[2][3] It became the type species of the genus Oxynopterus, established by the English naturalist Frederick William Hope in 1842.

O. mucronatus is classified under the tribe Oxynopterini, in the click beetle family Elateridae.

[4][5] The generic name Oxynopterus means "sharp-wing" in ancient Greek; while the specific name mucronatus is Latin for "pointed".

The claws are simple, without bristles (setae), pads, or lobes on the tarsal segments.

[4][6] The larvae of O. mucronatus are specialized predators of termites of the genus Neotermes.