†Larus lacus Temporal range: Pliocene | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Charadriiformes |
Family: | Laridae |
Genus: | Larus |
Species: | †L. lacus |
Binomial name | |
†Larus lacus Emslie, 1995 |
Larus lacus is an extinct species of gull that lived in North America during the Late Pliocene. [1]
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]
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]