1954 in paleontology

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Paleontology or palaeontology (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.^[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 1954.

Arthropods

Insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Parastylotermes frazieri[2]	Sp. nov	valid	Snyder	Miocene		USA	A Stylotermitid termite.

Archosauromorphs

Phytosaurs

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Coburgosuchus[3]	Valid taxon	Heller		Late Triassic (Norian)	Burgsandstein Formation	Germany	A member of Pseudopalatinae.

Dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[4]

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Mamenchisaurus[5]	Valid taxon	Yang Zhongjian (as Young C. C.)		Late Jurassic (late Callovian-early Oxfordian)	Shangshaximiao Formation	China	A mamenchisaurid. The type species is M. constructus.	Therizinosaurus
Rebbachisaurus[6]	Valid taxon	René Lavocat		Middle Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian)	Kem Kem Beds	Morocco	A rebbachisaurid.
Therizinosaurus[7]	Valid taxon	Evgeny Maleev		Late Cretaceous (late Campanian-early Maastrichtian)	Nemegt Formation	Mongolia	A therizinosaurid.

Synapsids

Pelycosaurs

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Phreatophasma	Valid	Ivan Yefremov	Middle Permian	Unnamed unit	Russia	A synapsid of uncertain affinities, perhaps a caseid.

Eutherians

Cetaceans

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Leptodelphis	Valid	Kirpichnikov	Middle Miocene (Sarmatian)		Russia	A member of Kentriodontidae.
Sarmatodelphis	Valid	Kirpichnikov	Middle Miocene (Sarmatian)		Moldova	A kentriodontid.

References

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. Snyder, T.E. (1955). "A new fossil termite, Parastylotermes frazieri, from California (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 57 (2): 79–80.
3. Ein Parasuchier-Schädelrest aus dem Oberen Burgsandstein von Coburg [A parasuchian skull remain from the Upper Burgsandstein of Coburg]. Geologisch Blätter für Nordost-Bayern 3:1-13
4. Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Retrieved 2008-08-07.
5. Young C.-C. 1954. On a new sauropod from Yiping. Szechuan, China. Acta Palaeontol. Sinica 2: pp. 355-369.
6. René Lavocat. 1954. Sur les Dinosauriens du continental intercalaire des Kem-Kem de la Daoura. C. R. 19th Internatl. Geol. Congr. (1952): pp. 65-68.
7. Maleev, E.A. 1954. A new turtle-like saurian in Mongolia. Priroda (1954): pp. 106-108.