Goniospira filosa was named by Donald (1902). It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Shalloch Mill, Whitehouse Bay, Girvan, which is in a Cautleyan carbonate limestone in the Shalloch Formation of the United Kingdom. It is the type species of Donaldiella.

It was recombined as Hormotoma (Goniospira) filosa by Donald (1902); it was recombined as Donaldiella filosa by Cossmann (1903), Horný (1952), Knight et al. (1960), Wagner (1995), Wagner (1999), Wagner (2023).