1879 in paleontology

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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[edit]

Ichthyosaurs[edit]

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.

References[edit]

^ 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.
^ 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.
^ ^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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Scudder, S. H. (1890). "The Tertiary insects of North America". United States Geological Survey of the Territories, Washington: 615.
^ 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.
^ ^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.
^ ^a ^b Marsh, O. C., 1879. Notice of New Jurassic Reptiles: American Journal of Science, 3rd series, v. 18, p. 501-505.
^ Marsh, O. C., 1879. Principal Characters of American Jurassic Dinosaurs. Part II: American Journal of Science, 3rd series, v. 17, p. 86-92.
^ Hulke, J. W., 1879, Vectisaurus valdensis, a new Wealden Dinosaur: Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, v. 35, p. 421-424.

[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.

[Dawson1879-2] 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.

[Scudder1879-3] ^ ^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.

[Handlirsh1910-4] 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.

[Striders1998-5] 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.

[Scudder1890-6] Scudder, S. H. (1890). "The Tertiary insects of North America". United States Geological Survey of the Territories, Washington: 615.

[Swedo2004-7] 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.

[HGS79-8] Seeley, H. G., 1879, On the Dinosauria of the Cambridge Greensand: Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, v. 35, p. 591-636.

[OCM79-9] 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.

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