Xystrocera globosa was first scientifically described by Guillaume-Antoine Olivier in 1795 with the name Cerambix globosus, as part of the fourth volume of Entomologie, ou Histoire Naturelle des Insectes (transl.

[3] The genus Xystrocera was established by Jean Guillaume Audinet-Serville in 1834 and X. globosa was classified in it since its inception.

[9] In 2019, Chinese specimens were collected and had their mitochondrial DNA extracted from leg tissue; it was then sequenced and compared to other species.

The phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial DNA, which included 19 species, showed Xystrocera globosa as a sister taxon to Xylotrechus grayii.

It is equally known from Madagascar, Egypt, Puerto Rico, and Mauritius,[11][9] and is found in both tropical Africa and the Nearctic.