 Together, both species were called Mascarene white-eye.There is some uncertainty about the number of subspecies on Réunion, with most authorities only accepting a single, the nominate ("Z. b. borbonicus"), while some also accept "Z. b. alopekion", and "Z. b. xerophilus".When only a single Réunion subspecies is accepted, "alopekion" and "xerophilus" are considered to represent morphs of the nominate.