Proposed subspecies rothschildi (described from Gebroeders Mts, in Weyland Range), attributed to birds from Weyland Mts in western part of species' range and Adelbert Mts in north-east, better treated as hybrid or intergrade between nominate subspecies and chrysolaemus; tenuifrons (from Wau, in Morobe District of eastern New Guinea) is synonymized with chrysolaemus; and pallidogularis (from Fergusson I, in D'Entrecasteaux Is) is considered indistinguishable from delicatulus.
The following 7 subspecies are recognised:
minor Meyer, 1874 - Yapen I, and northern watershed of mainland New Guinea (Cyclops Mts, Weyland Mts and Nassau Mts) east to Sepik Mts and Adelbert Mts.
chrysolaemus Salvadori, 1876 - Mountains of Vogelkop (Tamrau Mts, Arfak Mts, Farfak Mts), southern watershed of New Guinea, and Herzog Mts east to Hydrographer Range. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Black-fronted White-eye (Zosterops chrysolaemus).
gregarius Mayr, 1933 - North-eastern New Guinea (Huon Peninsula).
rothschildi Stresemann & Paludan, 1934 - Mts. of central New Guinea (Weyland Mts.).
delicatulus Sharpe, 1882 - Southern slopes of mountains of south-eastern New Guinea (east to Milne Bay), and D’Entrecasteaux Is (Goodenough I, Fergusson I).
tenuifrons Greenway, 1934 - Central and esst-central New Guinea.
pallidogularis Stresemann, 1931 - D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago (Fergusson and Goodenough).