The Hylocomiaceae contain 12 genera and some 26 species distributed worldwide but largely of the north temperate regions; in the Neotropics three genera and four species. In the tropical Andes all genera are found in high open montane and páramo or humid puna. Rhytidium is sometime placed in the Hylocomiaceae; in this treatment it is placed in its own family, Rhytidiaceae.
Rohrer, J. R. 1985b. A generic revision of the Hylocomiaceae. J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 59: 241-278.