Fruiting body a sessile (or subsessile) sporangium or occasionally taking the form of a short plasmodiocarp. Hypothallus membranous but often not readily apparent. Peridium usually single but sometimes with a granular outer layer. Columella absent. Capillitium present, consisting of filaments that are solid or have a restricted lumen, smooth or with minute markings, coiled to nearly straight, attached to the base of the fruiting body and usually to the peridium, simple or sparsely branched, never forming a network. Spores free or clustered.
The family Dianemataceae contains two genera (Dianema and Calomyxa), both of which have been recorded from New Zealand.