1978 in paleontology
# 1978 in paleontology

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. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised faeces (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 in the year 1978.

## Expeditions, field work, and fossil discoveries

* A paleoanthropological team led by Mary Leakey found 3.5 million year old human footprints.
* Baby hadrosaurs were discovered in the Two Medicine Formation.

## Invertebrates

Maurits Lindström, described the earliest known octocoral in Sweden shifting the first known appearance from the Cretaceous to the Ordovician.

## Fish

### Newly named Ray-finned fish

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Eohiodon woodruffi | Sp nov | jr synonym | Wilson | Ypresian | Klondike Mountain Formation | United States Washington | A mooneye, Moved to Hiodon woodruffi in 2008 | Hiodon woodruffi |

## Dinosaurs

### Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "Amtosaurus" | Gen nov | Nomen dubium. | Kurzanov | | Tumanova | | | |
| "Coloradia" | Gen et sp nov | jr homonym | Bonaparte | | | | Preoccupied by Blake 1863. Renamed Coloradisaurus. | |
| Lesothosaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Galton | Early Jurassic | | Lesotho | Possible junior synonym of Fabrosaurus. | Lesothosaurus |
| Micropachycephalosaurus | Gen nov | Valid | Dong | | | China | A pachycephalosaur. | Micropachycephalosaurus |
| Ohmdenosaurus | | Valid | Wild | | | Germany | | |
| "Roccosaurus" | | Nomen nudum. | van Heerden vide: Anderson & Cruickshank | | | | Junior synonym of Melanorosaurus. | |
| Saurornitholestes | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Sues | Campanian | Judith River Formation | Canada ( Alberta | A North Polar Dromaeosaur. | Saurornitholestes |
| Yangchuanosaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Zhiming, Chang, Li, & Zhou | | | China | A carnosaur | Yangchuanosaurus |

### General research

* Peter M. Galton published a paper on Fabrosauridae, including redescribing Fabrosaurus, Echinodon and Nanosaurus along with naming Lesothosaurus.

## Birds

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Aldabranas cabri | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Late Pleistocene | Aldabra Atoll | Seychelles | An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Anser eldaricus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Nikolaj I. Burchak-Abramovich D. V. Gadzyev | Pliocene | Late Sarmantian | Soviet Union (Now Azerbaijan) | An Anatidae. |
| Apus baranensis | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Late Pliocene | MN 16a; MN 17 | Hungary  Bulgaria | An Apodidae. |
| Chaetura baconica | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Late Miocene | MN 11-12 | Hungary | An Apodidae. |
| "Gallus" europaeus | Sp. nov. | Valid ? | Colin J. O. Harrison | Middle Pleistocene | MQ 2A | UK | A Phasianidae.The taxonomic status of this species should be reevaluated. There is no evidence, that it belongs to the genus Gallus Brisson. |
| Gavia brodkorbi | Sp. nov. | Valid | Hildegarde Howard | Late Miocene | Monterey Formation | USA ( California) | A Gaviidae. |
| Mergus miscellus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Rafael Alvarez Storrs L. Olson | Late Miocene | Calvert Formation | USA( Virginia and Maryland) | An Anatidae. |
| "Milvus" brachypterus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Early Pleistocene | MQ 1b | Hungary | An Apodidae Incertae Sedis. |
| Morus magnus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Hildegarde Howard | Late Miocene | Monterey Formation | USA ( California) | A Sulidae. |
| Phalacrocorax anatolicus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Middle Miocene | Helvetian | Turkey | A Phalacrocoracidae, transferred to the genus Nectornis Cheneval, 1984 by Mlíkovský, 1998. |
| Pterodroma kurodai | Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Pleistocene | Aldabra Atoll | Seychelles | A Procellariidae. |
| Puffinus barnesi | Sp. nov. | Valid | Hildegarde Howard | Late Miocene | Monterey Formation | USA ( California) | A Procellariidae. |
| Recurvirostra sanctaneboulae | Sp. nov. | Valid | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Late Eocene | MP 18 | France | A Recurvirostridae, most unlikely it is a Recurvirostra or even a Recurvirostridae. |
| Surnia robusta | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Late Pliocene; Early Pleistocene | MN 16, MN 18; MQ 1b | Hungary | A Strigidae. |

Pterosaurs

Name

Status

Authors

Location

Notes

Geosternbergia

Valid

Miller

 USA ( South Dakota)

Geosternbergia

Peteinosaurus

Valid

Wild

 Italy

Popular culture

Dinosaur Planet by Anne McAffrey was published. This novel was about a planet called Ireta that was populated by dinosaurs transplanted there by aliens attempting to preserve Earth's Mesozoic biosphere. Paleontologist William A. S. Sarjeant has praised the intelligent pterosaurs descended from Quetzalcoatlus in the novel as plausible.

References

↑ Newman, Garfield; et al. (2001). Echoes from the past: world history to the 16th century. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ISBN 978-0-07-088739-8.↑ Trexler, D., 2001, Two Medicine Formation, Montana: geology and fauna: In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University Press, pp. 298–309.↑ Bergström, Stig M.; Bergström, Jan; Kumpulainen, Risto; Ormö, Jens; Sturkell, Erik (2007). "Maurits Lindström – A renaissance geoscientist". GFF. 129 (2): 65–70. doi:10.1080/11035890701292065. S2CID 140593975.↑ Wilson, M. (1978). "Eohiodon woodruffi n. sp.(Teleostei, Hiodontidae), from the Middle Eocene Klondike Mountain Formation near Republic, Washington". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 15 (5): 679–686. doi:10.1139/e78-075.↑ Hilton, E. J.; Grande, L. (2008). "Fossil Mooneyes (Teleostei: Hiodontiformes, Hiodontidae) from the Eocene of western North America, with a reassessment of their taxonomy". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 295: 221–251. doi:10.1144/sp295.13. S2CID 128680041.↑ Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.↑ Kurzanov, S.M. and T.A. Tumanova. 1978. On the structure of the endocranium in some anylosaurs from Mongolia [in Russian]. Paleontol. Zh. 1978: pp. 90-96.↑ Bonaparte, J.F. 1978. Coloradia brevis n. gen. et. n. sp. (Saurischia, Prosauropoda), dinosaurio Plateosauridae de la Formacion Los Colorados Triasico superior de La Rioja, Argentina. Ameghiniana 15: pp. 327-332.1 2 Galton, P.M. (1978). "Fabrosauridae, the basal family of ornithischian dinosaurs (Reptilia: Ornithopoda)". Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 52 (1–2): 138–159. doi:10.1007/BF03006735. S2CID 84613826.↑ Dong, Z. 1978. A new genus of Pachycephalosauria from Laiyang, Shantung. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 16: pp. 225-228.↑ Wild, R. 1978. Ein Sauropoden-Rest (Reptilia, Saurischia) aus dem Posidonienschiefer (Lias, Toarcium) von Holzmaden. Stuttgarter Beitrage zur Naturkunde, Serie B (Geologie und Paleontologie) 41: pp. 1-15.↑ van Heerden vide Anderson, J. M., and A.R.I. Cruickshank. 1978. The biostratigraphy of the Permian and the Triassic. Part 5. A review of the classification and distribution of Permo-Triassic tetrapods. Palaeontographica Africana 21: pp. 15-44.↑ Sues, H -D. 1978. A new small theropod dinosaur from the Judith River Formation (Campanian) of Alberta, Canada. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. London 62: pp. 381-400.↑ Dong, Z., Y. Chang, X. Li, and S. Zhou. 1978. Note on a new carnosaur (Yangchuanosaurus shangyouensis gen. et sp. nov.) from the Jurassic of Yangchuan District, Szechuan Province. Kexue Tongbao 23: pp. 298-302.1 2 Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1978). "Pleistocene Bird Remains from Aldabra Atoll Indian Ocean". Journal of Natural History. 12 (1): 7–14. doi:10.1080/00222937800770021a.↑ Nikolaj I. Burchak-Abramovich & D. V. Gadzyev (1978). "Anser eldaricus sp. nova from Upper Sarmatian Hipparion Fauna of Eldar". Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia. 23: 67–78.1 2 3 4 Dénes Jánossy (1978). "Plio-Pleistocene Bird Remains from the Carpathian Basin. III. Strigiformes, Falconiformes, Caprimulgiformes, Apodiformes". Aquila. 84: 9–36.↑ Colin J. O. Harrison (1978). "A New Jungle-Fowl from the Pleistocene of Europe". Journal of Archaeological Science. 290 (4): 1–26. doi:10.1016/0305-4403(78)90056-0.1 2 3 Hildegarde Howard (1978). "Late Miocene Marine Birds from Orange County, California" (PDF). Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles County, Contributions in Science. 290: 1–26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2014-09-11.↑ Rafael Alvarez & Storrs L. Olson (1978). "A New Merganser from the Miocene of Virginia (Aves: Anatidae)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 91 (2): 522–532.↑ Cécile Mourer-Chauviré (1978). "Oiseaux. Pg. 52-54 In: Jean Claude Paicheler, France de Broin, Jean Gaudant, Cécile Mourer-Chauviré, Jean Claude Rage & Colette Vergnoud-Crazzini, 1978: Le Basin Lacustre Miocène de Bes-Konak (Anatolie-Turquie): Gélogie et Introduction à la Paléontologie des Vertébrés". Géobios. 11 (1): 43–65. doi:10.1016/S0016-6995(78)80018-7.↑ Jirí Mlíkovský (1978). "Early Miocene Birds of Břešt'any, Czech Republic" (PDF). Casopis Narodniho Muzea, Rada Prirodovedna. 167: 99–101. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2014-09-11.↑ Cécile Mourer-Chauviré (1978). "La Poche à Phosphate de Ste. Neboule (Lot) et sa Faune de Vertébrès du Ludien Supérieur. 6. Oiseaux". Palaeovertebrata. 8: 217–229.↑ Sarjeant, W. A. S., 2001, Dinosaurs in fiction: In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University Press, p. 504-529. :

