs) and smallest size (6.5 to 8 mm in length) in this subfamily.

Furthermore, in all these species, the middle part of the labrum is indistinct, and the distal element of the second maxillae is relatively short and lacks a claw.

These diagnostic traits include forcipules with only three articles, sternites without ventral pores, and sub-clypeal setae.