[2] The preoccupied generic name, referring to the trunk armour of turtles, was first changed into Chelydosaurus in 1885 and finally into Cheliderpeton in 1887.

"Actinodon germanicus", described by O. Kuhn in 1939 on the basis of a specimen found from the Czech Republic,[4][5] It is now known to be an unusually large individual of C. vranyi, probably in a late stage of ontogenic development.

[6] It has been suggested that C. latirostre may belong to a separate genus, either to Archegosaurus or its own distinct taxon, due to several differences between it and the type species.

[7] Cheliderpeton is closely related to the genus Intasuchus from the northern pre-Ural region of Russia.

Both share similarities in skull shape, as well as a short and expanded dorsal branch of the ilium and a premaxilla-maxilla suture that is anterior to the choana.