1978 in paleontology

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Paleontology, palaeontology or palæontology (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 faeces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because mankind has 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 in the year 1978.

Expeditions, field work, and fossil discoveries

• A paleoanthropological team led by Mary Leakey found 3.5 million year old human footprints.
• Baby hadrosaurs were discovered in the Two Medicine Formation.^[2]

Scientific advances

Vertebrate paleozoology

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[3]

Name	Status	Authors		Notes	Images
Amtosaurus[4]	Nomen dubium.	Sergei Kurzanov	Tumanova		Saurornitholestes Yangchuanosaurus
Coloradia[5]	Valid taxon	Jose Bonaparte		PReoccupied by Blake 1863. Renamed Coloradisaurus.
Lesothosaurus[6]	Valid taxon Possible junior synonym of Fabrosaurus.	Peter Galton
Micropachycephalosaurus[7]	Valid taxon	Dong Zhiming
Ohmdenosaurus[8]	Valid taxon	Wild
"Roccosaurus"[9]	Nomen nudum. Junior synonym of Melanorosaurus.	van Heerden vide: Anderson	Cruickshank
Saurornitholestes[10]	Valid taxon	Hans-Dieter Sues
Yangchuanosaurus[11]	Valid taxon	Dong Zhiming, Chang Y.	Li X. M. Zhou S.

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Aldabranas cabri [12]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Late Pleistocene	Aldabra Atoll	Seychelles	An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Anser eldaricus [13]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Nikolaj I. Burchak-Abramovich D. V. Gadzyev	Pliocene	Late Sarmantian	USSR:  Azerbaijan	An Anatidae.
Apus baranensis [14]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Late Pliocene	MN 16a; MN 17	Hungary;  Bulgaria	An Apodidae.
Chaetura baconica [14]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Late Miocene	MN 11-12	Hungary	An Apodidae.
"Gallus" europaeus [15]	Sp. nov.	Valid ?	Colin J. O. Harrison	Middle Pleistocene	MQ 2A	UK:  England	A Phasianidae.The taxonomic status of this species should be reevaluated. There is no evidence, that it belongs to the genus Gallus Brisson.
Gavia brodkorbi [16]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Hildegarde Howard	Late Miocene	Monterey Formation	USA:  California	A Gaviidae.
Mergus miscellus [17]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Rafael Alvarez Storrs L. Olson	Late Miocene	Calvert Formation	USA:  Virginia	An Anatidae.
"Milvus" brachypterus [14]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Early Pleistocene	MQ 1b	Hungary	An Apodidae Incertae Sedis.
Morus magnus [16]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Hildegarde Howard	Late Miocene	Monterey Formation	USA:  California	A Sulidae.
Phalacrocorax anatolicus [18]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Cécile Mourer-Chauviré	Middle Miocene	Helvetian	Turkey	A Phalacrocoracidae, transferred to the genus Nectornis Cheneval, 1984 by Mlíkovský, 1998.[19]
Pterodroma kurodai [12]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Pleistocene	Aldabra Atoll	Seychelles	A Procellariidae.
Puffinus barnesi [16]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Hildegarde Howard	Late Miocene	Monterey Formation	USA:  California	A Procellariidae.
Recurvirostra sanctaneboulae [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Cécile Mourer-Chauviré	Late Eocene	MP 18	France	A Recurvirostridae, most unlikely it is a Recurvirostra or even a Recurvirostridae.
Surnia robusta [14]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Late Pliocene; Early Pleistocene	MN 16, MN 18; MQ 1b	Hungary	An Strigidae.

Name Status Authors Notes Geosternbergia Valid Miller Peteinosaurus Valid Wild

People

Awards and recognition

Popular culture

Literature

• Dinosaur Planet by Anne McAffrey was published. This novel was about a planet called Ireta that was populated by dinosaurs transplanted there by aliens attempting to preserve Earth's Mesozoic biosphere. Paleontologist William A. S. Sarjeant has praised the intelligent pterosaurs descended from Quetzalcoatlus in the novel as plausible.^[21]

References

1. Newman, Garfield; et al. (2001). Echoes from the past: world history to the 16th century. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ISBN 0-07-088739-X.
2. Trexler, D., 2001, Two Medicine Formation, Montana: geology and fauna: In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University Press, pp. 298–309.
3. Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Retrieved 2008-08-07.
4. Kurzanov, S.M. and T.A. Tumanova. 1978. On the structure of the endocranium in some anylosaurs from Mongolia [in Russian]. Paleontol. Zh. 1978: pp. 90-96.
5. Bonaparte, J.F. 1978. Coloradia brevis n. gen. et. n. sp. (Saurischia, Prosauropoda), dinosaurio Plateosauridae de la Formacion Los Colorados Triasico superior de La Rioja, Argentina. Ameghiniana 15: pp. 327-332.
6. Galton, P.M. 1978. Fabrosauridae, the basal family of ornithischian dinosaurs (Reptilia: Ornithopoda). Paläont. Z. 52 (1/2): pp. 138-159.
7. Dong, Z. 1978. A new genus of Pachycephalosauria from Laiyang, Shantung. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 16: pp. 225-228.
8. Wild, R. 1978. Ein Sauropoden-Rest (Reptilia, Saurischia) aus dem Posidonienschiefer (Lias, Toarcium) von Holzmaden. Stuttgarter Beitrage zur Naturkunde, Serie B (Geologie und Paleontologie) 41: pp. 1-15.
9. van Heerden vide Anderson, J. M., and A.R.I. Cruickshank. 1978. The biostratigraphy of the Permian and the Triassic. Part 5. A review of the classification and distribution of Permo-Triassic tetrapods. Palaeontographica Africana 21: pp. 15- 44.
10. Sues, H -D. 1978. A new small theropod dinosaur from the Judith River Formation (Campanian) of Alberta, Canada. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. London 62: pp. 381-400.
11. Dong, Z., Y. Chang, X. Li, and S. Zhou. 1978. Note on a new carnosaur (Yangchuanosaurus shangyouensis gen. et sp. nov.) from the Jurassic of Yangchuan District, Szechuan Province. Kexue Tongbao 23: pp. 298-302.
12. Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1978). "Pleistocene Bird Remains from Aldabra Atoll Indian Ocean". Journal of Natural History. 12 (1): 7–14. doi:10.1080/00222937800770021a.
13. Nikolaj I. Burchak-Abramovich & D. V. Gadzyev (1978). "Anser eldaricus sp. nova from Upper Sarmatian Hipparion Fauna of Eldar". Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia. 23: 67–78.
14. Dénes Jánossy (1978). "Plio-Pleistocene Bird Remains from the Carpathian Basin. III. Strigiformes, Falconiformes, Caprimulgiformes, Apodiformes" (PDF). Aquila. 84: 9–36.
15. Colin J. O. Harrison (1978). "A New Jungle-Fowl from the Pleistocene of Europe". Journal of Archaeological Science London. 290: 1–26. doi:10.1016/0305-4403(78)90056-0.
16. Hildegarde Howard (1978). "Late Miocene Marine Birds from Orange County, California" (PDF). Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles County, Contributions in Science. 290: 1–26.
17. Rafael Alvarez & Storrs L. Olson (1978). "A New Merganser from the Miocene of Virginia (Aves: Anatidae)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 91 (2): 522–532.
18. Cécile Mourer-Chauviré (1978). "Oiseaux. Pg. 52-54 In: Jean Claude Paicheler, France de Broin, Jean Gaudant, Cécile Mourer-Chauviré, Jean Claude Rage & Colette Vergnoud-Crazzini, 1978: Le Basin Lacustre Miocène de Bes-Konak (Anatolie-Turquie): Gélogie et Introduction à la Paléontologie des Vertébrés". Géobios. 11 (1): 43–65. doi:10.1080/00222937800770021a.
19. Jirí Mlíkovský (1978). "Early Miocene Birds of Břešt'any, Czech Republic" (PDF). Casopis Narodniho Muzea, Rada Prirodovedna. 167: 99–101.
20. Cécile Mourer-Chauviré (1978). "La Poche à Phosphate de Ste. Neboule (Lot) et sa Faune de Vertébrès du Ludien Supérieur. 6. Oiseaux". Palaeovertebrata. 8: 217–229.
21. Sarjeant, W. A. S., 2001, Dinosaurs in fiction: In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University Press, p. 504-529.