Like most harvestmen, gonyleptids are almost exclusively nocturnal, except some Caelopyginae, Goniosomatinae (during reproductive season), Gonyleptinae, Mitobatinae, Pachylinae and Progonyleptoidellinae.

Most species inhabit dense tropical, subtropical and temperate (Chile) forests, but some occur in open vegetation as the Pampas, the Cerrado, and the Caatinga.

The family is named after the type genus Gonyleptes, which is derived from Greek gony, gonatos = joint, knee + leptos, ê, on = thin, fine, delicate.

Basal segments of leg IV with strong sexual dimorphism, shown either in spination, curvature or length.

Gonyleptidae have been recorded continuously from the southernmost tip of the South American continent (southern Chile and Argentina), Falklands to Costa Rica, with one isolated species cited from Guatemala.