Systematics

Heliodoxa aurescens is monotypic.

Described as Trochilus (Lampornis) aurescens Gould 1848. Type locality Rio Negro Brazil. The lack of subsequent records in following decades from the Rio Negro region led Hellmayr (1919) to propose eastern Peru as the type locality. As it now is established that this species occurs in the upper Rio Negro Basin, Zimmer (1951) suggested Tahuapunto, Rio Uaupés, Brazil as the emended type locality.

For many years aurescens was classified in the monotypic genus Polyplancta, proposed by Heine 1863, with Trochilus aurescens Gould as the type species. Starch gel electrophoresis of protein coding loci suggested, however, that aurescens was embedded within Heliodoxa, and was sister to Heliodoxa schreibersii (Black-throated Brilliant) (Gerwin and Zink 1989). Phylogenetic surveys of the relationships of hummingbirds, based on DNA sequence data from both mitochondrial and nuclear genes, reveals that hummingbirds (Trochilidae) constitute nine major clades, comprising the hermits, mangos, Patagona, topazes, coquettes, brilliants, mountain-gems, bees, and emeralds (McGuire et al. 2007, 2009). Heliodoxa belongs to the brilliant clade, and is sister to the monotypic genus Urochroa; other genera in the brilliant clade are Haplophaedia, Eriocnemis, Loddigesia, Aglaeactis, Coeligena, Lafresnaya, Ensifera, Pterophanes, Boissonneaua, Clytolaema, Ocreatus, and Urosticte (McGuire et al. 2009, 2014). These surveys indicate that Clytolaema rubricauda (Brazilian Ruby) also is embedded within Heliodoxa, and is sister to aurescens.