Gough Moorhen

SCI Name:  Gallinula comeri
Protonym:  Porphyriornis comeri Bull.Am.Mus.Nat.Hist. 4 no.1 p.57
Taxonomy:  Gruiformes / Rallidae / Gallinula
Taxonomy Code:  trimoo3
Type Locality:  Gough Island.
Author:  Allen, JA
Publish Year:  1892
IUCN Status:  Vulnerable

DEFINITIONS

GALLINULA
(Rallidae; Ϯ Common Moorhen G. chloropus) Late Med. L. gallinula  moorhen or waterhen, so named for its cocked tail and halting progress  < L. gallinula  little hen, chicken  < dim. gallina  hen   < gallus  cockerel; "Gallinula. Genus 88.  ...  **1. LA POULE-D'EAU ...  GALLINULA.  ...  Elle est à peu près de la grosseur d'une petite Poule.  ...  On les trouve dans les rivieres & les étangs. Elles font leur nid dans les broussailles qui se trouvent sur leurs bords" (Brisson 1760): based on "Gallinula Chloropus" of Aldrovandus 1599-1603, and many other authors, and Fulica Chloropus Linnaeus, 1758; "Gallinula Brisson, Orn., 1760, 1, p. 50; 6, p. 2. Type, by tautonymy, Gallinula Brisson = Fulica chloropus Linné." (Peters, 1934, II, p. 202).  This genus formerly included Paragallinula, Porphyriops, Porphyriornis and Tribonyx.  
Var. Callinula, Galinula.
Synon. Hydrogallina, Stagnicola.

gallinula
Late Med. L. gallinula  moorhen or waterhen  < L. gallinula  little hen  < dim. gallina  hen  < gallus  cockerel.
● ex “Gallinago minima” of Belon 1555, “Gid,” “Jack-Snipe” or “Judcock” of Ray 1713, and “Petite Beccassine” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Lymnocryptes minima).

comeri
Capt. George Comer (1858-1937) US mariner, whaler, collector in the South Atlantic Ocean (Porphyriornis).