1976 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 1976.

Dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[2]

Newly named dinosaurs

Name Status Authors Notes Images
Alioramus[3] Valid taxon
Itemirus[4] Valid taxon
Marshosaurus Valid taxon
  • J. H. Madsen
Ouranosaurus[5] Valid taxon
Zigongosaurus[6]

Disputed.

  • Hou
  • Chao
  • Chu

Possible junior synonym of Mamenchisaurus.

Newly named birds

Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Aegialornis broweri [7]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Charles T. Collins

Eocene or Oligocene

Phosphorites du Quercy,

MP 16-28;

Geiseltal

 France;

 DDR:

 Saxony-Anhalt

An Apodiformes, Aegialornithidae Lydekker, 1891, transferred to the new genus Mesogiornis Mlíkovský, 2002. by Mlíkovský, 2002.[8]

Aegialornis wetmorei [7]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Charles T. Collins

Eocene or Oligocene

Phosphorites du Quercy,

MP 16-28

 France

An Apodiformes, Aegialornithidae Lydekker, 1891, transferred to the new genus Mesogiornis Mlíkovský, 2002. by Mlíkovský, 2002.,[8] it is the type species of the new genus.

Alexornis antecedens [9]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Pierce Brodkorb

Late Cretaceous

Campanian

 Mexico

An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Alexornithiformes Brodkorb, 1976, Alexornithidae Brodkorb, 1976.

Anas soporata [10]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Evgeny N. Kurochkin

Miocene-Pliocene

Chirgiz-Nur Formation

 Mongolia

An Anatidae, transferred to the genus Dendrocygna by Jíří Mlíkovský & Petr Švec, 1986.[11]

Anser liskunae [10]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Evgeny N. Kurochkin

Middle Pliocene

Zavhan

 Mongolia

An Anatidae.

Apteribis glenos [12]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Storrs L. Olson

Alexander Wetmore

Holocene

25,000 Ybp

 USA

 Hawaii

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

Aythya spatiosa [10]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Evgeny N. Kurochkin

Early Pliocene

Hyargas Nuur Formation

 Mongolia

An Anatidae.

Apus wetmorei [13]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Peter Ballmann

Early Pliocene

Gargano,

MN 14-15

 Italy

An Apodidae.

Butorides validipes [14]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.

Early Pleistocene

Late Blancan

 USA

 Florida

An Ardeidae.

Columba omnisanctorum [13]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Peter Ballmann

Early Pliocene

Gargano,

ppMN 14-15

 Italy

A Columbidae.

Eobucco brodkorbi [15]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Alan Feduccia

Larry D. Martin

Middle Eocene

Bridger Formation

 USA:

 Wyoming

Described as a Piciformes, Primobucconidae Feduccia et Martin, 1976, now placed in the Coliiformes, Sandcileidae Houde et Olson, 1992, it is the type species of the new genus.

Gigantibis incognita [16]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Colin J. O. Harrison

Cyril A. Walker

Late Eocene

MP 17

 UK

 England

Described as a Threskiornithidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Olson, 1981,[17] this is the type species if the new genus.

Heterochen vicinus [10]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Evgeny N. Kurochkin

Late Miocene

Hyargas Nuur Formation

 Mongolia

An Anatidae, transferred to the genus Anser by Jíří Mlíkovský & Petr Švec, 1986,[11] and made the type species of his new genus Heteroanser by Nikita V. Zelenkov, 2012.[18]

Howardia eous [16]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Colin J. O. Harrison

Cyril A. Walker

Late Eocene

MP 17

 UK

 England

An Anatidae, this is the type species of this new genus but it is preoccupied by Howardia Berlese et Leonardi, 1896. (Insecta: Hemiptera)so transferred to and becoming the type species of the new genus Palaeopapia Harrison et Walker, 1979 by Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker in 1979.[19]

Jacana farrandi [20]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Storrs L. Olson

Middle Pliocene

Alachua Formatie,

Early Hemphillian

 USA:

 Florida

A Jacanidae.

Macrodontopteryx oweni [21]

Gen. nov et Sp. nov.

Valid

Colin J. O. Harrison

Cyril A. Walker

Early Eocene

Ypresian,

MP 8-9

 UK:

 England

A Pelagornithidae Fürbringer, 1888, this is the typespecies of the new genus.

Milvago alexandri [22]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Storrs L. Olson

Late Pleistocene

Cave deposits

 Haiti

A Falconidae.

Nyctanassa kobdoena [10]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Evgeny N. Kurochkin

Late Miocene

 Mongolia

An Ardeidae.

Ogygoptynx wetmorei [23]

Gen. nov et Sp. nov.

Valid

Patricia Vickers Rich

David J. Bohaska

Middle Paleocene

Tiffanian

 USA:

 Colorado

A Strigiformes, Ogygoptyngidae Rich et Bohaska, 1981.,[24] this is the type species and type genus of the new genus and the new family.

Oreopholus orcesi [25]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.

Pleistocene

La Carolina

 Ecuador

A Charadriidae.

Palaeotodus emryi [26]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Storrs L. Olson

Oligocene

Brule Formation

 USA:

 Wyoming

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

Pandion homalopteron [27]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Stuart L. Warter

Middle Miocene

Barstovian

 USA:

 California

A Pandionidae.

Pelecanus aethiopicus [28]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Colin J. O. Harrison

Cyril A. Walker

Early Middle Pleistocene

Olduvai Series

 Tanzania

A Pelecanidae.

Petropluvialis simplex [16]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Colin J. O. Harrison

Cyril A. Walker

Late Eocene

MP 17

 UK:

 England

Described in the Burhinidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský 2002,[8] according to Mayr et Smith, 2001 [29] closely related to Palaeopapia eous (Harrison et Walker, 1976) and possibly synonymous with this species so they place it in the Anseriformes, this is the type species of the new genus.

Phalacrocorax reliquus [10]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Evgeny N. Kurochkin

Pliocene

 Mongolia

A Phalacrocoracidae.

Phoenicopterus aethiopicus [30]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Collin J. O. Harrison

Cyril A. Walker

Early Miocene

Rusinga Island

Maboko Island

 Kenya

A Phoenicopteridae, transferred to the genus Leakeyornis Vickers-Rich & Walker, 1983 by Patricia Vickers Rich & Cyril A. Walker,[31] it is the type species of the new genus.

Piscator tenuirostris [16]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Colin J. O. Harrison

Cyril A. Walker

Late Eocene

MP 17

 UK:

 England

Described in the Phalacrocoracidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský 2002,[8] this is the type species of the new genus.

Podilymbus wetmorei [32]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Robert W. Storer

Late Pleistocene

Rancholabrean

 USA:

 Florida

A Podicipedidae.

Praemancalla wetmorei [33]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Hildegarde Howard

Late Miocene

Monterey Formatie

 USA:

 California

An Alcidae, transferred to the genus Miomancalla N. A. Smith, 2011 by N. Adam Smith, 2011.[34]

Primobucco olsoni [15]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Alan Feduccia

Larry D. Martin

Early Eocene;

Middle Eocene

Green River Formation

 UK:

 England;

 USA:

 Wyoming

Described as a Piciformes, Primobucconidae Feduccia et Martin, 1976, made the type species of the new genus Cyrilavis Martin, 2010 [35] and placed in the stem Psittaciformes, Halcyornithidae Harrison et Walker, 1972.

Pseudodontornis longidentata [21]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Colin J. O. Harrison

Cyril A. Walker

Early Eocene

Ypresian,

MP 8-9

 UK:

 England

A Pelagornithidae Fürbringer, 1888.

Strix? perpasta [13]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Peter Ballmann

Early Pliocene

Gargano,

MN 14-15

 Italy

A Strigidae, transferred to the geus Bubo by Mlíkovský 1998.[36]

Tenuicrus magnum [16]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Colin J. O. Harrison

Cyril A. Walker

Late Eocene

MP 17

 UK

 England

A Phoenicopteriformes, Juncitarcidae, this is the type of this new genus but it is preoccupied by Tenuicrus Womersley, 1940. (Arachnida: Acarina)so transferred to and becoming the type species of the new genus Kashinia Harrison et Walker, 1979 by Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker in 1979.[19]

Tetrao macropus [37]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Dénes Jánossy

Late Pliocene

MN 18

 Hungary

A Phasianidae.

Thambetochen chauliodous [12]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Storrs L. Olson

Alexander Wetmore

Holocene

Molokai, Oahu, Maui

 USA:

 Hawaii

The first described moa-nalo, an Anatidae.

Uintornis marionae [38]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Alan Feduccia

Larry D. Martin

Middle Eocene

Bridger Formation

 USA:

 Wyoming

Described in the Piciformes, Primobucconidae Feduccia & Martin, 1976, transferred to the Coliiformes, Sandcoleidae Houde et Olson, 1992 by Peter W. Houde & Storrs L. Olson, 1992.[39]

Villetus grandis [16]

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Valid

Colin J. O. Harrison

Cyril A. Walker

Late Eocene

MP 14-16

 UK:

 England

Described in the Scolopacidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský 2002,[8] this is the type species of the new genus.

Villetus waltoni [16]

Sp. nov.

Valid

Colin J. O. Harrison

Cyril A. Walker

Late Eocene

MP 14-16

 UK:

 England

Described in the Scolopacidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský 2002.[8]

Plesiosaurs

New taxa

Name Status Authors Notes

Georgia[40]

Valid

Otschev

preoccupied by a genus of mollusk, renamed to Georgiasaurus in 1977

Valid

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name Status Authors Discovery year Age Unit Location Notes Images

'

Valid

'

Valid

References

  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. Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  3. Kurzanov, S.M. 1976. A new Late Cretaceous carnosaur from Nogon-Tsav, Mongolia [in Russian]. Sovm. Sov.-Mong. Paleontol. Eksped. Trudy 3: pp. 93-104.
  4. Kurzanov, S.M. 1976. Braincase structure in the carnosaur Itemirus n. gen. and some aspects of the cranial anatomy of dinosaurs. Paleontol. Zhurnal 1976: pp. 127-137.
  5. Taquet, P. 1977. Dinosaurs of Niger. Nigerina Field 42 (1): pp. 1-8.
  6. Hou, L., X. Chao, and (first name?) Chu. 1976. New discovery of sauropod dinosaurs from Sichuan. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 14: pp. 160- 165.
  7. 1 2 Charles T. Collins (1976). "A Review of the Lower Miocene Swifts (Aves: Apodiae)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 27: 129–132.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jírí Mlíkovský, (2002). "Cenozoic Birds of the World Part 1: Europe" (PDF). Praha Ninox Press: 1–407.
  9. Pierce Brodkorb (1976). "Discovery of a Cretaceous Bird, Apparently Ancestral to the Orders Coraciiformes and Piciformes" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 27: 67–73.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Evgeny N. Kurochkin (1976). "[New Data on Paleocene Birds of Western Mongolia]". Transaction of the Joint Soviet-Mongolian Paleontological Expedition 3 (4): 51–67.
  11. 1 2 Jíří Mlíkovský & Petr Švec (1986). "Review of the Tertiary Waterfowl (Aves: Anseridae) of Asia" (PDF). Vestnik Ceskoslovenske Spolecnosti Zoologicke 50: 249–272.
  12. 1 2 Storrs L. Olson & Alexander Wetmore (1976). "Preliminary Diagnoses of Two Extraordinary New Genera of Birds from Pleistocene Deposits in the Hawaiian Islands" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 89: 247–258.
  13. 1 2 3 Peter Ballmann (1976). "Fossile Vögel aus dem Neogen der Halbinsel Gargano (Italien) Zweiter Teil". Scripta Geologica 38: 1–59.
  14. Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr. (1976). "An Early Pleistoceen Avifauna from Haile XVA, Florida" (PDF). Wilson Bulletin 88 (2): 345–347.
  15. 1 2 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.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1976). "Birds of the British Upper Eocene". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 59 (4): 323–351. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1976.tb01017.x.
  17. Storrs L. Olson (1981). "The Generic Allocation of Ibis pagana Milne-Edwards, with A Review of the Fossil Ibises (Aves: Threskiornithidae)" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 1 (2): 165–170. doi:10.1080/02724634.1981.10011888.
  18. Nikita V. Zelenkov (2012). "Neogene Geese and Ducks (Aves: Anatidae) from Localities of the Great Lakes Depression, Western Mongolia". Paleontological Journal 46 (11): 607–619.
  19. 1 2 Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1979). "New Names for Two Upper Eocene Bird Genera". Tertiary Research 2 (3): 110.
  20. Storrs L. Olson (1976). "A Jacana from the Pliocene of Florida (Aves: Jacanide)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 89: 259–264.
  21. 1 2 Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1976). "A Review of the Bony-Toothed Birds (Odontopterygiformes): with the Description of Some New Species". Tertiary Research Special Papers 2: 1–72.
  22. Storrs L. Olson (1976). "A New Species of Milvago from Hispaniola, with Notes on Other Fossil Caracaras from the West Indies (Aves: Falconidae)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 88 (3): 355–366.
  23. Patricia Vickers Rich & David J. Bohaska (1976). "The World’s Oldest Owl: A New Strigiform from the Paleocene of Southwestern Colorado" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 27: 87–93.
  24. Patricia Vickers Rich & David J. Bohaska (1981). "The Ogygoptyngidae, a New Family of Owls from the Paleocene of North America" (PDF). Alcheringa 5 (2): 95–102. doi:10.1080/03115518108565424.
  25. Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr. (1976). "The Late Pleistocene Avifauna of La Carolina, Southwestern Ecuador" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 27: 155–168.
  26. Storrs L. Olson (1976). "Oligocene Fossils Bearing on the Origins of the Todidae and the Motmotidae (Aves: Coraciiformes)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 27: 111–119. doi:10.5479/si.00810266.27.1.
  27. Stuart L. Warter (1976). "A New Osprey from the Miocene of California (Falconiformes: Pandionidae)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 27: 133–139.
  28. Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1976). "A New Fossil Pelican from Olduvai". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology Series 27: 315–320.
  29. Gerald Mayr & Richard Smith (2001). "Ducks, Rails and Limicoline Waders (Aves: Anseriformes, Gruiformes, Charadriiformes) from the Lowermost Oligocene of Belgium" (PDF). Praha Ninox Press 34 (5): 547–561. doi:10.1016/s0016-6995(01)80069-3.
  30. Collin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1976). "Cranial Material of Oligocene and Miocene Flamingos: With a Description of a New Species". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology Series 27: 305–314.
  31. Patricia Vickers Rich & Cyril A. Walker (1983). "A New Genus of Miocene Flamingo from East Africa". Ostrich 54 (2): 95–104. doi:10.1080/00306525.1983.9634452.
  32. Robert W. Storer (1976). "The Pleistocene Pied-billed Grebes (Aves: Podicipedidae)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 27: 147–153.
  33. Hildegarde Howard (1976). "A New Species of Flightless Auk from the Miocene of California (Alcidae: Mancallinae)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 27: 141–146.
  34. N. Adam Smith (2011). "Taxonomic Revision and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Flightless Mancallinae (Aves, Pan-Alcidae)" (PDF). ZooKeys 91: 1–116. doi:10.3897/zookeys.91.709. PMC 3084493. PMID 21594108.
  35. Larry D. Martin (2010). "Paleogene Avifauna of the Holarctic" (PDF). Vertebrata PalAsiatica 48 (4): 367–374.
  36. Jíří Mlíkovský (1998). "Two New Owls (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of the Czech Republic, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Subfamily Striginae" (PDF). Buteo 10: 5–21.
  37. Dénes Jánossy (1976). "Plio-Pleistocene Bird Remains from the Carpathian Basin. I. Galliformes. 1. Tetraonidae" (PDF). Aquila 82: 13–36.
  38. 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.
  39. Peter W. Houde & Storrs L. Olson, (1992). "A Radiation of Coly-like Birds from the Eocene of North America (Aves: Sandcoleiformes New Order)" (PDF). In Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring Pierce Brodkorb. ed: Jonathan J. Becker, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Science series 36: 137–160.
  40. Otschev, V.G. (1977). "A substitution for the preocupied name Georgia penzensis". Paleontological Journal 11: 118.
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