Text extracted from Gill B.J.; Bell, B.D.; Chambers, G.K.; Medway, D.G.; Palma, R.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Worthy, T.H. 2010. Checklist of the birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 4th edition. Wellington, Te Papa Press and Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Pages 177-178 & 187-188.

Order GRUIFORMES: Rails, Cranes and Allies Family RALLIDAE Rafinesque: Rails, Gallinules and Coots This classification and nomenclature of rails largely follows Taylor & van Perlo (1998).

Subfamily RALLINAE Rafinesque: Rails, Gallinules and Coots Rallia Rafinesque, 1815: Analyse de la Nature: 70 – Type genus Rallus Linnaeus, 1758.

Genus Porphyrio Brisson Porphyrio Brisson, 1760: Ornithologie 1: 48 and 5: 522 – Type species (by tautonymy) Fulica porphyrio Linnaeus = Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus). Notornis Owen, 1848 (22 January): The Literary Gazette 1618: 72 – Type species (by original designation) Notornis mantelli Owen = Porphyrio mantelli (Owen). Caesarornis Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat. 2(1): 21 – Type species (by monotypy) Gallinula poliocephala Latham = Porphyrio poliocephalus (Latham). Mantellornis Mathews, 1911: Birds Australia 1: 249 – Type species (by original designation) Notornis hochstetteri A.B. Meyer = Porphyrio hochstetteri (A.B. Meyer).

Taxa formerly included in Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus), which was often called the purple swamphen, have until recently usually been separated into six subspecies groups (e.g. Taylor & van Perlo 1998). Here we follow Sangster (1998) and Sangster et al. (1999) in recognising qualitative differences in morphology, supported by mtDNA studies (Trewick 1997a), that show the paraphyletic nature of the species P. porphyrio (sensu Taylor & van Perlo 1998). This approach recognises the following six species: western swamphen P. porphyrio (western Mediterranean), African swamphen P. madagascariensis, grey-headed swamphen P. poliocephalus (Nicobar Islands and west Thailand to Iraq and Caspian region), Philippine swamphen P. pulverulentus, black-backed swamphen P. indicus (South-east Asia and Greater Sunda Islands), and south-west Pacific swamphen P. melanotus.

Porphyrio melanotus Temminck South-west Pacific Swamphen The species Porphyrio melanotus, as defined by Sangster et al. (1999), is polytypic and tentatively includes: P. m. bellus Gould, 1840 from south-west Australia, P. m. melanopterus Bonaparte from the Moluccas and Papua New Guinea, P. m. pelewensis from Palau, and P. m. samoensis Peale from Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and Niue, in addition to those listed in synonymy below. For a fuller listing of south-west Pacific taxa see Mathews (1927: 100).

Porphyrio melanotus melanotus Temminck Pukeko Porphyrio melanotus Temminck, 1820: Manuel d’Ornith., 2nd edition. 2: 701 – New South Wales, Australia. Porphyrio stanleyi Rowley, 1875: Ornith. Miscellany 1: 37 – New Zealand. Porphyrio chathamensis Sharpe, 1893: Ibis 5 (6th ser.): 531 – Chatham Islands. Porphyrio melanonotus Temminck; Buller 1905, Suppl. Birds N.Z. 1: 64. Unjustified emendation. Porphyrio melanotus fletcherae Mathews, 1911: Birds Australia 1: 243 – Tasmania, Australia. Porphyrio melanotus neomelanotus Mathews, 1911: Birds Australia 1: 246, pl. 60 – Parry’s Creek, Western Australia. Porphyrio melanotus stanleyi Rowley; Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th ser.): 216. Porphyrio melanotus chathamensis Sharpe; Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th ser.): 216. Porphyrio porphyrio melanotus Temminck; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 41. Porphyrio melanotus Temminck; Wakelin 1968, Notornis 15: 162. Porphyrio porphyrio; Moore 1999, Notornis 46: 359. Not Fulica porphyrio Linnaeus, 1758. Porphyrio melanotus melanotus Temminck; Sangster et al. 1999, Ardea 87(1): 147.

Australia, Tasmania, Norfolk Island and New Zealand. In New Zealand, North and South Islands and Stewart Island / Rakiura; and many offshore and inshore islands, including Kermadec, Chatham, Great Barrier (Aotea), Great Mercury (Ahuahu), Waiheke, and Kapiti. Straggler to Manawatäwhi / Three Kings Islands and Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku. Known from only a few Late Holocene fossil and midden sites on the mainland, none likely to be more than a few hundred years old. Recent self- introduction to the Chatham Group, where no Holocene fossils are known. Also called Australian swamphen.