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1879 in paleontology

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List of years in paleontology (table)
In science
1876
1877
1878
1879
1880
1881
1882
+...

Paleontology or palaeontology 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 feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have 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 or were published in the year 1879.

Plants

[edit]

Ferns

[edit]
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Location Notes Images

Equisetum similkamense[2]

Sp nov

valid

Dawson

Ypresian

Allenby Formation

 Canada
 British Columbia

A scouring rush

Equisetum similkamense


Arthropods

[edit]

Insects

[edit]
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Location Notes Images

Buprestis saxigena[3]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

Ypresian

Coldwater Beds

 Canada
 British Columbia

A jewel beetle

Buprestis saxigena
(1890 illustration)

Buprestis sepulta[3]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

Ypresian

Coldwater Beds

 Canada
 British Columbia

A jewel beetle

Buprestis sepulta
(1890 illustration)

Buprestis tertiaria[3]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

Ypresian

Coldwater Beds

 Canada
 British Columbia

A jewel beetle

Buprestis tertiaria
(1890 illustration)

Cercopis selwyni[3]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

Ypresian

Allenby Formation

 Canada
 British Columbia

A froghopper

Cercopis selwyni
(1890 illustration)

Cercyon? terrigena[3]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

Ypresian

Coldwater Beds

 Canada
 British Columbia

A water scavenger beetle

Cercyon? terrigena
(1890 illustration)

Coelidia columbiana[3]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

Ypresian

Allenby Formation

 Canada
 British Columbia

A leafhopper

Coelidia columbiana
(1890 illustration)

Hygrotrechus stali[3]

Sp nov

jr synonym

Scudder

Ypresian

Allenby Formation

 Canada
 British Columbia

A gerrine water strider
moved to Telmatrechus stali (1890)
moved to "Gerris" stali (1910)[4]
returned to Telmatrechus stali (1998)[5]

Telmatrechus stali
(1890 illustration)

Nebria paleomelas[3]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

Ypresian

Coldwater Beds

 Canada
 British Columbia

A ground beetle

Nebria paleomelas
(1890 illustration)

Penthetria similkameena[3]

Sp nov

Jr synonym

Scudder

Ypresian

Allenby Formation

 Canada
 British Columbia

A plecian marchfly
moved to Plecia similkameena (1885)[6]

Plecia similkameena

Planophlebia gigantea[3]

Gen et sp nov

Jr synonym

Scudder

Ypresian

Allenby Formation

 Canada
 British Columbia

A hemipteran[3] of uncertain placement[7]

Planophlebia gigantea
(1890 illustration)

Tenebrio primigenius[3]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

Ypresian

Allenby Formation

 Canada
 British Columbia

A darkling beetle

Tenebrio primigenius
(1890 illustration)

Trox oustaleti[3]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

Ypresian

Allenby Formation

 Canada
 British Columbia

A hide beetle

Trox oustaleti
(1890 illustration)

Ichthyosauromorpha

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Ichthyosaurs

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Location Notes Images

Sauranodon

Gen nov

Junior homonym

Marsh

Late Jurassic (Oxfordian)

Sundance Formation

 United States
 Wyoming

Preoccupied by Sauranodon Jourdan, 1862;
renamed Baptanodon Marsh, 1880.

Baptanodon natans

Archosauromorphs

[edit]

Newly named non-avian dinosaurs

[edit]
Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes

Anoplosaurus[8]

Valid

Harry Govier Seeley

middle Cretaceous (late Albian-early Cenomanian)

Cambridge Greensand

 United Kingdom

A nodosaurid ankylosaur, a member of Struthiosaurinae. The type species is A. curtonotus.

Brontosaurus

Valid

Othniel Charles Marsh

Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian)

Morrison Formation

 US

An apatosaurine diplodocid.

Camptonotus[9]

Preoccupied.

Othniel Charles Marsh

Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian)

Morrison Formation

 US

Preoccupied by Uhler, 1864. Later renamed Camptosaurus.

Coelurus[9]

Valid

Othniel Charles Marsh

Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian)

Morrison Formation

 US

A basal coelurosaur. The type species is Coelurus fragilis.

Eucercosaurus[8]

Nomen dubium

Harry Govier Seeley

middle Cretaceous (late Albian-early Cenomanian)

Cambridge Greensand

 United Kingdom

An dubious ornithopod.

Labrosaurus[10]

Valid

Othniel Charles Marsh

Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian)

Morrison Formation

 US

Junior subjective synonym of Allosaurus. The type species is Allosaurus lucaris Marsh, 1878.

Syngonosaurus[8]

Nomen dubium

Harry Govier Seeley

middle Cretaceous (late Albian-early Cenomanian)

Cambridge Greensand

 United Kingdom

A dubious ornithopod. The type species is S. macrocercus.

Vectisaurus[11]

Nomen dubium

Hulke

early Cretaceous (Barremian)

Wessex Formation

 United Kingdom

A dubious iguanodont. The type species is Vectisaurus valdensis.

Synapsids

[edit]

"Pelycosaurians"

[edit]
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Location Notes Images

Macromerion

Gen et comb nov

Valid

Fritsch

Late Carboniferous

 Czech Republic

A new genus for "Labyrinthodon" schwartzenbergii 1875.

See also

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ Gini-Newman, Garfield; Graham, Elizabeth (2001). Echoes from the past: world history to the 16th century. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ISBN 9780070887398. OCLC 46769716.
  2. ^ Dawson, J. W. (1879). "Appendix B. List of tertiary plants in the southern part of British Columbia, with the description of a new species of Equisetum". Geological Survey of Canada, Report of Progress for. Vol. 1877–1878. Montreal, Quebec: Dawson Brothers. p. 187.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Scudder, S. H (1879). "Appendix A. The fossil insects collected in 1877, by Mr. G.M. Dawson, in the interior of British Columbia". Geological Survey of Canada, Report of Progress for. 1877–1878: 175–185.
  4. ^ Handlirsch, A. (1910). "Canadian fossil Insects. 5. Insects from the Tertiary lake deposits of the southern interior of British Columbia, collected by Mr. Lawrence M. Lambe". Contributions to Canadian Palaeontology. 2 (3): 93–129.
  5. ^ Andersen, N.M. (1998). "Water striders from the Paleogene of Denmark and review of fossil record and evolution of semi aquatic bugs (Hemiptera Gerromorpha)". Biologiske Skrifter. 50: 1–157.
  6. ^ Scudder, S. H. (1890). "The Tertiary insects of North America". United States Geological Survey of the Territories, Washington: 615.
  7. ^ Szwedo, J.; Lefebvre, F. (2004). Fossil planthoppers of the world (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha). An annotated catalogue with notes on Hemiptera classification. Warszawa: Studio, 1. pp. 48–49. ISBN 83-912236-8-X.
  8. ^ a b c Seeley, H. G., 1879, On the Dinosauria of the Cambridge Greensand: Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, v. 35, p. 591-636.
  9. ^ a b Marsh, O. C., 1879. Notice of New Jurassic Reptiles: American Journal of Science, 3rd series, v. 18, p. 501-505.
  10. ^ Marsh, O. C., 1879. Principal Characters of American Jurassic Dinosaurs. Part II: American Journal of Science, 3rd series, v. 17, p. 86-92.
  11. ^ Hulke, J. W., 1879, Vectisaurus valdensis, a new Wealden Dinosaur: Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, v. 35, p. 421-424.