Forbes's Rail

SCI Name:  Rallina forbesi
Protonym:  Rallicula forbesi BirdsNewGuinea[Gould] pt23 pl.70,text
Taxonomy:  Gruiformes / Rallidae / Rallina
Taxonomy Code:  forrai1
Type Locality:  Owen Stanley Range, New Guinea.
Author:  Sharpe
Publish Year:  1887
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

RALLINA
(Rallidae; † Red-legged Crake R. fasciata) Dim. <  genus Rallus Linnaeus, 1758, rail; "CORETHRURA Reich. *  ...  1. C. zeylanica (Gmel.) Brown's Ill. pl. 37.   2. C. fasciata (Raffl.) Linn. Trans. xiii. p. 328. — Gallinula euryzona Temm. Pl. col. 417.; Rallus ruficeps Cuv.; Type of Rallina Reich. 1845.   ...   * Established by M. Reichenbach in 184-?  Rallina of the same author is synonymous." (G. Gray 1846); Reichenbach's 1849, plate XX, labelled Heliorninae-Rallinae, shows a variety of marshbirds, including various crakes, finfoots, the Limpkin and the Sun-bittern; "Rallina "Reichenbach" G. R. Gray, Gen. Bds., 3, 1846, p. 595.  Type, by original designation, Rallus fasciatus Raffles." (Peters, 1934, II, p. 171) (cf. "1846. —Rallina Gray, Gen. Birds, III, p. 595  (type R. zeylanicus Gm. (nec Rallina Reich.)." (Stone, 1894, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, XLVI, p. 141).  J. Gmelin, 1789, Syst. Nat., I (ii), p. 716, in describing Rallus zeylanicus, confused and mixed up the text and plates from P. Brown, 1776, New Illustrations of Zoology, p. 94, pl. xxxvii (The Rail), and p. 96, pl. xxxviii (Rail).  Gmelin's description does not apply to the Slaty-legged Crake, for which Rallus eurizonoides de La Fresnaye, 1845, must be used.  Tweeddale, 1877, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 768, suggests that Brown's Rail is possibly the Red Spurfowl Galloperdix spadiceus. 
Synon. Castanolimnas, Corethrura, Euryzona, Tomirdus.
• (Rallidae; syn. Aramides † Grey-necked Wood Rail A. cajaneus) "Genera et Species typicae.   ...   d.  *Rallina Rchb. maxima (Rall. — us Vieill.) R.  Tab. XX.  Caput, ala, pes." (Reichenbach 1853); "Rallina has been employed by various authors for a variety of species.  Reichenbach [1845] first proposed the name in his Synopsis Avium, Vol. III, Rasores, Fam. Rallinæ, including under it a large number of species, and it has been generally used since for the Rails allied to R. euryzona.  It seems, however, that no type was cited for the genus until the appearance of Reichenbach's [1853] Systema in which he restricts the name to the South American species allied to R. maximus, this species being the type.  Unfortunately this species had already been made the type of the genus Aramides, so that Rallina becomes a synonym of this latter genus and we must adopt the name Euryzona Bonap. for the Rails allied to R. euryzona" (Stone, 1894, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, XLVI, p. 134).

forbesi
● William Alexander Forbes (1855-1883) British zoologist, collector in tropical Africa and Brazil (Anumara, syn. Aplopelia simplex, Charadrius, syn. Emberiza affinis, subsp. Halcyon malimbica, subsp. Lagonosticta rara, Leptodon).
● "This new geographical race of the Striped Owl is named for Mr. Dyfrig McH. Forbes, of Potrero Viejo, Veracruz, who, along with his family, has contributed greatly to scientific knowledge by making extensive collections of natural history objects and by assisting personnel connected with various museum expeditions. In the latter regard, the Hacienda Potrero has served as headquarters or temporary abode for numerous field parties of diverse zoological interest" (Lowery & Dalquest 1951) (subsp. Asio clamator).
● Sir Victor Courtenay Walter Forbes (1889-1958) British diplomat in Mexico, Spain and Peru (Atlapetes).
● Henry Ogg Forbes (1851-1932) Scottish botanist, ethnologist, explorer in the East Indies and New Guinea, Director of the Canterbury Mus., New Zealand, 1890-1893, Director of the Liverpool Museums 1894-1911 (Cyanoramphus, syn. Erythrura tricolor, Lonchura, subsp. Myzomela nigrita, Ninox, Rallicula).
● William Cameron Forbes (1870-1959) US banker, diplomat, Commissioner of Philippine Commerce & Police 1904-1908, Vice-Gov. and Gov.-Gen. of the Philippines 1908-1913, Ambassador to Japan 1930-1932 (subsp. Megalurus palustris, syn. Zosterops everetti basilanicus).

SUBSPECIES

Forbes's Rail (steini)
SCI Name: Rallina forbesi steini
steini
Dr Georg Hermann Wilhelm Stein (1897-1976) German zoologist, collector in the East Indies and New Guinea (subsp. Aerodramus vanikorensis, subsp. Butorides striata, subsp. Cormobates placens, syn. Crateroscelis robusta sanfordi, syn. Gennaeodryas placens, subsp. Microptilotis montanus, subsp. Monarcha cinerascens, subsp. Myzomela nigrita, subsp. Poecilodryas hypoleuca, subsp. Rallicula forbesi, syn. Zosterops montanus).

Forbes's Rail (parva)
SCI Name: Rallina forbesi parva
parva
L. parvus  small, little, short.
● ex “Favorite de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 897, and “Favorite” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Porphyrula flavirostris).
● ex “Petite Poule-Sultane” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Porphyrula martinica).
● ex “Fou de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 973, “Petit Fou” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Lesser Booby” of Latham 1785 (syn. Sula leucogaster).

Forbes's Rail (dryas)
SCI Name: Rallina forbesi dryas
dryas
Gr. myth. Dryas, tree-nymph, dryad; indicating woodland habitat or graceful appearance.
• "It is very elegant, all the parts being admirably proportioned; and the colours harmoniously arranged." (Gould 1855) (Catharus).
• "68. Dryas Hartl.  Simillima praecedenti [Alc. malimbica Shaw]" (Hartlaub, 1854) (subsp. Halcyon malimbica). 
• "Nahe Ph. tr. nesophilus (Riley), der die Gebirge des nördlichen Central-Celebes in der Umgebung des Posso-Sees bewohnt, aber durchschnittlich größer" (Stresemann 1938) (syn. Phylloscopus sarasinorum nesophilus).
• "This species is nearly allied to Rhipidura rufifrons, but differs in being much smaller" (Gould 1843) (Rhipidura).
• "From the indistinct character of the markings of the throat and abdomen, the bird from which the above description was taken would appear to be somewhat immature." (Gould 1842) (syn. Vini ultramarina).

Forbes's Rail (forbesi)
SCI Name: Rallina forbesi forbesi
forbesi
● William Alexander Forbes (1855-1883) British zoologist, collector in tropical Africa and Brazil (Anumara, syn. Aplopelia simplex, Charadrius, syn. Emberiza affinis, subsp. Halcyon malimbica, subsp. Lagonosticta rara, Leptodon).
● "This new geographical race of the Striped Owl is named for Mr. Dyfrig McH. Forbes, of Potrero Viejo, Veracruz, who, along with his family, has contributed greatly to scientific knowledge by making extensive collections of natural history objects and by assisting personnel connected with various museum expeditions. In the latter regard, the Hacienda Potrero has served as headquarters or temporary abode for numerous field parties of diverse zoological interest" (Lowery & Dalquest 1951) (subsp. Asio clamator).
● Sir Victor Courtenay Walter Forbes (1889-1958) British diplomat in Mexico, Spain and Peru (Atlapetes).
● Henry Ogg Forbes (1851-1932) Scottish botanist, ethnologist, explorer in the East Indies and New Guinea, Director of the Canterbury Mus., New Zealand, 1890-1893, Director of the Liverpool Museums 1894-1911 (Cyanoramphus, syn. Erythrura tricolor, Lonchura, subsp. Myzomela nigrita, Ninox, Rallicula).
● William Cameron Forbes (1870-1959) US banker, diplomat, Commissioner of Philippine Commerce & Police 1904-1908, Vice-Gov. and Gov.-Gen. of the Philippines 1908-1913, Ambassador to Japan 1930-1932 (subsp. Megalurus palustris, syn. Zosterops everetti basilanicus).