The family currently contains the single genus Cerinomyces which has a cosmopolitan distribution.

Species within the Cerinomycetaceae are saprotrophs and occur on dead wood.

As originally conceived, the family comprised all species of the Dacrymycetes having effused, corticioid basidiocarps (fruit bodies).

[1] Molecular research, based on cladistic analysis of DNA sequences, has however shown that this circumscription is not valid.

As a result, the family now contains some (but not all) species having corticioid basidiocarps and some species (previously referred to the Dacrymycetaceae) with gelatinous, pustular basidiocarps.