Spotless Crake

SCI Name:  Zapornia tabuensis
Protonym:  Rallus tabuensis Syst.Nat. 1 pt2 p.717
Taxonomy:  Gruiformes / Rallidae / Zapornia
Taxonomy Code:  spocra2
Type Locality:  Tonga Tabu, Tahiti, and neighboring islands.
Author:  Gmelin, JF
Publish Year:  1789
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ZAPORNIA
(Rallidae; Ϯ Little Crake Z. parva) Anagram of genus Porzana Vieillot, 1816, crake; "ZAPORNIA. CRAKER.  ...  RALLUS. Gmel., Lath.  GALLINULA. Beck., Temm.  ZAPORNIA. Leach.  OF this genus, which was separated by Dr Leach from the Crakes, there is but one species known.  ...  LITTLE CRAKER. (Zapornia pusilla.)  ...  Zapornia minuta. Leach, Cat. Brit. Mus. p. 34" (Stephens 1824).
Var. Zaporina, Lapornia.
Synon. Aphanolimnas, Kittlitzia, Limnobaenus, Limnocorax, Nesophylax, Palugalla, Pennula, Phalaridion, Porzanoidea, Porzanula, Rallites, Schoenocrex.

tabuanus / tabuensis
Tonga Tabu, Tahiti.
● ex “Tabuan Shrike” of Latham 1781 (Aplonis).
● ex “Tabuan Parrot” of Latham 1781: “This is a beautiful species, and is found at Tongo Tabboo, and the other Friendly Isles in the South Seas”, and Phillip 1789 (Prosopeia).
● ex “Tabuan Rail” of Latham 1785 (Zapornia).

SUBSPECIES

Spotless Crake (tabuensis)
SCI Name: Zapornia tabuensis tabuensis
tabuanus / tabuensis
Tonga Tabu, Tahiti.
● ex “Tabuan Shrike” of Latham 1781 (Aplonis).
● ex “Tabuan Parrot” of Latham 1781: “This is a beautiful species, and is found at Tongo Tabboo, and the other Friendly Isles in the South Seas”, and Phillip 1789 (Prosopeia).
● ex “Tabuan Rail” of Latham 1785 (Zapornia).

Spotless Crake (edwardi)
SCI Name: Zapornia tabuensis edwardi
eduardi / edward / edwardi / edwardii / edwardsi / edwardsii
● Prof. Alphonse Milne-Edwards (1835-1900) French zoologist (‡Alectoris, syn. Casuarius bennetti westermanni, Lophura, syn. Porphyrio poliocephalus viridis).
● Edward Wilson (1808-1888) British naturalist, trochilidist, High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire (Amazilia).
● Prof. Henri Milne Edwards (1800-1885) French zoologist, father of Alphonse Milne-Edwards (syn. Ardeotis nigriceps, Bangsia, Calonectris, Carpodacus, syn. Nilaus afer, Psittaculirostris).
● George Edwards (1694-1773) English traveller, naturalist, painter (syn. Anser caerulescens (ex "Blue-Winged Goose" of Edwards 1750) (Laurent Raty in litt.), syn. Crax rubra (ex “Curasso-Bird” of Edwards 1760), syn. Euplectes orix (ex "Grenadier" of Edwards 1751), ?syn. Limosa haemastica (ex "White Godwit from Hudson's Bay" of Edwards 1750), syn. Loriculus beryllinus, syn. Manacus manacus (ex “Black-capped Manakin” of Edwards 1758, and “Manakin à tête noire de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 303, fig. 1), syn. Neophema pulchella (ex “Perruche Edwards” of Levaillant 1801), syn. Phaethon lepturus catesbyi (ex “Tropick Bird” of Edwards 1750)).
● Dr Ernest Preston Edwards (1919-2011) US ornithologist, collector (syn. Dactylortyx thoracicus chiapensis).
● Edward Prince of Wales (1894-1972) later Edward VIII (reigned 1936, abdicated) and Duke of Windsor (subsp. Menura novaehollandiae).
● Edward Charles Migdalski (1918-2009) US ichthyologist, collector, explorer, sportsman (syn. Spilopelia chinensis suratensis).
● Edward Charles Stuart Baker (1864-1944) British ornithologist, oologist, Indian Police 1883-1912, collector (syn. Thalasseus bergii velox).
● Sir Edward Newton (1832-1897) British assistant colonial secretary on Mauritius 1859-1877, naturalist, collector in Madagascar 1861-1862, and Seychelles 1866 (Tylas) (NB. edwardnewtoni is a misspelling of eponym enewtoni).
● Sir Edward John Lees Hallstrom (1886-1970) Australian businessman, aviculturalist, philanthropist (Björn Bergenholtz in litt.) (subsp. Zapornia tabuensis).
● These eponyms were confused and frequently misspelled or mistakenly corrected (e.g. Tylas edwardsi).

Spotless Crake (richardsoni)
SCI Name: Zapornia tabuensis richardsoni
richardsoni / richardsonii
● Sir John Richardson (1787-1865) Scottish surgeon-explorer, zoologist, botanist, geologist (subsp. Aegolius funereus, syn. Contopus sordidulus, subsp. Dendragapus obscurus, Eubucco, subsp. Falco columbarius, syn. Gavia adamsii, syn. Ixoreus naevius, syn. Rhodostethia rosea, syn. Sayornis phoebe, syn. Stercorarius parasiticus).
● William Blaine (or Blaney) Richardson, Sr. (1868-1927) US collector in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador 1887-1927 (syn. Chlorospingus dwighti, syn. Corvus corax sinuatus, subsp. Cyphorhinus phaeocephalus, syn. Icterus graduacauda, subsp. Myiothlypis luteoviridis, syn. Saltator grandis plumbiceps, syn. Sporophila minuta parva, syn. Zenaida aurita zenaida).
● William Everett Richardson (1825-1902) US shipping manager, collector (Melanospiza).
● William Blaine Richardson, Jr. (1891-1972) US banker in Mexico, mammalogist, collector in New Guinea 1938-1939 (subsp. Zapornia tabuensis).

Spotless Crake (plumbea)
SCI Name: Zapornia tabuensis plumbea
plumbea
L. plumbeus  leaden, plumbeous, lead-coloured  < plumbum  lead.
● ex “Garza Aplomada” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 347 (syn. Ardea cocoi).
● ex “Spotted-tailed Hobby” of Latham 1781 (Ictinia).
● ex “Todus supra ex plumbeo canus ...” of Pallas 1769, and “Plumbeous Tody” of Latham 1782 (Polioptila).
● ex “Plumbeous Warbler” of Latham 1787 (unident.).