The plates of its carapace bore a medium-sized, depressed central figure, surrounded by a wrinkled peripheral zone, divided by barely defined furrows and irregular tubercles.

The genus Palaehoplophorus was first described in 1883 by Florentino Ameghino, based on fossil remains found in Argentina in Middle Miocene terrains.

Palaehoplophorus was identified as an archaic representative of the glyptodonts, notably due to the morphology of its caudal tube, with barely differentiated osteoderms, a characteristic generally considered primitive.

Modern cladistic analysis suggests that Palaehoplophorus is more closely related to other glyptodonts with caudal tubes like Doedicurus than to Glyptodon.

Cladogram after Barasoain et al. 2022:[1]Boreostemma Glyptotherium Glyptodon Propalaehoplophorus Eucinepeltus Cochlops Palaehoplophorus Kelenkura Eosclerocalyptus Plohophorus Pseudohoplophorus Doedicurus Eleutherocercus Neosclerocalyptus Hoplophorus Propanochthus Panochthus