These studies appear to show that most of the species in Cheilodactylus sensu lato instead apparently to belong in several different genera and are not even members of the same family, but how many and their exact delimitation is not clear at present. The outlier species have been assigned to Chirodactylus, Goniistius, Morwong and Pseudogoniistius, but DNA and morphologic analyses found those species to be nested within Latridae and more derived than the kelpfish, marblefish and this species.
The research indicates that most of the species in Cheilodactylus sensu lato belong to different genera rather than a single genus and are not part of the same family. The exact number and their precise boundaries remain unclear. Outlier species have been categorized into Chirodactylus, Goniistius, Morwong, and Pseudogoniistius, but DNA and morphological studies show that these species are within Latridae and more advanced than kelpfish, marblefish, and this species.