Biology:Laterallus
Laterallus is a genus of birds in the rail family Rallidae. These small, relatively short-billed terrestrial rails are found among dense vegetation near water in the Neotropics, although a single species, the black rail, also occurs in the United States.
Taxonomy
The genus was erected by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1855 with the rufous-sided crake (Laterallus melanophaius) as the type species.[1] The genus name is a portmanteau of Rallus lateralis, a synonym of the binomial name for the rufous-sided crake.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4][5]
Species
The genus contains 11 species:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125px | Laterallus notatus | Speckled rail | 125px |
| 125px | Laterallus spiloptera | Dot-winged crake | 125px |
| 125px | Laterallus rogersi | Inaccessible Island rail | Inaccessible Island |
| 125px | Laterallus jamaicensis | Black rail | 125px |
| 125px | Laterallus spilonota | Galapagos crake | 125px |
| 125px | Laterallus flaviventer | Yellow-breasted crake | 125px |
| 125px | Laterallus exilis | Grey-breasted crake | 125px |
| 125px | Laterallus albigularis | White-throated crake | 125px |
| 125px | Laterallus ruber | Ruddy crake | 125px |
| 125px | Laterallus levraudi | Rusty-flanked crake | 125px |
| 125px | Laterallus melanophalus | Rufous-sided crake | 125px |
The rufous-faced crake (Rufirallus xenopterus), red-and-white crake (Rufirallus leucopyrrhus) and the black-banded crake (Rufirallus fasciatus) were formerly placed in this genus.[5]
References
- ↑ Gray, George Robert (1855). Catalogue of the Genera and Subgenera of Birds Contained in the British Museum. London: British Museum. p. 120. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/17136759.
- ↑ Jobling, J.A. (2019). "Laterallus". in del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. et al.. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive: Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology. Lynx Edicions. https://www.hbw.com/dictionary/definition/laterallus.
- ↑ Stervander, M.; Ryan, P.G.; Melo, M.; Hansson, B. (2019). "The origin of the world's smallest flightless bird, the Inaccessible Island rail Atlantisia rogersi (Aves: Rallidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 130: 92–98. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2018.10.007. PMID 30321695. Bibcode: 2019MolPE.130...92S.
- ↑ Depino, E.A.; Pérez-Emán, J.L.; Bonaccorso, E.; Areta, J.I. (2023). "Evolutionary history of New World crakes (Aves: Rallidae) with emphasis on the tribe Laterallini". Zoologica Scripta 52 (4): 394–412. doi:10.1111/zsc.12595.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds (February 2025). "Flufftails, finfoots, rails, trumpeters, cranes, limpkin". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/flufftails/.
Further reading
- Taylor, B., & van Perlo, B. (1998). Rails – A Guide to the Rails, Crakes, Gallinules and Coots of the World. ISBN 1-873403-59-3
Template:Gruiformes Wikidata ☰ Q786422 entry
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