It is the type genus of the family Coccotremataceae, in the order Pertusariales.

[2] Coccotrema was circumscribed by Swiss botanist Johannes Müller Argoviensis in 1889, with Coccotrema antarcticum assigned as the type species.

[3] However, the genus Lepolichen is older than Coccotrema, and so its name has priority according to the rules for botanical nomenclature.

To minimize nomenclatural disruption, Alan Fryday and colleagues submitted a proposal to conserve the name Coccotrema against Lepolichen.

[4] The proposal was accepted by the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi in 2023.