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 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 177-179.

Order : 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 Linnaeus, 1758.

Genus G.R. Gray Lewinia G.R. Gray, 1855: Cat. Genera Subgen. Birds Brit. Mus.: 120 – Type (by monotypy) Rallus lewinii Swainson = Lewinia pectoralis (Temminck). Donacias Heine & Reichenow, 1890: Nom. Mus. Hein. Ornith.: 321. Unnecessary nomen novum for Lewinia G.R. Gray, 1855. Hyporallus Iredale & Mathews, 1926: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 46: 76 – Type species (by original designation) Rallus muelleri Rothschild = Lewinia muelleri (Rothschild).

Lewinia muelleri (Rothschild) Auckland Island Rallus muelleri Rothschild, 1893: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 1(8): 40 – Auckland Island. Hypotaenidia muelleri (Rothschild); Buller 1905, Suppl. Birds N.Z. 1: 42. Rallus pectoralis muelleri Rothschild; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 39. Rallus brachipus von Hugel 1875; Oliver 1955, New Zealand Birds, 2nd edition: 351. Not Rallus brachipus Swainson, 1838. Lewinia muelleri (Rothschild); Sibley & Monroe 1990, Distr. and Taxon. Birds of the World: 225. pectoralis muelleri (Rothschild); Marchant & Higgins 1993, HANZAB 2: 529. Dryolimnas muelleri (Rothschild); Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 132, 178.

Auckland Islands. The first collected specimen, incorrectly identified by von Hugel in 1875 as Rallus brachipus Swainson, 1838 (= R. pectoralis Temminck), is now in the American Museum of Natural History (Oliver 1955: 351). Otherwise known until recently only from this and the type specimen (now missing, presumed destroyed) and a live collected on Adams Island in 1966 (Falla 1967). In 1989 the rail was found on Adams Island in good numbers. Previously listed as Rallus pectoralis muelleri (e.g. Checklist Committee 1990) or Dryolimnas pectoralis muelleri (e.g. Marchant & Higgins 1993), we follow Sibley & Monroe (1990) and Taylor & van Perlo (1998) in placing this taxon in Lewinia.