Assamiidae are usually reddish brown to yellow with black mottling and reticulation.

Assamiidae only occur in the Old World, and are completely absent from Madagascar and Europe, with most species found in Africa and southern Asia.

Although they are also not found on the Pacific islands, the subfamily Dampetrinae has radiated in Australia, New Guinea, and somewhat in Indonesia.

A list of included species is here Although Roewer established numerous subfamilies for this group, most of these are unsupported.

[1] Mello-Leitão erected the Trionyxellidae for four subfamilies of Assamiidae in 1949, but this was ignored by later authors.