1881 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 1881.

Molluscs

Bivalves

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Fordilla^[2]	gen et sp nov	Valid	Barrande	Early Cambrian		USA	early Cambrian bivalve genus	Fordilla troyensis
Nucula ponderata ^[3]	sp nov	synonym	Barrande	Ordovician		France Portugal UK	moved to the genus Concavodonta as C. ponderata in 1972

Dinosaurs

Newly named dinosaurs

Name	Status	Authors	Location	Notes
''Crataeomus''	Nomen dubium	Harry Govier Seeley		Possible subjective synonym of Struthiosaurus.
''Diracodon''	Nomen dubium	Othniel Charles Marsh		Possible subjective synonym of Stegosaurus.
Doratodon	Misidentification	Harry Govier Seeley		Misidentified crocodilian.
Hallopus	Misidentification.	Othniel Charles Marsh		Misidentified crocodilian.
''Hoplosaurus''	Nomen dubium	Harry Govier Seeley		synonym of Pelorosaurus.
Mochlodon	Valid	Harry Govier Seeley	Austria Hungary Romania	A Dwarf Iguanodont.
''Oligosaurus''	Nomen dubium	Harry Govier Seeley		Possible subjective synonym of Rhabdodon.
''Ornithomerus''	Jr. synonym	Harry Govier Seeley		Junior subjective synonym of Rhabdodon.
''Pleuropeltus''	Nomen dubium	Harry Govier Seeley		Possible subjective synonym of Struthiosaurus.
Rhadinosaurus	Nomen dubium	Harry Govier Seeley	Austria

Pterosaurs

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors	Notes
Dermodactylus	Valid	Marsh
Laopteryx	Valid	Marsh
Nyctodactylus	Jr. synonym.	Marsh	Jr. synonym of Nyctosaurus.

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Location	Notes	Images
Aelurosaurus	Valid	Owen	257 Million of years ago	South Africa	A Saber-Toothed Gorgonopsian.	Aelurosaurus

Paleontologists

Death of the Reverend William Fox a significant early collector of dinosaur fossils from the Isle of Wight.^[4]

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.
^ Elicki, O.; Gürsu, S. (2009). "First record of Pojetaia runnegari Jell, 1980 and Fordilla Barrande, 1881 from the Middle East (Taurus Mountains, Turkey) and critical review of Cambrian bivalves" (PDF). Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 83 (2): 267–291. doi:10.1007/s12542-009-0021-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
^ Sánchez, T.M. (1999). "New Late Ordovician (Early Caradoc) Bivalves from the Sierra de Villicum (Argentine Precordillera)". Journal of Paleontology. 73 (1): 66–76. JSTOR 1306745.
^ Farlow, James O.; M. K. Brett-Surmann (1999). The Complete Dinosaur. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-253-21313-4.

[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.

[Elicki2009-2] Elicki, O.; Gürsu, S. (2009). "First record of Pojetaia runnegari Jell, 1980 and Fordilla Barrande, 1881 from the Middle East (Taurus Mountains, Turkey) and critical review of Cambrian bivalves" (PDF). Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 83 (2): 267–291. doi:10.1007/s12542-009-0021-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2012-01-06.

[Sánchez1999-3] Sánchez, T.M. (1999). "New Late Ordovician (Early Caradoc) Bivalves from the Sierra de Villicum (Argentine Precordillera)". Journal of Paleontology. 73 (1): 66–76. JSTOR 1306745.

[4] Farlow, James O.; M. K. Brett-Surmann (1999). The Complete Dinosaur. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-253-21313-4.

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