1981 in paleontology

Overview of the events of 1981 in paleontology

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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 1981.

## Plants

[edit]

### Angiosperms

[edit]

#### Superrosids - Fabids

[edit]

Name  | Novelty  | Status  | Authors  | Age  | Unit  | Location  | Synonymized taxa  | Notes  | Images

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Palaeocarpinus[2]

Sp nov

Valid

Crane

Ypresian

Reading Formation

England

|  |

A betulaceous fruit.
Type species P. laciniata

Pseudofagus[3]

Gen et sp nov

Valid

Smiley & Huggins

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Clarkia Florule

USA
Idaho

|  |

A fagaceous genus
The type species is P. idahoensis

## Arthropoda

[edit]

### Insects

[edit]

Name  | Novelty  | Status  | Authors  | Age  | Unit  | Location  | Notes  | Images

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Protamblyopone inversa[4]

Gen et sp. nov

jr synonym

Dlussky

Middle Miocene

Chon-Tyz mine

Kyrgyzstan

An Amblyoponin ant. jr synonym of Casaleia inversa

## Reptilia

[edit]

### Early reptiles

[edit]

Taxon  | Novelty  | Status  | Author(s)  | Age  | Unit  | Location  | Notes  | Images

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Claudiosaurus germaini[5] | Gen. et sp. nov.  | Valid  | Carroll | Late Permian | Lower Sakamena Formation |  Madagascar | An early neodiapsid |
Thadeosaurus colcanapi[5] | Gen. et sp. nov.  | Valid  | Carroll  | Late Permian  | Lower Sakamena Formation  |  Madagascar | An early neodiapsid  |  |

### Archosauromorpha

[edit]

#### Dinosaurs

[edit]

Taxon  | Novelty  | Status  | Author(s)  | Age  | Unit  | Location  | Notes  | Images

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Avimimus portentosus[6] | Gen. et sp. nov.  | Valid taxon  | Kurzanov | Campanian | Djadochta Formation |  Mongolia | A very bird-like oviraptorosaur |
Barsboldia sicinskii[7] | Gen. et sp. nov.  | Valid  | Maryańska & Osmólska | Maastrichtian | Nemegt Formation |  Mongolia | A hadrosaurid of uncertain relations  |
Elmisaurus rarus[8] | Gen. et sp. nov.  | Valid  | Osmólska | Maastrichtian | Nemegt Formation |  Mongolia | An oviraptorosaur |
Garudimimus brevipes[9] | Gen. et sp. nov.  | Valid  | Barsbold | Santonian | Bayanshiree Formation |  Mongolia | An early ornithomimosaur |
"Honghesaurus"  |  | Nomen nudum | Anonymous |  |  |  | Later namedYandusaurus |
Ingenia yanshini[9] | Gen. et sp. nov.  | Preoccupied  | Barsbold | Maastrichtian | Baruungoyot Formation |  Mongolia | Generic name preoccupied by a nematode Gerlach 1957 and renamed Ajancingenia, but considered a species of Heyuannia |
Lambeosaurus laticaudus[10] | Sp. nov.  | Valid  | Morris  | Campanian | El Gallo Formation |  Mexico | Later given the genus Magnapaulia |
Muttaburrasaurus langdoni[11] | Gen. et sp. nov.  | Valid  | Bartholomai & Molnar | Albian | Mackunda Formation |  Australia | An iguanodont with a horn-like knob of its Snout.  |
Palaeopteryx thomsoni[12] | Gen. et sp. nov.  | Nomen dubium | Jensen | Kimmeridgian | Morrison Formation |  Colorado | A coelurosaur |
Scutellosaurus lawleri[13] | Gen. et sp. nov.  | Valid  | Colbert | Sinemurian | Kayenta Formation |  Arizona | An early thyreophoran |

#### Birds

[edit]

* Palaeopteryx thomsoni Jensen, 1981 is most likely not a bird but rather a small non-avian dinosaur.
* Plegadis pharangites Olson, 1981 is a new name for Plegadis gracilis Miller et Bowman, 1956, preoccupied by Plegadis gracilis (Lydekker, 1891), described as Milnea gracilis Lydekker, 1891 and transferred to the genus Plegadis Kaup, 1829 by Cheneval, 1984.

Name  | Status  | Novelty  | Authors  | Age  | Unit  | Location  | Notes  | Images

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Burhinus lucorum [14]

Valid

Sp. nov.

K. Jeffrey Bickart

Early Miocene

Middle Sheep Creek Formation

USA:

Nebraska

A Burhinidae.

Enantiornis leali [15]

Valid

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Cyril A. Walker

Late Cretaceous

Maastrichtian

Lecho Formation

Argentina

An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Alexornithiformes Brodkorb, 1976, Enantiornithidae Nessov et Borkin, 1983, this is the type species of the new genus.

Eogrus crudus [16]

Valid

Sp. nov.

Evgeny N. Kurochkin

Middle-Late Eocene

Tsagan Kutel

Mongolia

A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, this is the type species of the new genus.

Falco medius [17]

Valid

Sp. nov.

A. S. Umanskaya

Late Miocene

MN 11-13

Soviet Union:

Ukraine

A Falconidae.

Gavia paradoxa [17]

Valid

Sp. nov.

A. S. Umanskaya

Late Miocene

MN 11-13

Soviet Union:

Ukraine

A Gaviidae.

Ioriotis gabunii [18]

Valid

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich

Abesalom K. Vekua

Late Pliocene

Kvabebi

Soviet Union:

Georgia

An Otididae, this is the type species of the new genus.

Mancalla emlongi [19]

Valid

Sp. nov.

Storrs L. Olson

Late Pliocene

Blancan,

San Diego Formation

USA:

California

An Alcidae, Mancallinae L. H. Miller, 1946.

Microdytes tonnii [20]

Valid

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

George G. Simpson

Late Oligocene-Early Miocene

Patagonian

Argentina

A Sphniscidae, this is the type species of the new genus. Microdytes Simpson, 1981 is preoccupied by Microdytes Balfour-Browne, 1949 (Coleoptera), so Storrs L. Olson created the new genus Eretiscus Olson, 1986 to accommodate Microdytes tonnii Simpson, 1981.[21]

Pedinorhis stirpsarcana [22]

Valid

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Storrs L. Olson

Mary C. McKitrick

Pleistocene

Cave deposits

Puerto Rico

A Fringillidae, Emberizinae, this is the type species of the new genus.

Pelecanus cadimurka [23]

Valid

Sp. nov.

Patricia Vickers Rich

Gerard F. Van Tets

Pleistocene

Kuttipirra (Katipiri) Waterhole

Australia:

South Australia

A Pelecanidae.

Picus peregrinabundus [24]

Valid

Sp. nov.

A. S. Umanskaja

Late Miocene

MN 11-12

Soviet Union:

Ukraine

A Picidae.

Sonogrus gregalis [16]

Valid

Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.

Evgeny N. Kurochkin

Late Eocene-Early Oligocene

Ergilin Dzo Formation

Mongolia

A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, this is the type species of the new genus.

Uria brodkorbi [25]

Valid

Sp. nov.

Hildegarde Howard

Late Miocene

Sisquoc Formation,

Clarendonian

USA:

California

An Alcidae.

Urmiornis orientalis [16]

Valid

Sp. nov.

Evgeny N. Kurochkin

Middle Pliocene

|  |

Soviet Union:

Kazakhstan

A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, transferred to the genus Amphipelargus Lydekker, 1891 by both Kurochkin, 1985 and Olson, 1985.

Urmiornis ukrainus [16]

Valid

Sp. nov.

Evgeny N. Kurochkin

Late Miocene

Mn 9-10-11

Soviet Union:

Moldova;

Ukraine;

Russia

A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, transferred to the genus Amphipelargus Lydekker, 1891 by both Kurochkin, 1985 and Olson, 1985.

Youngornis gracilis [26]

Valid

Gen. nov et Sp. nov.

Yeh Hsiangk’uei

Middle Miocene

Shanwang Formation

China

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

Zeltornis ginsburgi [27]

Valid

Gen. nov et Sp. nov.

Jean Chr. Balouet

Early Miocene

Late Burdigalian,

Djebel Zelten

Libya

An Ardeidae, this is the type species of the new genus.

## Plesiosaurs

[edit]

* Carroll, R. C., 1981, Plesiosaur ancestors from the Upper Permian of Madagascar: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, v. 293, p. 315- 383.

Name  | Status  | Authors  | Age  | Unit  | Location  | Notes  | Images

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Kimmerosaurus

Valid

Brown

|  |

Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian

Kimmeridge Clay

A cryptoclidid.

## Pterosaurs

[edit]

### New taxa

[edit]

Name  | Status  | Authors  | Location  | Images

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Comodactylus

Valid

Galton

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* Germany

Sultanuvaisia

Valid

Nesov

|  |  |

## References

[edit]

* Paleontology portal

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. ^ Pigg, K.B.; Manchester S.R.; Wehr W.C. (2003). "Corylus, Carpinus, and Palaeocarpinus (Betulaceae) from the Middle Eocene Klondike Mountain and Allenby Formations of Northwestern North America". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 164 (5): 807–822\. doi:10.1086/376816. S2CID 19802370.
3. ^ Smiley, C.J.; Huggins, L.M. (1981). "Pseudofagus idahoensis, n. gen. et sp. (Fagaceae) from the Miocene Clarkia flora of Idaho". American Journal of Botany. 68 (6): 741–761\. ISSN 0002-9122.
4. ^ Dlussky, G.M.; Putyatina, T.S. (2014). "Early Miocene ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Radoboj, Croatia". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 272 (3): 237–285\. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.692.9292. doi:10.1127/0077-7749/2014/0409.
5. ^ a b Carroll, R. L.; Westoll, Thomas Stanley (1981-07-16). "Plesiosaur ancestors from the Upper Permian of Madagascar". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences. 293 (1066): 315–383\. doi:10.1098/rstb.1981.0079.
6. ^ Kurzanov, S.M. 1981. On the unusual theropods from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. Sovm. Sov.-Mong. Paleontol. Eksped. Trudy 15: pp. 39-50.
7. ^ Maryanska, T. and H. Osmólska. 1981. First lambeosaurine dinosaur from the Nemegt Formation, Upper Cretaceous, Mongolia. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 26 (3-4): pp. 243-255.
8. ^ Osmolska, H. 1981. Coosified tarsometatarsal in theropod dinosaurs and their bearing on the problem of bird origins. Paleontol. Polonica 42: pp. 79-95.
9. ^ a b Barsbold, R. 1981. The toothless carnivorous dinosaurs of Mongolia. Sovm. Sov.-Mong. Paleontol. Eksped. Trudy 15: pp. 28-39.
10. ^ Morris, W.J. (1981). "A new species of hadrosaurian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Baja California: ?Lambeosaurus laticaudus". Journal of Paleontology. 55 (2): 453–462\. JSTOR 1304231.
11. ^ Bartholomai, A., and R.E. Molnar. 1981. Muttaburrasaurus, a new iguanodontid (Ornithischia: Ornithopoda) dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Queensland. Mem. Queensland Museum 20: pp. 319-149.
12. ^ Jensen, J.A. 1981. Another look at Archaeopteryx as the world's oldest bird. Encyclia 58: pp. 109-128.
13. ^ Colbert, E.H. 1981. A primitive ornithischian dinosaur from the Kayenta Formation of Arizona. Museum Northern Arizona Bull. 53: pp. 1-61.
14. ^ K. Jeffrey Bickart (1981). "A New Thick-knee, Burhinus, from the Miocene of Nebraska, with Comments on the Habitat Requirements of the Burhinidae (Aves: Charadriiformes)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 1 (3–4): 273–277\. doi:10.1080/02724634.1981.10011902.3–4&rft.pages=273-277&rft.date=1981&rft_id=info:doi/10.1080/02724634.1981.10011902&rft.au=K.+Jeffrey+Bickart&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:1981+in+paleontology" class="Z3988">
15. ^ Cyril A. Walker (1981). "New Subclass of Birds from the Cretaceous of South America". Nature. 292 (5818): 51–53\. doi:10.1038/292051a0. S2CID 4340858.
16. ^ a b c d Evgeny N. Kurochkin (1981). "[New Representatives and Evolution of Two Archaic Gruiform Families in Eurasia]". Sovmestnaja Sovetsko-Mongol'skaja Paleontol. Ekspedit. 15: 59–85.
17. ^ a b A. S. Umanskaya (1981). "[Miocene Birds of the Black Sea Coastal Region]". Vestnik Zoologii Nauchnyy Zhurnal Instituta Zoologii Imeni I. I. Shmal'gauzena Akademii Nauk Ukrainskoy SSR II 3. 15: 17–21.
18. ^ Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich & Abesalom K. Vekua (1981). "Fossil Bustard Runner Ioriotis gabunii New Genus New Species of East Georgian SSR USSR Akchagylian". Izvestiya Akademii Nauk Gruzinskoi SSR Seriya Biologicheskaya. 7: 53–60.
19. ^ Storrs L. Olson (1981). "A Third Species of Mancalla from the Late Pliocene San Diego Formation of California (Aves: Alcidae)" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 1 (1): 97–99\. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.614.8039. doi:10.1080/02724634.1981.10011882.
20. ^ George G. Simpson (1981). "Notes on Some Fossil Penguins, including a New Genus from Patagonia". Ameghiniana. 18 (3–4): 266–272.3–4&rft.pages=266-272&rft.date=1981&rft.au=George+G.+Simpson&rft_id=http://www.ameghiniana.org.ar/index.php/ameghiniana/article/view/1689&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:1981+in+paleontology" class="Z3988">
21. ^ Storrs L. Olson (1986). "A Replacement Name for the Fossil Penguin Microdytes Simpson (Aves: Spheniscidae)". Journal of Paleontology. 60 (3): 785. doi:10.1017/S0022336000022332. S2CID 140620588.
22. ^ Storrs L. Olson & Mary C. McKitrick (1981). "A New Genus and Species of Emberizine Finch from the Pleistocene Cave Deposits in Puerto Rico (Aves: Passeriformes)" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 1 (3–4): 279–283\. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.501.5247. doi:10.1080/02724634.1981.10011903.3–4&rft.pages=279-283&rft.date=1981&rft_id=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.501.5247#id-name=CiteSeerX&rft_id=info:doi/10.1080/02724634.1981.10011903&rft.au=Storrs+L.+Olson+&+Mary+C.+McKitrick&rft_id=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/7089/VZ_125_Pedinorhis.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed;=y&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:1981+in+paleontology" class="Z3988">
23. ^ Patricia Vickers Rich & Gerard F. Van Tets (1981). "The Fossil Pelecans of Australasia". Records of the South Australian Museum. 18: 235–264.
24. ^ A. S. Umanskaja (1981). "[Miocene Birds of the Black Sea Coastal Region]". Vestnik Zoologii Nauchnyy Zhurnal Instituta Zoologii Imeni I. I. Shmal'gauzena Akademii Nauk Ukrainskoy SSR II. 3: 17–21.
25. ^ Hildegarde Howard (1981). "A New Species of Murre, Genus Uria, from the Late Miocene of California" (PDF). Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. 80: 1–12\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-05.
26. ^ Yeh Hsiangk’uei (1981). "[Third Note on Fossil Birds from Linqu, Shandong]" (PDF). Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 19 (2): 149–155.
27. ^ Jean Chr. Balouet (1981). "Zeltornis ginsburgi n.g. n.sp. (Ardeidae: Aves), Héron Géant du Miocène Inférieur du Djebel Zelten (Libye)". Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences de Paris. Série II. 293: 235–239.

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