The genus
Rallus was erected in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist
Carl Linnaeus in the
tenth edition of his
Systema Naturae. The
type species was subsequently designated as the
water rail (
Rallus aquaticus). The genus name
Rallus comes from the pre-binomial Latin name
Rallus aquaticus for the water rail used by English ornithologist
Francis Willughby in 1676, and by the English naturalist
Eleazar Albin in 1731. The precise etymology of the word
Rallus is uncertain.
Species The genus contains 14 extant species:
Fossil record •
Rallus sp. (Sajóvölgyi Middle Miocene of Mátraszõlõs, Hungary) •
Rallus sp. (Rexroad Late Pliocene of Saw Rock Canyon, U.S.) •
Rallus adolfocaesaris,
Porto Santo rail (
prehistoric of Madeira) •
Rallus auffenbergi (Middle Pleistocene of Southeastern North America) – formerly
Porzana •
Rallus carvaoensis,
São Miguel rail (
prehistoric of São Miguel Island in the Azores) •
Rallus cyanocavi (Late Pleistocene of the Bahamas, West Indies) •
Rallus eivissensis,
Ibiza rail (
prehistoric) •
Rallus gracilipes (Late Pleistocene of the Bahamas, West Indies) •
Rallus ibycus,
Lesser Bermuda rail (Shore Hills Late Pleistocene of Bermuda, West Atlantic) •
Rallus lacustris (Late Pliocene of Central North America) •
Rallus lowei,
Madeira rail (
prehistoric of Madeira) •
Rallus montivagorum,
Pico rail (
prehistoric of Pico Island in the Azores) •
Rallus nanus,
São Jorge rail (
prehistoric of São Jorge Island in the Azores) - erroneously previously described as
Rallus minutus, which is a junior homonym •
Rallus natator (Late Pleistocene of San Josecito Cavern, Mexico) – formerly
Epirallus •
Rallus phillipsi (Late Pliocene of Wickieup, U.S.) •
Rallus prenticei (Late Pliocene of Central North America) •
Rallus recessus,
Greater Bermuda rail (St. Georges Soil Late Pleistocene of Bermuda, West Atlantic) •
Rallus richmondi – includes
R. dubius Formerly in Rallus •
"R." arenarius – now
Quercyrallus •
"R." beaumontii,
"R." dispar – now
Pararallus or
Palaeoaramides •
"R." christyi, "R." eximius, "R." minor – now
Palaeoaramides •
"R." major – now
Miorallus •
"R." porzanoides – now
Paraortygometra "R." sumiderensis apparently refers to prehistoric remains of the
Zapata rail (
Cyanolimnas cerverai). ==References==