The genus is solely known from fossil amber found in Cantabria, northern Spain, dating to the Albian age of the Early Cretaceous Period.

Preserved in a transparent mass of amber, the specimen is fixed in association with a large amount of plant debris and one adult dipteran.

[1] The fossil was recovered from outcrops of the Las Peñosas Formation in the Cave of El Soplao near Rábago, part of the Cantabria autonomous community in Northern Spain.

[1][2] Cantabroraphidia was first studied by group of paleoentomologists led by Ricardo Pérez-de la Fuente of the University of Barcelona and including Enrique Peñalver, Xavier Delclòs, and André Nel.

The specific epithet marcanoi is from in honor of Francisco Javier López Marcano as recognition for his efforts to have the El Soplao ambers studied.