NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black Rail
Laterallus jamaicensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Black Rail; Arari, Maranhão, Brazil
Hector Bottai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) is a mouse-sized member of the rail family Rallidae that occurs in both North and South America. It is the smallest rail present in North America and is known for its secretive nature.
Wikipedia contributors, Black rail; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:55:42.497551+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Laterallus jamaicensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Common name
- Black Rail
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Laterallus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderGruiformes
- familyRallidae
- genusLaterallus G. R. Gray, 1855
- speciesLaterallus jamaicensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Laterallus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White-throated CrakeLaterallus albigularis (Lawrence, 1861) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rusty-flanked CrakeLaterallus levraudi (P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1869) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rufous-sided CrakeLaterallus melanophaius (Vieillot, 1819) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Galapagos CrakeLaterallus spilonota (Gould, 1841) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dot-winged CrakeLaterallus spiloptera (Durnford, 1877) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray-breasted CrakeLaterallus exilis (Temminck, 1831) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ruddy CrakeLaterallus ruber (P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1860) | RallidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Rallus jamaicensis J. F. Gmelin, 1789 J. F. Gmelin, 1789 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Middle America
North America
South America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176263 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3SHXZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.