[2][3] Exophthalmus was named for the first time by Carl Johan Schönherr in 1823 (column 1140).

[1] In revising the Jamaican species, Vaurie offers an overview to the genus and its taxonomic conflicts.

[6] It is part of the so-called "Exophthalmus genus complex" [6] which involves members of the genera Diaprepes, Compsus, Lachnopus, among others.

Based on morphological and molecuelar evidence, it has been proposed that the genus needs to be reclassified to better reflect the actual distribution of natural clades.

There is a lot of variation in sizes, density, coloration, and patterning of the scale coverage.