[4] The African species G. armata is notable for its large size, reaching 56 mm in length, and for its many legs, with 85 pairs in the male type specimen,[9] the maximum number recorded in this genus.

This subfamily emerges as the sister group for this genus in a phylogenetic tree of the family Geophilidae.

[7][11] Like the genus Geoperingueyia, this subfamily has a disjunct distribution that includes areas in both South America and southern Africa.

For example, in both of these groups, the labrum lacks a distinct separation between the middle and lateral parts, the second maxillae lack claws and are reduced in size relative to the first maxillae, and the two articles before the ultimate article of the forcipules each feature a denticle with setae near the apex as well as at the base.

For example, in the subfamily Aphilodontinae, the forcipules feature only three articles rather than four, the lateral parts of the labrum are either inconspicuous thin membranes or apparently missing, and ventral pore-fields are absent.