[3]: 57 This family occupies lower to upper midlittoral warm seas of the Pacific Coast of Central America, Caribbean, Bermuda, and Australia/Tasmania.

The Catophragmidae have historically suffered from a lack of systematic attention.

Ross and Newman, 2001[4] published a revision of the family, proposing one new genus and creating two subfamilies: Catophragminae in the northern hemisphere and Catomerinae in the southern hemisphere.

The family was discussed as representing very early balanomorph lineages.

In 2021, a reclassification by Chan et al. resulted in the removal of the subfamilies and one genus.