This poorly known and usually wary ground-dove is placed in its own genus. It sometimes goes under the name, "Mauve-spotted Ground Dove." Its nest and breeding habits remain undescribed. It is usually considered monotypic but HBW and Gibbs recognize the poorly differentiated race U. c. figgins as occurring in this area. SACC has removed the hyphen from Ground-Dove because the group is not monophyletic.