[1] Long represented solely by the heavily-armored reptile Doswellia, the family's composition has expanded since 2011, although two supposed South American doswelliids (Archeopelta and Tarjadia) were later redescribed as erpetosuchids.

[3] Doswelliids are believed to be semiaquatic carnivores similar to crocodilians in appearance, as evidenced by their short legs and eyes and nostrils which are set high on the head, though the putative member Scleromochlus has been interpreted as a frog-like hopper by one study.

[6] However, a 2011 cladistic analysis by Desojo, Ezcurra, & Schultz recovered the newly named Brazilian genus Archeopelta as well as the enigmatic Argentinian archosauriform Tarjadia as close relatives of Doswellia, within a monophyletic Doswelliidae.

[9] Desojo, Ezcurra, & Schultz (2011)'s analysis placed Doswellidae as the closest large monophyletic clade to Archosauria, with only the Chinese archosauriform Yonghesuchus nested closer to archosaurs.

The following cladogram is after Ezcurra (2016):[3] Dorosuchus neoetus Euparkeria capensis (Euparkeriidae) Dongusuchus efremovi Yarasuchus deccanensis Avemetatarsalia Phytosauria The rest of Pseudosuchia (incl.