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Extant taxa of the family Acartophthalmidae are known only from the type genus Acartophthalmus Czerny, which includes four species (two Holarctic). Biologies of these species is virtually unknown. Adults of these living species frequent rotting fungi in forests. Larvae have been reared from dead wood. Only one fossil species is known.

McAlpine (1987, 1989) discussed certain of the characters exhibited by Acartophthalmites tertiaria, compared them with known acartophthalmids, and contended that the fossil may be more closely related to the clusiid genera Trichoclusia Soós, Chaetoclusiella Soós, and Chaetoclusia Coquillett than to any known acartophthalmids. McAlpine's (1987) observations concerning the differences between Acartophthalmites and other acartophthalmids may be correct; however, until a conclusive transferral is made to the Clusiidae, Acartophthalmites is retained here in the Acartophthalmidae.

Ref.: McAlpine (1987, 1989, review of Acartophthalmites characters).

ACARTOPHTHALMITES Hennig, 1965: 132. Type species: Acartophthalmites tertiaria Hennig, 1965, by original designation.
tertiaria Hennig, 1965: 132. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].