Western Gull

SCI Name:  Larus occidentalis
Protonym:  Larus occidentalis Orn.Biogr. 5 p.320
Taxonomy:  Charadriiformes / Laridae / Larus
Taxonomy Code:  wesgul
Type Locality:  Cape Disappointment, Washington.
Author:  Audubon
Publish Year:  1839
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.

occidentale / occidentalis
L. occidentalis  western  < occidens, occidentis  west  < occidere  to set. This toponym was frequently given to taxa discovered in locations west of previously known populations.
● Cocal, Western Andes, Colombia (Dysithamnus).
● Jamaica; ex “Onocrotalus” or “Pelecanus fuscus” of Sloane 1725, “Pelican of America” of Edwards 1747, and “Pelecanus” of Browne 1756 (Pelecanus).
● TL. Day Dawn, Western Australia; "Westralian Wedgebill" (Mathews 1912) (Psophodes).

SUBSPECIES

Western Gull (occidentalis)
SCI Name: Larus occidentalis occidentalis
occidentale / occidentalis
L. occidentalis  western  < occidens, occidentis  west  < occidere  to set. This toponym was frequently given to taxa discovered in locations west of previously known populations.
● Cocal, Western Andes, Colombia (Dysithamnus).
● Jamaica; ex “Onocrotalus” or “Pelecanus fuscus” of Sloane 1725, “Pelican of America” of Edwards 1747, and “Pelecanus” of Browne 1756 (Pelecanus).
● TL. Day Dawn, Western Australia; "Westralian Wedgebill" (Mathews 1912) (Psophodes).

Western Gull (wymani)
SCI Name: Larus occidentalis wymani
wymani
Luther Everet Wyman (1870-1928) US ornithologist, Curator of Birds, Los Angeles Mus. (subsp. Larus occidentalis).