Editing Larus (section)

====Fossils====
[[Fossil]]s of ''Larus'' gulls are known from the [[Middle Miocene]], about 20-15 million years ago; allocation of earlier fossils to this genus is generally rejected. [[Biogeography]] of the fossil record suggests that the genus evolved in the northern [[Atlantic]] and spread globally during the [[Pliocene]], when species diversity seems to have been highest, as with most seabirds.

*''Larus'' sp. (Middle Miocene of Grund, Austria)
*''Larus'' sp. (Middle Miocene of Romania)<ref name=olsen>Olson, Storrs L. (1985): Section X.D.2.j. Laridae. ''In:'' Farner, D.S.; King, J.R. & Parkes, Kenneth C. (eds.): ''Avian Biology'' '''8''': 181-182. Academic Press, New York.</ref>
*''Larus'' sp. (Late? Miocene/Early Pliocene of [[Lee Creek Mine]], U.S.) - several species<ref name=olsen/>
*''[[Larus elmorei]]'' (Middle Pliocene of [[Bone Valley]], southeastern U.S.)
*''[[Larus lacus]]'' (Late Pliocene of Pinecrest, southeastern U.S.)
*''[[Larus perpetuus]]'' (Pliocene of southeastern U.S.)
*''Larus'' sp. (San Diego Late Pliocene of the southwestern U.S.)
*''[[Larus oregonus]]'' (Late Pliocene - Late Pleistocene of the west-central U.S.)
*''[[Larus robustus]]'' (Late Pliocene - Late Pleistocene of the west-central U.S.)
*''Larus'' sp. (Late Pleistocene of [[Lake Manix]] western U.S.)

''"Larus" raemdonckii'' (Early Oligocene of Belgium) is now at least tentatively believed to belong in the [[Procellariiformes|procellariiform]] genus ''[[Puffinus]]''. ''"L." elegans'' (Late Oligocene?/Early Miocene of St-Gérand-le-Puy, France) and ''"L." totanoides'' (Late Oligocene?/Early Miocene of southeastern France) are now in ''[[Laricola]]'', while ''"L." dolnicensis'' (Early Miocene of the Czech Republic) was actually a [[pratincole]]; it is now placed in ''[[Mioglareola]]''.

The Early Miocene ''"Larus" desnoyersii'' (southeastern France)<!-- AnnNHMusWien104A:237 --> and ''"L." pristinus'' (John Day Formation, Willow Creek, U.S.) probably do not belong in this genus; the former may be a [[skua]].<ref>(Olson, 1985).</ref>