Larus lacus
Extinct species of gull
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Larus lacus is an extinct species of gull that lived in North America during the Late Pliocene.[1]
| †Larus lacus Temporal range: Pliocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Genus: | Larus |
| Species: | †L. lacus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Larus lacus Emslie, 1995 | |
Etymology
The genus name Larus derives from Ancient Greek, referring to a seabird. The species name lacus derives from Latin, meaning "lake or standing body of water, in reference to the lagoonal deposits at the type locality."[1]
Description
Larus lacus specimens stem from Sarasota County, Florida.[1] The humerus of Larus lacus most closely resembles the Hartlaub's gull (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii), black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), brown-hooded gull (Chroicocephalus maculipennis), and Franklin's gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan).[1]