1870 in paleontology - Misplaced Pages

Overview of the events of 1870 in paleontology

In science: 1867; 1868; 1869; 1870; 1871; 1872; 1873

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Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. 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 1870.

Arthropods

Newly named insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Bibio lartetii	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Oustalet, 1870	Oligocene		France	A bibionid, moved to Plecia larteti in 2017	Plecia larteti
Protomyia lugens	Sp nov	jr synonym	Oustalet, 1870	Oligocene		France	A bibionid, moved to Penthetria lugens in 2017	Penthetria lugens

"Fish"

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Asineops'	Gen et Sp nov	valid	Cope	Eocene Ypresian	Green River Formation	US Wyoming	A fish of possibly Percopsiformes affiliation. The type species is A. squamifrons	Asineops squamifrons
Cyprinodon levatus	Sp nov	Jr synonym	Cope	Eocene Ypresian	Green River Formation	US Wyoming	A percopsid fish Moved to Erismatopterus levatus in 1871	Erismatopterus levatus

Turtles

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Pneumatoarthrus	Gen et sp nov	valid	Cope	Cretaceous Maastrichtian	Mount Laurel Formation	US New Jersey	First identified as a possible basal sauropod. Reidentified as a protostegid marine turtle. The type species is P. peloreus	Pneumatoarthrus

Archosauromorphs

Newly named birds

Name	Status	Authors		Location	Notes
Laornis	Misidentification.	Marsh	USA New Jersey	Misidentified bird. The type species is L. edvardsianus

Newly named non-avian dinosaurs

Name	Status	Authors	Location	Notes
Antrodemus	Nomen dubium	Joseph Leidy		Possible subjective synonym of Allosaurus.
Ornithopsis	Nomen dubium	Harry Govier Seeley	Switzerland	Earlier it was believed that the fossils were those of a pterosaur. But now it is known that they were the bones of a Sauropod.
Struthiosaurus	Valid	Bunzel	Austria France Romania Hungary	A dwarf ankylosaur.

Plesiosaurs

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors		Location	Notes
Taphrosaurus	Valid	Cope		USA ( New Jersey)
Uronautes	Valid	Cope

Pterosaurs

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors	Location	Notes	Images
Amblydectes	Jr. synonym.	Seeley		Junior synonym of Coloborhynchus.
Cycnorhamphus	Valid	Seeley	Germany		Cycnorhamphus
Rhabdopelix	Misidentification	Cope		At first it was thought to be a Triassic pterosaur, but is now known to be (at least in part) a kuehneosaurid

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Location	Notes	Images
Lystrosaurus	Valid	Cope	252 million years ago.	Antarctica China India South Africa	It was a protomammal that had fangs very similar to those of a walrus.	Lystrosaurus

References

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.
^ Skartveit, J.; Nel, A. (2017). "Revision of fossil Bibionidae (Insecta: Diptera) from French Oligocene deposits". Zootaxa. 4225 (1): 1–83. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4225.1.1. PMID 28187637.
^ Grande, L. (1984). "Paleontology of the Green River Formation, with a review of the fish fauna". Bulletin of the Wyoming State Geological Survey. 63 2nd ed. Laramie, Wyoming.
Cope, 1870. Observations on the Reptilia of the Triassic formations of the Atlantic region of the United States. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 11, 444-446.

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