"Sauroleishmania" was originally described by Ranquein 1973 as a separate genus, but molecular studies suggest this is actually a subgenus rather than a separate genus.The proposed division of the "Leishmania" into "Euleishmania" and "Paraleishmania" groups in 2000 emphasized the deep phylogenic distance between parasites, some of which had been named as "Leishmania" species.