Gallirallus Modestus Bird

English Name:  Chatham Islands Rail
Latin Name:  Gallirallus modestus
Protonym:  Rallus modestus Ibis p.247
Taxonomy:  Gruiformes / Rallidae / Gallirallus
Taxonomy Code:  chirai1
Type Locality:  Chatham Islands, type from Mangare Island.
Author:  Hutton, FW
Publish Year:  1872
IUCN Status:  Extinct

DEFINITIONS

GALLIRALLUS
(Rallidae; † Weka G. australis) Portmanteau of genera Gallus Brisson 1760, fowl, and Rallus Linnaeus, 1758, rail; "Genus Rallus, sub-genus Galli-rallus de Lafr. — Caractère du sous-genre: Rostrum Ralli, sectionis Crex (Bechst.), elongatum, compressum, rectum, culmine supra nares paulisper depresso, apice parum arcuato; nares mediocres, ovalæ, in fovea ampla plus quam dimidiam partem rostri occupante, ad apicem anticum et medium rostrum apertæ, hac fovea membrana obtecta; pedes ambulatorii, gallinacei, validi, tarsis robustissimis, digitis totis liberis, prælongis et fortibus; pollice mediocri uti apud Rallos tarso inserto, unguibus mediocribus parum curvatis; alæ brevissimæ, obtusissimæ, mollissimæ ad volatum ut versimile paucissimæ aptæ; cauda satis elongata, conica, exilis, e pennis mollibus formata; ptilosis tota lanuginosa et mollissima.  Gallirallus brachypterus de Lafr." (de La Fresnaye 1841); "Galli-rallus Lafresnaye, Rev. Zool., 1841, p. 234 [sic= 243].  Type, by monotypy, Gallirallus brachypterus Lafresnaye = Rallus troglodytes Gmelin." (Peters, 1934, II, 177); "GALLIRALLUS Lafresnaye, 1841  M  — Gallirallus brachypterus Lafresnaye, 1841; type by monotypy = Rallus australis Sparrman, 1786  ...  Includes "troglodytes"" (Dickinson and Remsen (eds.), H. & M. Complete Checklist, 4th ed., 2013, 1 (Non-passerines), p. 134).
Synon. Brachypteryx, Ocydromus, Sylvestrornis, Tricholimnas.

modesta / modestum / modestus
L. modestus  plain, modest, unassuming  < modus  measure, standard.