Aplodactylus was described in 1832 by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes with Aplodactylus punctatus, which Valenciennes described from the type specimen collected from Valparaiso in Chile, as its only species, being the type species by monotypy.
Aplodactylus was first identified by French zoologist Achille Valenciennes in 1832. He described Aplodactylus punctatus, a single species obtained from a specimen collected in Chile's Valparaiso region, which became the sole representative of this genus.