Most researchers also accepted that the both species are congeneric (are both in the same genus), although the two species do have a number of differences, particularly morphologically. After further research in 2014 Schodde and Christidis moved the greater melampitta into its own genus "Megalampitta". Although the name was created to invoke the Greek "mega" for large and "Melampitta" for the genus, the authors of the paper stated that it was a random collection of letters. It is possible that the two species may be separated into two families in the future. The lesser melampitta was once thought to have three subspecies, but these were distinguished by slight differences in measurements that were probably clinal, so both it and greater melampitta are now treated as being monotypic.