[1] The species was moved to the new genus Metanephrocerus in a 1948 paper by Martin L Aczél, and since that time both the type specimens have been lost and are considered possibly destroyed.

The 2014 descriptions were made by Christian Kehlmaier, Manuel Dierick and Jeffrey H. Skevington, based on detailed CT scans of the specimens.

They chose the species name "groehni" is a patronym honoring Carsten Gröhn, who supported the research of the authors, and who was the owner of the specimen before description.

Similarly, the epithet of the second species "hoffeinsorum" is a patronym for Christel and Hans-Werner Hoffeins for the donation of the type fossil to the Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut and for their support of the authors research.

The specific epithet is a matronym of Azure Rain Belgarde, who collected the type specimen, SR 08-06-02, and donated it to the Stonerose Interpretive Center.

The placement of the tribe was challenged in 2014 by Kehlmaier, Dierick and Skevington who suggested inclusion of the genera made Nephrocerinae paraphyletic.

[1] M. groehni is a nearly complete male fly with a total body length of 5.7 millimetres (0.22 in), and is only missing the tip of the left hind leg.