The Branchiura (carp lice) is a small group of parasitic Crustacea found mainly on freshwater fish comprising the four genera Argulus, Dolops, Chonopeltis and Dipteropeltis. The earliest descriptions of “carp lice” dates back to 10th century China, and several descriptions were made in the beginning of the “modern age” of Zoology beginning in the 18th century. However, the last genus to be described was Dipteropeltis as late as in 1912. While a few species like Argulus foliaceus, A. japonicus and Dolops ranarum are fairly well-known, most Branchiura species remain more or less uninvestigated. As the literature is far spread and often hard to access, this survey aims to give an overview of the most important available historical literature on morphology, and systematics / nomenclature in a chronological order for each of the four genera, to the hopeful benefit of Branchiura researchers.