Tsingy Forest Rail

Open encyclopedia reference

The Tsingy forest rail (Mentocrex beankaensis), also known as the Tsingy wood rail, is a species of bird in the family Sarothruridae that was scientifically described in 2011.

It is endemic to areas with dry deciduous forest and limestone karst in the lowlands of west-central Madagascar. It is larger than the Madagascar forest rail, and also differs in the colour of the throat, moustachial stripe and region near the eyes.

This species was formerly placed in the genus Canirallus together with [Madagascar forest rail and the grey-throated rail (Canirallus oculeus). A molecular genetic study published in 2019 found that the grey-throated rail is not closely related to the forest rails. The forest rails were therefore moved to the resurrected genus Mentocrex.

Wikipedia contributors, Tsingy forest rail; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:13:19.149209+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Mentocrex beankaensis Goodman, Raherilalao & Block, 2011

Name authority

Goodman, Raherilalao & Block, 2011

Common name

Tsingy Forest Rail

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Gruiformes

Family

Sarothruridae

Genus

Mentocrex

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classAves
9. orderGruiformes
10. familySarothruridae
11. genusMentocrex J. L. Peters, 1932
12. speciesMentocrex beankaensis Goodman, Raherilalao & Block, 2011

Close classified relatives

No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.

Browse 9 records assigned to Sarothruridae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

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.

1. Goodman, Steven M., Marie Jeanne Raherilalao, and Nicholas L. Block. (2011). Patterns of morphological and genetic variation in the Mentocrex kioloides complex (Aves: Gruiformes: Rallidae) from Madagascar, with the description of a new species. Zootaxa, Vol. 2776, No. 1. 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

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:CP3W4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.