1978 in paleontology
Paleontology, palaeontology or palæontology (from Greek: paleo, "ancient"; ontos, "being"; and logos, "knowledge") is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils.[1] This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised faeces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because mankind has encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred in the year 1978.
| |||
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1978 in paleontology. |
Expeditions, field work, and fossil discoveries
- A paleoanthropological team led by Mary Leakey found 3.5 million year old human footprints.
- Baby hadrosaurs were discovered in the Two Medicine Formation.[2]
Invertebrates
Maurits Lindström, described the earliest known octocoral in Sweden shifting the first known appearance from the Cretaceous to the Ordovician.[3]
Fish
Newly named Ray-finned fish
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eohiodon woodruffi[4] |
Sp nov |
jr synonym |
Wilson |
A mooneye, |
| |||
Dinosaurs
Newly named dinosaurs
Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[6]
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen nov |
Tumanova |
|||||||
Gen et sp nov |
jr homonym |
Bonaparte |
Preoccupied by Blake 1863. Renamed Coloradisaurus. |
|||||
Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Possible junior synonym of Fabrosaurus. |
| |||||
Gen nov |
Valid |
| ||||||
Valid |
Wild |
|||||||
van Heerden vide: Anderson & Cruickshank |
||||||||
Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
A North Polar Dromaeosaur. |
| |||||
Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Zhiming, Chang, Li, & Zhou |
| |||||
General research
- Peter M. Galton published a paper on Fabrosauridae, including redescribing Fabrosaurus, Echinodon and Nanosaurus along with naming Lesothosaurus.[9]
Birds
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aldabranas cabri [15] |
Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Colin J. O. Harrison |
Aldabra Atoll |
An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
|||
Anser eldaricus [16] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Nikolaj I. Burchak-Abramovich D. V. Gadzyev |
Late Sarmantian |
|
An Anatidae. |
||
Apus baranensis [17] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Dénes Jánossy |
MN 16a; MN 17 |
An Apodidae. |
|||
Chaetura baconica [17] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Dénes Jánossy |
MN 11-12 |
An Apodidae. |
|||
"Gallus" europaeus [18] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid ? |
Colin J. O. Harrison |
MQ 2A |
A Phasianidae.The taxonomic status of this species should be reevaluated. There is no evidence, that it belongs to the genus Gallus Brisson. |
|||
Gavia brodkorbi [19] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
|
A Gaviidae. |
||||
Mergus miscellus [20] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Rafael Alvarez |
An Anatidae. |
||||
"Milvus" brachypterus [17] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Dénes Jánossy |
MQ 1b |
An Apodidae Incertae Sedis. |
|||
Morus magnus [19] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
|
A Sulidae. |
||||
Phalacrocorax anatolicus [21] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
A Phalacrocoracidae, transferred to the genus Nectornis Cheneval, 1984 by Mlíkovský, 1998.[22] |
|||||
Pterodroma kurodai [15] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Colin J. O. Harrison |
Aldabra Atoll |
||||
Puffinus barnesi [19] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
|
|||||
Recurvirostra sanctaneboulae [23] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
A Recurvirostridae, most unlikely it is a Recurvirostra or even a Recurvirostridae. |
|||||
Surnia robusta [17] |
Sp. nov. |
Valid |
Dénes Jánossy |
MN 18; MQ 1b |
A Strigidae. |
|||
Pterosaurs
Popular culture
References
|