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 Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Larus
Species:
L. lacus
Binomial name
Larus lacus
Emslie, 1995

Etymology

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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

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Larus lacus specimens stem from Sarasota County, Florida.[1] The humerus of Larus lacus most closely resembles the Hartlaub's gull (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii, formerly Larus hartlaubii), black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus; formerly Larus ridibundus), brown-hooded gull (Chroicocephalus maculipennis; formerly Larus maculipennis), and Franklin's gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan; formerly Larus pipixcan).[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Emslie, Steven D. (1995). "A Catastrophic Death Assemblage of a New Species of Cormorant and Other Seabirds from the Late Pliocene of Florida". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 15 (2): 313–330. ISSN 0272-4634.
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