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 177-180. 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 Gallirallus Lafresnaye Ocydromus Wagler, 1830: Natur. Syst. Amphib. Säug. Vögel.: 98 – Type species Ocydromus australis = Gallirallus australis (Sparrman). Junior homonym of Ocydromus Schellenberg, 1806. Gallirallus Lafresnaye, 1841: Revue Zool. 1841: 243 – Type species (by monotypy) Gallirallus brachypterus Lafresnaye = Gallirallus australis (Sparrman). Brachypteryx Owen, 1848: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1848 (16): 2, 7 – Type species Rallus australis Sparrman = Gallirallus australis (Sparrman). Junior homonym of Brachypteryx Horsfield, 1821. Hypotaenidia Reichenbach, 1853: Avium Syst. Nat. 2(1): 23 – Type species (by original designation) Rallus pectoralis Gould = Gallirallus philippensis mellori (Mathews), not Rallus pectoralis Temminck. Nesolimnas Andrews, 1896: Novit. Zool. 3: 260, 266 – Type species (by monotypy) Rallus dieffenbachii G.R. Gray = Gallirallus dieffenbachii (G.R. Gray). Gallirallus philippensis (Linnaeus) Banded Rail Rallus philippensis Linnaeus, 1766: Syst. Nat., 12th edition 1: 263 – Philippines. Indonesia, Philippines, Melanesia, Australia, Tasmania, western Polynesia, New Zealand and subantarctic islands. The regional variation in this, one of the most polytypic rails with a high dispersal capability, was reviewed by Schodde & de Naurois (1982). Gallirallus philippensis mellori (Mathews) Buff-banded Rail Rallus pectoralis Gould, 1848: Birds of Australia 6: pl. 76 – New South Wales, Australia. Junior primary homonym of Rallus pectoralis Temminck, 1831. Hypotaenidia australis Pelzeln, 1873: Ibis 3 (3rd ser.): 42. Nomen novum for Rallus pectoralis Gould, 1848. Junior secondary homonyn of Rallus australis Sparrman. Eulabeornis philippensis mellori Mathews, 1912: Novit. Zool. 18: 192 – Sandy Hook Island, south-western Australia. Hypotaenidia philippensis norfolkensis Mathews, 1931: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 51: 129 – Norfolk Island. Rallus philippensis norfolkensis (Mathews); Peters 1934, Check-list Birds World 2: 165. Rallus philippensis australis (Pelzeln); Condon 1975, Checklist Birds Australia 1: 101. Gallirallus philippensis mellori (Mathews); Marchant & Higgins 1993, HANZAB 2: 495. Rallus philippensis; Moore 1999, Notornis 46: 359. Not Rallus philippensis Linnaeus, 1766. This Australian subspecies has been recorded from Norfolk Island (Marchant & Higgins 1993: 498, 504). Holocene fossil bones, presumed to be this taxon, were recorded on Norfolk Island by Meredith (1991) and Holdaway & Anderson (2001). Gallirallus philippensis assimilis (G.R. Gray) Banded Rail Rallus assimilis G.R. Gray, 1843: in E. Dieffenbach, Travels in N.Z. 2: 197 – New Zealand. Rallus assimilis Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7470 – New Zealand. Junior primary homonym of Rallus assimilis G.R. Gray, 1843. Rallus pectoralis Lesson; Hutton 1871, Cat. Birds N.Z.: 33. Not Rallus pectoralis Gould, 1848. Rallus pictus Potts, 1872: Trans. N.Z. Inst. 4: 202 – Okarito, south Westland. Hypotaenidia philippensis; Buller 1905, Suppl. Birds N.Z. 1: 43. Not Rallus philippensis Linnaeus, 1766. Eulabeornis philippensis assimilis (Gray); Mathews 1911, Birds Australia 1: 196. Hypotaenidia philippensis assimilis (G.R. Gray, 1843); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th ser.): 211. Rallus philippensis assimilis G.R. Gray; Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 38. Gallirallus philippensis assimilis (G.R. Gray); Marchant & Higgins 1993, HANZAB 2: 495. Main islands of New Zealand, formerly common throughout. North Island: Northland (including Manawatäwhi / Three Kings, Poor Knights and Great Barrier (Aotea) Islands), Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty; rare south of 39°S (Marchant & Higgins 1993: 497). South Island: coastal north-west Nelson, Golden Bay and Pelorus Sound; rare elsewhere (Elliott 1989). Stewart Island / Rakiura and outliers. Rare in Late Pleistocene or Holocene fossil sites and middens. † Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis (Hutton) Macquarie Island Banded Rail Rallus macquariensis Hutton, 1879: Ibis 3 (4th ser.): 455 – Macquarie Island. Hypotaenidia macquariensis (Hutton); Hutton 1904, Index Faunae N.Z.: 30. Eulabeornis philippensis macquariensis (Hutton); Mathews 1911, Birds Australia 1: 196. Hypotaenidia philippensis macquariensis (Hutton); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th ser.): 211. Rallus philippensis macquariensis Hutton; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 119. Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis (Hutton); Marchant & Higgins 1993, HANZAB 2: 495. Gallirallus macquariensis (Hutton); Holdaway et al. 2001, New Zealand Journ. Zool. 28(2): 132, 178. Macquarie Island. Became extinct between 1880 and 1894 (Oliver 1955). Maintenance of this taxon as a subspecies was supported by Livezey’s (1998) analysis, although Holdaway et al. (2001) advocated species status. .