Listrura was first described in 1988 for two species from southeastern Brazil, the first record of the subfamily Glanapteryginae outside of the Amazon River basin.

[3] Listura is the most basal member of the subfamily Glanapteryginae; it is sister to a clade formed by the other three genera, Glanapteryx, Pygidianops, and Typhlobelus.

[1] There are currently nine recognized species in this genus: Listrura is endemic to small coastal river basins of southeastern Brazil.

[8][9][10][11][12] Listrura occur in shallow-water leaf-litter deposits underlain by mud or deeper layers of leaf litter.

[1] L. picinguabae inhabits narrow and shallow (about 20 cm or 12 in deep) streams in dense tropical forest; it is encountered buried in the litter bottom.

[3] L. tetraradiata has been found in small, clear water forest streams; these habitats are shallow (about 40 cm or 16 in deep), with large rocks on the banks and gravel and sand on the bottom.