This moderately-sized but quite variable (41 species) genus from Africa can be found from Kenya eastwards to Madagascar, northwestwards to the Congo, and southwards to South Africa, where the majority of species are concentrated. Only a few species have been imported for hobbyists, and their identifications are debatable due to difficulty in accessing most of the original descriptions. One commonly imported species, D. stylifer, has been reclassified as Otostreptus stylifer, though it is still called by its old name by the majority of vendors.

As far as can be gathered Doratogonus do well with standard millipede care. Reports suggest that Doratogonus climb well, and appreciate having branches to explore, while overall it appears that members of this genus are regularly surface active. One species believed to be D. stephensi has been bred in captivity, though the young failed to make it to adulthood. Other species (including O. stylifer) such as D. uncinatus have failed to produce young at all in captivity and similarly died off slowly.

D. stephensi and O. stylifer are recorded at reaching to about 6"/15.2-16 cm. Coloration is very variable across species; some species have bright yellow legs with yellow heads and a dark brown or black body, and others, such as D. flavifilis, have a zebra-like pattern of black and white with black or red legs. One bright orange specimen from Swaziland is identified as Doratogonus by the photographer but this has not been verified.