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 1877.

List of years in paleontology (table)
In science
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878
1879
1880
+...

Arthropods

edit

Newly named crustaceans

edit
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Anthrapalaemon woodwardi[2]

Sp nov

jr synonym

Robert Etheridge, Junior

Visean

  UK
  Scotland

Moved to the genus Tealliocaris in 1908[3]

Newly named insects

edit
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Country Notes Images

Anthomyia burgessi[4]

Sp nov

nomen dubium

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

An anthomyiid fly.
Considered nomen dubium without discussion by Michelsen (1996).[5]

 
Anthomyia burgessi
(1890 illustration)

Anthomyia inanimata[4]

Sp nov

nomen dubium

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

An anthomyiid fly.
Considered nomen dubium without discussion by Michelsen (1996).[5]

 
Anthomyia inanimata
(1890 illustration)

Aphaenogaster longaeva[4][6]

Sp nov

nomen dubium

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A myrmicine ant, possibly nomen dubium.[7]

 
Aphaenogaster longaeva
(1890 illustration)

Boletina sepulta[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A fungus gnat.

 
Boletina sepulta
(1890 illustration)

Brachypeza abita[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A mycetophiline fungus gnat.

 
Brachypeza abita
(1890 illustration)

Brachypeza procera[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A mycetophiline fungus gnat.

 
Brachypeza procera
(1890 illustration)

Calyptites[4]

Gen et sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

An ant of uncertain placement.

 
Calyptites antediluvianum
(1890 illustration)

Formica arcana[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A formicine ant

 
Formica arcana
(1890 illustration)

Hypoclinea obliterata[4]

Sp nov

jr synonym

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A dolichoderine ant
Moved to Dolichoderus obliteratus (1893)[8]

 
Dolichoderus obliteratus
(1890 illustration)

Heteromyza senilis[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A heleomyzid fly.

 
Heteromyza senilis
(1890 illustration)

Lachnus petrorum[4]

Sp nov

jr synonym

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

An aphidomorph of uncertain placement
Moved to Geranchon petrorum (1890)[9]

 
Geranchon petrorum
(1890 illustration)

Liometopum pingue[6]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

Ypresian

Green River Formation

  USA
  Colorado

An ant species, moved to Eoformica pingue in 1930

 
Eoformica pinguis

Lithortalis[4]

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[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A lauxaniid fly.
Referred to Lauxaniidae without redescription.[10]

 
"Lonchaea" senescens
(1890 illustration)

Palloptera morticina[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A flutter-wing fly.

 
Palloptera morticina
(1890 illustration)

Pimpla decessa[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A pimpline ichneumon parasitic wasp

 
Pimpla decessa
(1890 illustration)

Pimpla saxea[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A pimpline ichneumon parasitic wasp

 
Pimpla saxea
(1890 illustration)

Pimpla senecta[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A pimpline ichneumon parasitic wasp

 
Pimpla senecta
(1890 illustration)

Prometopia depilis[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A sap beetle

 
Prometopia depilis
(1890 illustration)

Sciomyza revelata[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A marsh fly.

 
Sciomyza revelata
(1890 illustration)

Trichonta dawsoni[4]

Sp nov

valid

Scudder

?Ypresian

Quesnel
?Fraser Formation

  Canada
  British Columbia

A mycetophiline fungus gnat.

 
Trichonta dawsoni
(1890 illustration)

Fish

edit
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Heliobatis[11]

gen et sp nov.

Valid

Wasatchian

Green River Formation

  USA

One of two stingrays from the Green River Formation. The type species is H. radians.

 
Heliobatis radians

Non-dinosaurian reptiles

edit
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Dasygnathus

Junior synonym

Huxley

Late Triassic

Lossiemouth Sandstone Formation

  Scotland

An indeterminate pseudosuchian whose name was preoccupied by MacLeay (1819), later renamed Dasygnathoides by Kuhn (1961). The type species is D. longidens.

Palaeoctonus

Nomen dubium

Cope

Late Triassic

  US

Dubious genus of misidentified phytosaur.

Suchoprion

Nomen dubium

Cope

  US

Dubious genus of misidentified phytosaur.

Dinosaurs

edit

Laelaps trihedrodon, Cope criticizes Dryptosaurus

edit

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.[12] 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."[13] The "Dakota beds" he references are actually Morrison Formation strata.[12] 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.[13] All of the preceding material has since been lost to science with the exception of 5 broken, partial tooth crowns.[14] 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.[13] 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.[15] 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.[15] However, subsequent researchers have supported Marsh's new name.

Apatosaurus

edit
  • Apatosaurus specimen found with preserved gastroliths.[16]

New genera

edit
Name Status Authors Age Location Notes Images

Allosaurus

Valid

Marsh

Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian)

An allosaurid theropod. The type species is A. fragilis.

 
Allosaurus.

Amphicoelias

Nomen dubium

Cope

Late Jurassic

A diplodocoid sauropod. The type species is A. altus.

 
Amphicoelias true size

Apatodon

Nomen dubium

Marsh

Possible subjective synonym of Allosaurus. The type species is A. mirus.

Apatosaurus

Valid

Marsh

Late Jurassic

An apatosaurine diplodocid. The type species is A. ajax.

 
Apatosaurus

Atlantosaurus

Nomen dubium

Marsh

Late Jurassic

  US

A replacement name for Titanosaurus Marsh (1877).

Camarasaurus

Valid

Edward Drinker Cope

Late Jurassic

A camarasaurid. The type species is C. supremus.

 
Camarasaurus

Caulodon

Jr. synonym

Cope

Late Jurassic

Junior subjective synonym of Camarasaurus.

Dryptosaurus

Valid

Othniel Charles Marsh

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)

Replacement name for Laelaps Cope (1866).

 
Dryptosaurus

Dystrophaeus

Valid

Cope

Late Jurassic

A eusauropod of unknown affinities. The type species is D. viaemalae.

Nanosaurus

Valid

Othniel Charles Marsh

Late Jurassic

An ornithischian. The type species is N. agilis.

Stegosaurus

Valid

Othniel Charles Marsh

Late Jurassic

A stegosaur. The type species is S. armatus.

 
Stegosaurus

Tichosteus

Nomen dubium

Cope

  US

Affinities unknown. The type species is T. lucasanus.

Titanosaurus

Nomen dubium

Lydekker

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)

A titanosaur. The type species is T. indicus.

Titanosaurus

Preoccupied.

Marsh

Preoccupied by a genus erected by Richard Lydekker this same year, later renamed Atlantosaurus. The type species is T. montanus.

Synapsids

edit

Non-mammalian

edit
Name Status Authors Age Location Notes Images

Archaeobelus

Synonym of Clepsydrops

Clepsydrops limbatus Cope

See also

edit

Footnotes

edit
  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. ^ Etheridge, R. (1877). "On the Occurrence of a Macrurous Decapod (Anthrapalæmon? Woodwardi, sp. nov.) in the Red Sandstone, or lowest group, of the Carboniferous Formation in the South-east of Scotland". Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. 33 (1–4): 863–878. doi:10.1144/GSL.JGS.1877.033.01-04.49. ISSN 0370-291X. S2CID 140182850.
  3. ^ Peach, B. N. (1908). Monograph on the higher Crustacea of the Carboniferous rocks of Scotland. Glasgow: Printed for H.M. Stationery off., by J. Hedderwick & sons, ltd.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Scudder, S. H (1877). "Appendix to Mr. George M. Dawson's report. The insects of the Tertiary beds at Quesnel". Geological Survey of Canada, Report of Progress for. 1875–1876: 266–280.
  5. ^ a b Michelsen, V. (1996). "First reliable record of a fossil species of Anthomyiidae (Diptera), with comments on the definition of recent and fossil clades in phylogenetic classification". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 58 (4): 441–451.
  6. ^ a b Carpenter, F. M. (1930). "The fossil ants of North America" (PDF). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 70: 1–66.
  7. ^ Radchenko, A. G.; Perkovsky, E. E. (2016). "The ant Aphaenogaster dlusskyana sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Sakhalin amber—the earliest described species of an extant genus of Myrmicinae". Paleontological Journal. 50 (9): 936–946. doi:10.1134/S0031030116090136.
  8. ^ Dalla Torre, K. W. (1893). Catalogus Hymenopterorum hucusque descriptorum systematicus et synonymicus. Vol. 7. Formicidae (Heterogyna). Leipzig: W. Engelmann. p. 289.
  9. ^ Scudder, S. H. (1890). "The Tertiary insects of North America". United States Geological Survey of the Territories, Washington: 615.
  10. ^ Evenhuis (1994). Catalogue of the Fossil Flies of the World (Insecta: Diptera). Backhuys Publishers. pp. 1–600.
  11. ^ Grande, Lance (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, WY
  12. ^ a b "Introduction," Chure (2001) page 11.
  13. ^ a b c Cope (1887) pages 805-806.
  14. ^ "Description of 5780," Chure (2001) page 11.
  15. ^ a b Cope (1887) page 806.
  16. ^ Cannon (1907). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167.

References

edit