Pacific Gull

SCI Name:  Larus pacificus
Protonym:  Larus pacificus Suppl.ind.orn. p.lxviii
Taxonomy:  Charadriiformes / Laridae / Larus
Taxonomy Code:  pacgul1
Type Locality:  New Holland = New South Wales, ex Gen. Syn., Suppl. 2, p. 332.
Author:  Latham
Publish Year:  1801
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

LARUS
(Laridae; Ϯ Great Black-backed Gull L. marinus) L. larus  rapacious seabird, probably a gull  < Gr. λαρος laros  voracious seabird, perhaps a gull; the Great Black-backed Gull, the largest member of the Laridae, breeds only on sea coasts, where it is a true predator; "69. LARUS.  Rostrum edentulum, rectum, cultratum, apice declive: Mandibula inferior infra apicem gibba.  Nares lineares, antice latiores.   ...   Pulli primi anni plurumque in his grisei sunt; unde speciei multiplicatio." (Linnaeus 1758); "Larus Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 136. Type, by subsequent designation, Larus marinus Linné (Selby, Cat. Gen. Subgen. Types Aves, 1840, p. 48)" (Peters 1934, II, 313). Linnaeus's Larus comprised six species (L. tridactylus, L. canus, L. marinus, L. fuscus, L. Atricilla, L. parasiticus).
Synon. Adelarus, Atricilla, Blasipus, Bruchigavia, Caturates, Chroicocephalus, Cirrhocephala, Clupeilarus, Dominicanus, Einalia, Epitelarus, Gabianus, Gavia, Gavina, Gelastes, Glaucus, Hydropeleia, Ichthyaetus, Lambruschinia, Laroides, Lencus, Leucophaeus, Melagavia, Melanolarus, Microlarus, Misamichus, Ocyplanus, Pacificolarus, Plautus, Procellarus.

pacificus
L. pacificus  peaceful  < pax, pacis  peace; facere  to make.  The Pacific Ocean was so-named by the Portuguese explorer Fernão de Magalhães in 1520, contrasting its calm waters with the stormy seas of Cape Horn.  The toponym refers to islands in the Pacific Ocean as well as localities on Pacific Ocean coasts.
● Tahiti; ex “Pacific Parrot, var. B” of Latham 1781 (‡syn. Cyanoramphus zealandicus).
● New Holland; ex “Black-backed Gull” (pt.) of Latham 1785, and “Pacific Gull” of Latham 1801 (Larus).
● Erroneous TL. Islands of the South Sea (= Norton Sound, Alaska); ex “Pacific Crow” of Latham 1781 (subsp. Perisoreus canadensis).

SUBSPECIES

Pacific Gull (georgii)
SCI Name: Larus pacificus georgii
georgi / georgia / georgiae / georgiana / georgianus / georgica / georgicum / georgicus / georgii
● South Georgia I., Southern Ocean (named after George III King of Great Britain (1738-1820; reigned 1760-1820)) (Anas (ex “Georgia Duck” of Latham 1785), syn. Diomedea exulans chionoptera, syn. Pachyptila desolata banksi, Pelecanoides, Phalacrocorax, subsp. Sterna vittata).
● King George’s Sound, Western Australia (named after George III King of Great Britain (1738-1820; reigned 1760-1820)) (syn. Cereopsis novaehollandiae, subsp. Larus pacificus, Quoyornis (ex “Gobe-mouche géorgien” of Quoy & Gaimard 1830)).
● Georgia, formerly part of the Russian Empire, then a republic of the USSR, now an independent republic, located in the Caucasus (Old Persian name gorgan land of wolves, for the area) (syn. Cyanistes caeruleus satunini).
● Interior of Georgia, North America (named after George II King of Great Britain (1683-1760; reigned 1727-1760) (Melospiza).
● L. georgicus  agricultural  < Gr. γεωργικος geōrgikos  farmer (syn. Passer diffusus). Note that George III King of Great Britain (see above) was popularly known as 'Farmer George.'
● Southern Georgia, USA (named after George II King of Great Britain (1683-1760; reigned 1727-1760)) (subsp. Strix varia).
● Georges River, New South Wales, Australia (Björn Bergenholtz in litt.) (syn. Tringa nebularia).
● George Creek, Victoria River, Northern Territory, Australia (syn. Tyto longimembris).

Pacific Gull (pacificus)
SCI Name: Larus pacificus pacificus
pacificus
L. pacificus  peaceful  < pax, pacis  peace; facere  to make.  The Pacific Ocean was so-named by the Portuguese explorer Fernão de Magalhães in 1520, contrasting its calm waters with the stormy seas of Cape Horn.  The toponym refers to islands in the Pacific Ocean as well as localities on Pacific Ocean coasts.
● Tahiti; ex “Pacific Parrot, var. B” of Latham 1781 (‡syn. Cyanoramphus zealandicus).
● New Holland; ex “Black-backed Gull” (pt.) of Latham 1785, and “Pacific Gull” of Latham 1801 (Larus).
● Erroneous TL. Islands of the South Sea (= Norton Sound, Alaska); ex “Pacific Crow” of Latham 1781 (subsp. Perisoreus canadensis).