1878 in paleontology

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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 feces (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 or were published in the year 1878.

Arthropods

Newly named insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Holcorpa[2]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Scudder	Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA	A scorpionfly, type sp. H. maculosa

Archosauromorphs

O. W. Lucas recovers more material which would be referred to Laelaps trihedrodon from Morrison Formation strata near Garden Park, Colorado.^[3]

Newly named pseudosuchians

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Symphyrophus	Nomen dubium	Edward Drinker Cope		Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian to Tithonian)	Morrison Formation	US	Possibly a synonym of Amphicotylus.[4]

Newly named dinosaurs

Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Brachyrophus Valid Edward Drinker Cope Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian to Tithonian) Morrison Formation  US Junior subjective synonym of Camptosaurus. Creosaurus Junior synonym Othniel Charles Marsh Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian to Tithonian) Morrison Formation  US Synonym of Allosaurus. Diplodocus Valid Othniel Charles Marsh Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian to Tithonian) Morrison Formation  US A diplodocine diplodocid. Epanterias Nomen dubium Edward Drinker Cope Possible subjective synonym of Allosaurus or Saurophaganax. Hypsirophus Junior synonym Edward Drinker Cope Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian to Tithonian) Morrison Formation  US Synonym of Stegosaurus. Laosaurus Nomen dubium Othniel Charles Marsh Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian to Tithonian) Morrison Formation  US Morosaurus Jr. synonym Othniel Charles Marsh Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian to Tithonian) Morrison Formation  US Junior subjective synonym of Camarasaurus.		Diplodocus.

Plesiosaurs

Newly named plesiosaurs

Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Eurysaurus Valid Gaudry Early Jurassic Unknown  France

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Discovery year	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Dimetrodon	Valid
Embolophorus	Valid
Ophiacodon	Valid
Sphenacodon	Valid
Theropleura	Valid

Footnotes

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. Archibald, SB (2010). "Revision of the scorpionfly family Holcorpidae (Mecoptera), with description of a new species from Early Eocene McAbee, British Columbia, Canada" (PDF). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 46 (1-2): 173–182. doi:10.1080/00379271.2010.10697654.
3. "Introduction," Chure (2001) page 11.
4. Osborn, H.F., and Mook, C. C. (1921). "Camarasaurus, Amphicoelias and other sauropods of Cope." Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History NS, 3(3): 249–387.

References

• Chure, Daniel J. (2001). "On the type and referred material of Laelaps trihedrodon Cope 1877 (Dinosauria: Theropoda)". In Tanke, Darren; and Carpenter, Kenneth (eds.). Mesozoic Vertebrate Life. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. pp. 10–18. ISBN 0-253-33907-3.