A paleogeographic review of Clypeaster (Ali 1983) noted that the genus first appeared in Eocene Europe, then quickly spread east to the Indo-Pacific and west to the Caribbean and East Pacific. Fossils first appear in Oligocene deposits in the New World. 35 species are reported from the Caribbean, with three noted in Florida (C. cotteaui, C. oxbaphon, C. rogersi). One species (C. rogersi) is noted in Oligocene California. Numerous species are recorded from the Miocene Caribbean, eight from Florida, and six from the West Coast, including Mexico. The number of species around the world begins to diminish during the Pliocene, with six species reported from the Caribbean and southeastern U.S., and eight from the West Coast. During the Pleistocene, there were four reported species from Florida and Cuba, and three from the west coast of Mexico. Today, Clypeaster is found along tropical and subtropical coasts, including the southeastern U.S., the Caribbean, and south from southern California.
