Water Rail

SCI Name:  Rallus aquaticus
Protonym:  Rallus aquaticus Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.153
Taxonomy:  Gruiformes / Rallidae / Rallus
Taxonomy Code:  watrai1
Type Locality:  Europe, restricted type locality. Great Britain.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

RALLUS
(Rallidae; Ϯ Water Rail R. aquaticus) Probably from Med. French Rasle or Râle  rail (supported by Sundevall 1873: "Nomen Rallus, primum Rasle, Bélon, dein Râle, est vox gallica medii ævi, nec latina, sed usu diuturno probata",  and BOU 1915: “the latinized form of the French Rale, our Rail, Dutch Ral”), but Gessner 1555 states, "Rallus hæc avis circa Venetias appellatur", and Macleod 1954, has “Latinized form of German ralle, rail (bird)”; "83. RALLUS.  Rostrum basi crassius, compressum, dorso attenuatum apicem versus, æquale, acutum.  Pedes tetradactyli, fissi.  Corpus compressum." (Linnaeus 1758); ex “Rallus aquaticus” of Willughby 1676, and “Water Rail. Rallus Aquaticus” of Albin 1731; "Rallus Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 153. Type, by subsequent designation, Rallus aquaticus Linné. (Fleming, Mem. Wernerian Nat. Hist. Soc., 3, 1821, p. 176.)" (Peters 1934, II, 157). Linnaeus's Rallus comprised five species (R. Crex, R. aquaticus, R. lariformis, R. benghalensis, R. carolinus).
Var. Railus, Ralus, Rallas, Rullus, Ballus.
Synon. Biensis, Epirallus.

aquatica / aquaticus
L. aquaticus aquatic, water-living < aqua water (cf. Late L. aquaticus water-coloured).
● ex “Sylvia Schoenobaenus” of Scopoli 1769, and “Aquatic Warbler” of Latham 1783 (syn. Acrocephalus paludicola).
● "83. RALLUS.  ...  aquaticus.  2. R. alis griseis fusco-maculatis, hypochondriis albo-maculatis, rostro luteo.  Rallus aquaticus. Alb. av. I. p. 73. t. 77. Will. orn. 234. Aldr. orn. . . Raj. av. 113. n. 2.  Ortygometra alis fuscis. Syst. nat. 25.  Habitat in Europa." (Linnaeus 1758) (Rallus).

SUBSPECIES

Water Rail (hibernans)
SCI Name: Rallus aquaticus hibernans
hibernans
L. hibernans, hibernantis  wintering  < hiberna  winter-quarters  < hibernus  of winter  < hiems, hiemis  winter.

Water Rail (aquaticus)
SCI Name: Rallus aquaticus aquaticus
aquatica / aquaticus
L. aquaticus aquatic, water-living < aqua water (cf. Late L. aquaticus water-coloured).
● ex “Sylvia Schoenobaenus” of Scopoli 1769, and “Aquatic Warbler” of Latham 1783 (syn. Acrocephalus paludicola).
● "83. RALLUS.  ...  aquaticus.  2. R. alis griseis fusco-maculatis, hypochondriis albo-maculatis, rostro luteo.  Rallus aquaticus. Alb. av. I. p. 73. t. 77. Will. orn. 234. Aldr. orn. . . Raj. av. 113. n. 2.  Ortygometra alis fuscis. Syst. nat. 25.  Habitat in Europa." (Linnaeus 1758) (Rallus).

Water Rail (korejewi)
SCI Name: Rallus aquaticus korejewi
korejevi / korejewi
Boris Pavlovich Koreev or Kareev (1878-1907) Russian ornithologist, collector in Turkistan 1902-1905 (Martin Schneider and Laurent Raty in litt.) (syn. Columba livia neglecta, syn. Dendrocopos leucopterus, subsp. Emberiza schoeniclus, subsp. Linaria flavirostris, subsp. Otis tarda, syn. Passer ammodendri, syn. Picoides tridactylus tianschanicus, syn. Podiceps auritus, syn. Poecile palustris, subsp. Rallus aquaticus, syn. Surnia ulula tianschanica).