The following five species are recognized as being valid.^[1]

• Cryptophis boschmai (Brongersma & Knaap-van Meeuven, 1964) - Carpentaria whip snake
• Cryptophis incredibilis (Wells & Wellington, 1985)
• Cryptophis nigrescens (Günther, 1862) - small-eyed snake, eastern small-eyed snake, short-tailed snake
• Cryptophis nigrostriatus (Krefft, 1864) - black-striped snake
• Cryptophis pallidiceps (Günther, 1858) - western Carpentaria snake, northern small-eyed snake

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Cryptophis.

The generic name is a combination of the Greek words κρυπτός (concealed, hidden, secret) and ὄφις (snake).

• Worrell E (1961). "Herpetological Name Changes". West Australian Naturalist 8: 18–27. (Cryptophis, new genus).