The genus was erected by the English zoologist
George Robert Gray in 1855 with the
rufous-sided crake (
Laterallus melanophaius) as the
type species. The genus name is a
portmanteau of
Rallus lateralis, a
synonym of the
binomial name for the rufous-sided crake. The authors of a molecular genetic study published in 2019 proposed that the
yellow-breasted crake, the
dot-winged crake, and the flightless
Inaccessible Island rail should be moved to this genus. Additional changes to the content of the genus were made based on the molecular phylogenetic study by Emiliano Depino and collaborators that was published in 2023. ==Species==