Lichenostomus is a relatively large genus of honeyeaters (only Myzomela has more members). Of the 20+ traditional species, most are restricted to Australia, with a few in New Guinea. However, a 2011 paper by Nyári & Joseph split the genus following molecular analysis that discovered that the taxon was not monophyletic and contained seven distinct lineages within the Meliphagidae, for which the authors proposed a revised generic nomenclature.