Both subfamilies were previously included in the family Characidae, and were placed in a separate family by Buckup, 1998. Buckup, 1993, revised all genera, except Characidium.
Both subfamilies were formerly part of the family Characidae, but were reclassified into a distinct family by Buckup in 1998. In contrast, Buckup's 1993 revision only updated the genera except for Characidium.