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 & 187-189.

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 hochstetteri (A.B. Meyer) South Island Takahe Notornis Mantellii Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7470 – New Zealand. Junior primary homonym of Notornis mantelli Owen, 1848. Notornis hochstetteri A.B. Meyer, 1883: Abbildungen von Voegel-Skeletten 1(4–5): 28, pls 34–37 – North of Mararoa R., 3.5 miles east Whitestone R. and 9 miles southeast of south end of Lake Te Anau, Fiordland. Notornis parkeri Forbes, 1892: Trans. N.Z. Inst. 24: 187 – Half a mile east of Patience Bay, Lake Te Anau, Fiordland. Mantellornis hochstetteri (A.B. Meyer); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th ser.): 216. Porphyrio mantelli hochstetteri (A.B. Meyer); Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 125. Porphyrio hochstetteri (A.B. Meyer); Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 132, 178.

South Island. Four live specimens and one skeleton, recently dead, were collected in the south-west corner of the South Island between 1849 and 1898. Then assumed to be extinct until rediscovered by G.B. Orbell (Nov. 1948) west of Lake Te Anau, and subsequently found to be widespread in the Murchison Mountains. Wild population currently maintained by release of captive-bred birds and intensive predator control. Unsuccessfully re-introduced to the Stuart Mountains, Fiordland, 1987–92. Introduced to Kapiti, Maud, Mana and Tiritiri Matangi Islands since the late 1980s; more recently to Rarotoka (Centre) Island (Foveaux Strait) and to Maungatautari (Waikato). Bones widespread in Late Pleistocene and Holocene fossil sites and in middens (Trewick & Worthy 2001), more often at lowland than subalpine altitudes.