1970 in paleontology

Summary

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 1970.

List of years in paleontology (table)
In science
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
+...

Arthropods edit

Newly named insects edit

Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Aphaenogaster avita[2]

Sp nov

Valid

Fujiyama

early - middle Miocene

Chojabaru Formation

  Japan

A myrmicin ant
Moved to Paraphaenogaster avita (2016)

"Holcorpidae"[3]

Fam nov

nomen nudum

Zherikhin

Priabonian

Florissant Formation

  USA

A scorpionfly family, type sp. H. maculosa
No formal description provided

Archosauromorphs edit

Newly named diapsids edit

Name Novelty Status Authors Age Location Notes Images

Longisquama[4]

fam et gen et sp nov

valid

Sharov

Middle to Late Triassic

possible gliding reptile covered with Feather-like Scales.

 
Longisquama insignis

Newly named dinosaurs edit

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[5]

Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Daspletosaurus[6]

gen et sp nov

Valid

Russell

Late Cretaceous

Oldman Formation

A tyrannosaurine tyrannosaurid.

 
Daspletosaurus

Deinocheirus[7]

fam, gen et sp nov

Valid

Osmólska & Roniewicz

late Cretaceous

Nemegt Formation

 
Deinocheirus

Dilophosaurus[8]

gen nov

Valid

Welles

Early Jurassic

Kayenta formation

A Two-crested Dilophosaur.
 
Dilophosaurus

"Likhoelesaurus"[9]

gen et sp nov

Nomen nudum.

Ellenberger

Late Triassic

Lower Elliot Formation

Misidentified non-dinosaurian archosaur.

"Megadontosaurus"[10]

gen et sp nov

Nomen nudum

Brown vide: Ostrom

Early Cretaceous

Cloverly Formation

Chimera of Deinonychus and Microvenator.

Microvenator[11]

gen et sp nov

Valid

Ostrom

Early Cretaceous

Cloverly Formation

 
Microvenator celer

Sauropelta[11]

gen et sp nov

Valid

Ostrom

Early Cretaceous

Cloverly Formation

a nodosaurid

 
Sauropelta

Staurikosaurus[12]

gen et sp nov

Valid

Colbert

Late Triassic

Santa Maria Formation

a herrerasaurid

 
Staurikosaurus

Tenontosaurus[11]

gen et sp nov

Valid

Ostrom

Early Cretaceous

Cloverly Formation

an ornithopod. with a Long Tail.

 
Tenontosaurus

Newly named birds edit

Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Anabernicula robusta [13]

Sp. nov.

jr synonym

Short

Early Pleistocene

Yarmouth Intergalcial

An Anatidae, jr synonym of Brantadorna robusta[14]

Aquila borrasi [15]

Sp. nov.

jr synonym

Arredondo

Pleistocene

Cave deposits

An Accipitridae, jr synonym of Buteogallus borrasi.[16]

Chubutodyptes biloculata [17]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

valid

George G. Simpson

Early Miocene

Patagonian

A Spheniscidae, this is the type species of the new genus, Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche, 2007 transferred the species to the genus Palaeospheniscus Moreno et Mercerat, 1891.[18]

Heterochen pratensis [13]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

valid

Lester L. Short

Early Pliocene

Valentine Formation

An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus.

Mancalla milleri [19]

Sp. nov.

valid

Hildegarde Howard

Middle Pliocene

Blancan,

San Diego Formation

An Alcidae, Mancallinae.

Primobucco mcgrewi [20]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

valid

Pierce Brodkorb

Early Eocene

Green River Formation

Described as a Bucconidae, Feduccia et Martin, 1976 erected the family Primobucconidae for it,[21] this is the type species of the new genus.

Proagriocharis kimballensis [22]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

valid

Larry D. Martin

James Tate, Jr.

Late Pliocene

Kimball Formation

A Meleagridae, this is the type species of the new genus.

Pseudaptenodytes macraei [17]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

valid

George G. Simpson

Late Miocene

Cheltenhamian

A Spheniscidae, this is the type species of the new genus.

Pseudaptenodytes minor [17]

Sp. nov.

valid

George G. Simpson

Late Miocene

Cheltenhamian

A Spheniscidae.

Tringa antiqua [23]

Sp. nov.

valid

J. Alan Feduccia

Late Pliocene

Hemphillian

A Scolopacidae.

Zonotrichia robusta [24]

Sp. nov.

valid

Eduardo P. Tonni

Middle Pleistocene

Miramar

A Passerellidae.

Newly named Pterosaurs edit

Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Pterodaustro

gen et sp nov

Valid

Bonaparte

early Cretaceous

Lagarcito Formation

  Argentina

a Ctenochasmatid pterodactyloid. with a Flamingo-like feeding style.

 
Pterodaustro guinazui

References edit

  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. ^ Fujiyama, I. (1970). "Fossil insects from the Chojabaru Formation, Iki Island, Japan". Memoirs of the Natural Science Museum, Tokyo. 3: 65–74.
  3. ^ Archibald, SB (2010). "Revision of the scorpionfly family Holcorpidae (Mecoptera), with description of a new species from Early Eocene McAbee, British Columbia, Canada". Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 46 (1–2): 173–182. doi:10.1080/00379271.2010.10697654. S2CID 85039877.
  4. ^ Sharov, A.G. 1970. A peculiar reptile from the Lower Triassic of Fergana. Paleontologiceskij Zurnal 1: pp. 127-130.
  5. ^ Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  6. ^ Russell, D.A. 1970. Tyrannosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Western Canada. National Museum of Nat. Sci., Publ. Paleontology No. 1.
  7. ^ Osmolska, H. and E. Roniewicz. 1970. Deinocheiridae, a new family of theropod dinosaurs. Palaeontol. Polonica 21: pp. 5-19.
  8. ^ Welles, S.P. 1970. Dilophosaurus (Reptilia: Saurischia), a new name for a dinosaur. J. Paleontol. 44: p. 989.
  9. ^ Ellenberger, P. 1970. Les niveaux Paléontologiques de première apparition des Mammifères primordiaux d'Afrique du Sud et leur ichnologie, établissement de zones stratigaphiques detaillées dans le stormberg du Lesotho (Afrique du Sud) (Trias supérieur à Jurassique). Proceedings Papers of the 2nd Gondwana Symposium in South Africa, 1970: pp. 343-370.
  10. ^ Brown vide Ostrom, J.H. 1970. Terrestrial vertebrates as indicators of Mesozoic climates. Proc. North. Am. Paleontol. Convention D, 347-376.
  11. ^ a b c Ostrom, J.H. 1970. Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin area, Wyoming and Montana. Peabody Museum Nat. History Bull. 35: pp. 1-234.
  12. ^ Colbert, E.H. 1970. A saurischian dinosaur from the Triassic of Brasil. Amer. Mus. Novitates 2405: pp. 1-39.
  13. ^ a b Short, LL (1970). "A New Anseriform Genus and Species from the Nebraska Pliocene" (PDF). Auk. 87 (3): 537–543. doi:10.2307/4083796. JSTOR 4083796.
  14. ^ Livezey; BC (1997). "A Phylogenetic Classification of Waterfowl (Aves: Anseriformes), including selected fossil species". Annals of Carnegie Museum. 66 (4): 457–496. doi:10.5962/p.215141. S2CID 203892656.
  15. ^ Arredondo, O (1970). "Nueva Especie de Ave Pleistocénica del Orden Accipitriformes (Accipitridae) y Nuevo Género para las Antillas". Ciencias, series 4 (Ciencias Biológicas). 8: 1–8.
  16. ^ Duque, WS; Olson, SL (2007). "The Cuban Fossil Eagle Aquila borrasi Arredondo: A Scaled-up Version of the Great Black-hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga) (Gmelin)" (PDF). Journal of Raptor Research. 41 (4): 288–298. doi:10.3356/0892-1016(2007)41[288:tcfeab]2.0.co;2. S2CID 55380044.
  17. ^ a b c George G. Simpson (1970). "Miocene Penguins from Victoria, Australia, and Chubut, Argentina". Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria. 31: 17–23. doi:10.24199/j.mmv.1970.31.02.
  18. ^ Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche (2007). "Revisión Sistematicá de Palaeospheniscus biloculata (Simpson) nov. comb. (Aves, Spheniscidae) de la Formación Gaiman (Mioceno Temprano), Chubut, Argentina". Ameghiniana. 44 (2): 417–426.
  19. ^ Hildegarde Howard (1970). "A Review of the Extinct Avian Genus Mancalla" (PDF). Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles County, Contributions in Science. 203: 1–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
  20. ^ Pierce Brodkorb (1970). "An Eocene Puffbird from Wyoming". Contributions to Geology University of Wyoming. 9 (1): 13–15. Archived from the original on 2016-08-07. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
  21. ^ J. Alan Feduccia & Larry D. Martin (1976). "The Eocene Zygodactyl Birds of North America (Aves: Piciformes)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore Ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 27: 101–110.
  22. ^ Larry D. Martin & James Tate, Jr. (1970). "A New Turkey from the Pliocene of Nebraska" (PDF). Wilson Bulletin. 82 (2): 214–218.
  23. ^ J. Alan Feduccia (1970). "A New Shorebird from the Upper Pliocene" (PDF). Journal of the Graduate Research Center (Dallas, Texas). 38 (3–4): 58–60.
  24. ^ Eduardo P. Tonni (1970). "Zonotrichia robusta n. sp. (Aves, Passeriformes) del Pleistoceno Medio de la Provincia de Buenos Aires". Ameghiniana. 7 (2): 161–165.