It differs from the other African pigeons of the genus Columba by its terrestrial habits and the white face and forehead of adult males; it is therefore sometimes separated in the genus Aplopelia.[2] Some treat the Gulf of Guinea populations (São Tomé lemon-dove) as a separate species C. simplex (or A. simplex), others as subspecies of C. larvata. In the latter case, the species as a whole may be called simply lemon-dove, and if Aplopelia is considered a valid genus it would then be monotypic.[3]