1877 in paleontology
# 1877 in paleontology

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 1877.

## Arthropods

### Newly named insects

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Anthomyia burgessi | Sp nov | nomen dubium | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | An anthomyiid fly. Considered nomen dubium without discussion by Michelsen (1996). | Anthomyia burgessi (1890 illustration) |
| Anthomyia inanimata | Sp nov | nomen dubium | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | An anthomyiid fly. Considered nomen dubium without discussion by Michelsen (1996). | Anthomyia inanimata (1890 illustration) |
| Aphaenogaster longaeva | Sp nov | nomen dubium | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A myrmicine ant, possibly nomen dubium. | Aphaenogaster longaeva (1890 illustration) |
| Boletina sepulta | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A fungus gnat. | Boletina sepulta (1890 illustration) |
| Brachypeza abita | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A mycetophiline fungus gnat. | Brachypeza abita (1890 illustration) |
| Brachypeza procera | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A mycetophiline fungus gnat. | Brachypeza procera (1890 illustration) |
| Calyptites | Gen et sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | An ant of uncertain placement. | Calyptites antediluvianum (1890 illustration) |
| Formica arcana | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A formicine ant | Formica arcana (1890 illustration) |
| Hypoclinea obliterata | Sp nov | jr synonym | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A dolichoderine ant Moved to Dolichoderus obliteratus (1893) | Dolichoderus obliteratus (1890 illustration) |
| Heteromyza senilis | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A heleomyzid fly. | Heteromyza senilis (1890 illustration) |
| Lachnus petrorum | Sp nov | jr synonym | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | An aphidomorph of uncertain placement Moved to Geranchon petrorum (1890) | Geranchon petrorum (1890 illustration) |
| Liometopum pingue | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | Ypresian | Green River Formation | USA Colorado | An ant species, moved to Eoformica pingue in 1930 | Eoformica pinguis |
| Lithortalis | Gen et sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A picture-winged fly. Type species L. picta | Lithortalis picta (1890 illustration) |
| Lonchaea senescens | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A lauxaniid fly. Referred to Lauxaniidae without redescription. | "Lonchaea" senescens (1890 illustration) |
| Palloptera morticina | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A flutter-wing fly. | Palloptera morticina (1890 illustration) |
| Pimpla decessa | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A pimpline ichneumon parasitic wasp | Pimpla decessa (1890 illustration) |
| Pimpla saxea | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A pimpline ichneumon parasitic wasp | Pimpla saxea (1890 illustration) |
| Pimpla senecta | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A pimpline ichneumon parasitic wasp | Pimpla senecta (1890 illustration) |
| Prometopia depilis | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A sap beetle | Prometopia depilis (1890 illustration) |
| Sciomyza revelata | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A marsh fly. | Sciomyza revelata (1890 illustration) |
| Trichonta dawsoni | Sp nov | valid | Scudder | ?Ypresian | Quesnel ?Fraser Formation | Canada British Columbia | A mycetophiline fungus gnat. | Trichonta dawsoni (1890 illustration) |

## Fish

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Heliobatis | gen et sp nov. | Valid | Marsh | Wasatchian | Green River Formation | USA | One of two stingrays from the Green River Formation | Heliobatis radians |

## Non-dinosaurian reptiles

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Dasygnathus | Junior synonym | Huxley | Late Triassic | Lossiemouth Sandstone Formation | Scotland | A misidentified ornithosuchid archosaur whose name was preoccupied by MacLeay, 1819. It was later renamed Dasygnathoides. Synonym of Ornithosuchus |
| Palaeoctonus | Nomen dubium | Cope | Late Triassic | | US | Dubious genus of misidentified phytosaur. |
| Suchoprion | Nomen dubium | Cope | | | US | Dubious genus of misidentified phytosaur. |

## Dinosaurs

### Laelaps trihedrodon, Cope criticizes Dryptosaurus

O. W. Lucas collected the first remains of what would later in the year be named Laelaps trihedrodon from Quarry I of the Saurian Hill at Garden Park, Colorado. Edward Drinker Cope would describe the material later in the year in a short paper titled "On a carnivorous dinosaurian from the Dakota beds of Colorado." The "Dakota beds" he references are actually Morrison Formation strata. Cope claims to have a skeleton of unspecified completeness on which to establish the new species, but only describes a partial dentary which has 5 successional teeth, 2 functional teeth, and one tooth missing from its socket. All of the preceding material has since been lost to science with the exception of 5 broken, partial tooth crowns. From the now missing dentary, Cope infers that the creature is a carnivore and compares its dentition to that belonging to other members of his infamous genus "Laelaps", L. aquilunguis and L. incrassatus. Cope concludes the paper with a pointed criticism of his rival O. C. Marsh's attempt to rename Laelaps as the genus Dryptosaurus because the generic name Laelaps has been used in entomology. Cope claims that since the mite genus Laelaps was a synonym that the name was not truly preoccupied and Marsh's erection of Dryptosaurus has therefore created a new, redundant synonym of Laelaps the dinosaur. However, subsequent researchers have supported Marsh's new name.

### Apatosaurus

* Apatosaurus specimen found with preserved gastroliths.

### New genera

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Allosaurus | Valid | Othniel Charles Marsh | 147 Millions of years ago | Portugal  US ( Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming) | An allosaurid theropod. Best known Late Jurassic large bodied theropod from North America. | Allosaurus. |
| Amphicoelias | Nomen dubium | Edward Drinker Cope | 147 Millions of years ago | US ( Colorado, Montana, Wyoming,  North Dakota,  South Dakota,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Oklahoma,  Texas,  New Mexico,  Arizona,  Utah,  Idaho) | A diplodocoid. Has discovered a vertebra of more than 2 meters in height, but with the passage of time was lost. So the only remaining fossils can even be counted with the fingers. | Amphicoelias true size |
| Apatodon | Nomen dubium | Othniel Charles Marsh | | US ( Colorado) | Possible subjective synonym of Allosaurus. | |
| Apatosaurus | Valid | Othniel Charles Marsh | 147 Millions of years ago | US ( Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah) | An apatosaurine diplodocid | Apatosaurus |
| Atlantosaurus | Nomen dubium | Othniel Charles Marsh | | US | Possible subjective synonym of Apatosaurus. | |
| Camarasaurus | Valid | Edward Drinker Cope | | US ( Colorado, Utah) | A camarasaurid. | Camarasaurus |
| Caulodon | Jr. synonym | Edward Drinker Cope | | US | Junior subjective synonym of Camarasaurus. | |
| Dryptosaurus | Valid | Othniel Charles Marsh | Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) | US, New Jersey | A tyrannosauroid. | Dryptosaurus |
| Dystrophaeus | Valid | Edward Drinker Cope | Late Jurassic | US | A eusauropod of unknown affinities | |
| Nanosaurus | Valid | Othniel Charles Marsh | Late Jurassic | US ( Colorado and Wyoming) | An ornithischian | |
| Stegosaurus | Valid | Othniel Charles Marsh | Late Jurassic | Portugal  US ( Colorado, Utah and Wyoming) | A stegosaur. Known from the plates on its back and the Tail Spiked ("Thagomizer") on its tail. | Stegosaurus |
| Tichosteus | Nomen dubium | Edward Drinker Cope | | US | Affinities unknown | |
| Titanosaurus | Nomen dubium | Richard Lydekker | Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) | India | A titanosaur | |
| Titanosaurus | Preoccupied. | Othniel Charles Marsh | | | Preoccupied by a genus erected by Richard Lydekker this same year. Later renamed Atlantosaurus. | |

## Synapsids

### Non-mammalian

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Archaeobelus | Synonym of Clepsydrops | | | | | |
