An account is provided of the family Chyromyidae in the Afrotropical Region and taxonomic characters are re-examined and discussed. A division of the family into two subfamilies, Chyromyinae and Aphaniosominae subfam. n., is proposed and a cladistic analysis corroborates the generic concepts. Illustrated keys are provided to aid identification of both sexes of all included species. African species in the genus Gymnochiromyia Hendel have been reviewed elsewhere (Ebejer 2008b) and are not included in the current revision. Five new genera are described, viz. Krifomyia gen. n., Oroschyromya gen. n., Notiochyromya gen. n., Paraphaniosoma gen. n. and Tethysimyia gen. n. Aphaniosoma sexvittatum Lamb, 1914, is newly assigned to Paraphaniosoma gen. n. and Aphaniosoma deemingi Ebejer, 1996, to Tethysimyia gen. n. Rhicnoessa minutissima Bezzi, 1908, previously removed from Canacidae (as Tethininae) and placed in Chyromyidae by Munari in 1994, is re-examined and newly assigned to Krifomyia gen. n., Chyromya dubia Lamb, 1914, to Oroschyromya gen. n. and C. sexspinosa Lamb, 1914 to Notiochyromya gen. n. The following 27 species are described as new: Oroschyromya affinis sp. n., O. bicolor sp. n., O. elgonae sp. n., O. elongata sp. n., O. fusciceps sp. n., O. gracilipes sp. n., and O. peruncinata sp. n.; Notiochyromya filigera sp. n., N. lucida sp. n., N. monticola sp. n., and N. tripunctata sp. n.; Somatiosoma awashensis sp. n., S. grandicornis sp. n., S. messumensis sp. n., and S. setipygum sp. n.; Aphaniosoma aethiops sp. n., A. aldabrensis sp. n., A. atriceps sp. n., A. conspicuum sp. n., A. flavescens sp. n., A. frequens sp. n., A. gaiasicum sp. n., A. kirkspriggsi sp. n., A. micropygum sp. n., A. pullum sp. n., A. trilobatum sp. n., and A. ugabensis sp. n.