Nuculacea was named by Gray (1824) [Definitely different from the genus of the same name m. kosnik taxon no: 6109]. It is extant.

It was corrected as Nuculoidea by Cope (1997), Ride et al. (1999), Coan et al. (2000), Todd (2001), Giribet and Wheeler (2002), Stilwell et al. (2004), Fang and Cope (2004), Bieler and Mikkelsen (2006), Fang (2006), Mikkelsen and Bieler (2008), Nevesskaja (2009), Bouchet et al. (2010), Huber (2010), Carter et al. (2011) and Coan and Valentich-Scott (2012).

It was assigned to Prionodesmacea by Glenn (1904); to Bivalvia by Giribet and Wheeler (2002); to Nuculoida by Newell (1965), Harrison and Harrison (1975), Vokes (1980), Dockery (1982), Gliozzi and Malatesta (1983), Squires (1984), Ward and Blackwelder (1987), Squires (1987), Stilwell and Zinsmeister (1992), Maxwell (1992), Islamoglu and Taner (1995), Cope (1997), Ride et al. (1999), Coan et al. (2000), Todd (2001), Stilwell et al. (2004), Fang and Cope (2004), Bieler and Mikkelsen (2006), Fang (2006), Mikkelsen and Bieler (2008) and Nevesskaja (2009); to Protobranchia by Huber (2010); and to Nuculida by Bouchet et al. (2010), Carter et al. (2011) and Coan and Valentich-Scott (2012).