The Splachnaceae, a family generally associated with animal dung or other nitrogen enriched substrates, are found throughout the world. The family is presently divided into three  subfamilies - Voitioideae (Voitia), Taylorioideae ( Brachymitrion, Moseniella, and Tayloria), and Splachnoideae (Aplodon, Splachnum, and Tetraplodon) - mostly on the basis of sporophytic features (A. Koponen 1982). Only two of the subfamilies are represented in Central America, Taylorioideae (Brachymitrion, Tayloria) and Splachnoideae (Splachnum, Tetraplodon). In general Splachnaceae gametophytes resemble those of the Funariaceae in having broad leaves that are shriveled when dry, enlarged, lax leaf cells, and clavate perigonial paraphyses. Sporophytically, members of the family often have well-differentiated capsule necks, and single diplolepidous peristomes in which the endostome are either fused to the exostome teeth (Splachnum) or absent. Base peristome number in the family is 16, and these can be fused into 8 tooth-pairs or divided into 32 teeth. Variation in the relative thickness of deposition on the peristomial layers causes the teeth to be erect, reflexed, or inflexed when dry.

There are two types of spore dispersal mechanisms in the Splachnaceae: entomophilous (usually fly dispersed) and anemophilous (wind dispersed) (A. Koponen 1979, 1983). The entomophilous species appear to attract flies by releasing volatile octanes and short chain organic acids (Pyysalo et al.1978, 1983) from stomates located on a colored, inflated capsule hypophysis. There are two distinct stomate types found in the family: round-pored and long-pored. Demidova (1993) found that some species have both types of stomata and that the round-pored stomates seemed to be involved in the secretion of insect attractants. Three Central American genera of Splachnaceae have entomophilous characteristics (Splachnum, Tetraplodon, and Tayloria) while  Brachymitrion appears to be anemophilous.

All Central American species of Splachnaceae are densely tomentose. The tomentum usually originates from initials on the stem at the basal margins of the leaves, but in Brachymitrion jamesonii the tomentum arises from internodal initials on the stem.