1879 in paleontology

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

Ferns

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

Arthropods

Insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Location	Notes
Buprestis saxigena^[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scudder	Ypresian	Coldwater Beds	Canada British Columbia	A jewel beetle
Buprestis sepulta^[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scudder	Ypresian	Coldwater Beds	Canada British Columbia	A jewel beetle
Buprestis tertiaria^[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scudder	Ypresian	Coldwater Beds	Canada British Columbia	A jewel beetle
Cercopis selwyni^[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scudder	Ypresian	Allenby Formation	Canada British Columbia	A froghopper
Cercyon? terrigena^[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scudder	Ypresian	Coldwater Beds	Canada British Columbia	A water scavenger beetle
Coelidia columbiana^[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scudder	Ypresian	Allenby Formation	Canada British Columbia	A leafhopper
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]
Nebria paleomelas^[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scudder	Ypresian	Coldwater Beds	Canada British Columbia	A ground beetle
Penthetria similkameena^[3]	Sp nov	Jr synonym	Scudder	Ypresian	Allenby Formation	Canada British Columbia	A plecian marchfly moved to Plecia similkameena (1885)^[6]
Planophlebia^[3]	Gen et sp nov	Jr synonym	Scudder	Ypresian	Allenby Formation	Canada British Columbia	A hemipteran^[3] of uncertain placement^[7]
Tenebrio primigenius^[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scudder	Ypresian	Allenby Formation	Canada British Columbia	A darkling beetle
Trox oustaleti^[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scudder	Ypresian	Allenby Formation	Canada British Columbia	A hide beetle

Ichthyosauromorpha

Ichthyosaurs

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.

Archosauromorphs

Newly named non-avian dinosaurs

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

"Pelycosaurians"

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

^ 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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