D. tropicensis was first named by Rebecca Schmeisser McKean in 2011. The specific name is derived from the name of the Tropic Shale, in which the two specimens of D. tropicensis were found.
The species D. tropicensis was first described by Rebecca Schmeisser McKean in 2011. Its name is derived from the Tropic Shale, a geological formation where the two known specimens of this species were found.