1977 in paleontology
Expeditions, field work, and fossil discoveries
- Trexler found hadrosaur remains wecinst of Choteau, Montana in Two Medicine Formation strata.
Plants
Angiosperms
Pinophytes
Invertebrates
Mollusks
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
Fordilla sibirica | sp nov | Valid | Krasilova | Early Cambrian | Tyuser Formation | early Cambrian bivalve species. synonym of Fordilla troyensis. |
Conodonts
German paleontologist and stratigrapher Heinz Walter Kozur described the conodont genus VjalovognathusVertebrates
Non-avian dinosaurs
Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.Birds
- Colin J. O Harrison and Cyril Walker described and named 16 fossils from the Early Eocene from very small fragments. It is not possible to describe taxa so old from those fragments, given the fact that in the Eocene many birds with a mix of characters existed.
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
Argillipes aurorum | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | Described in the Phasianidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský 2002, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Argillipes paralectoris | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 |
| Described in the Phasianidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský 2002. | |
Buthierax pouliani | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Miklós Kretzoi | Middle Pleistocene | MQ 2a | An Accipitridae Incertae Sedis, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Cepphus storeri | Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison | Late Pliocene | MN 16-17 | An Alcidae. | ||
Ciconia sarmatica | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dan Grigorescu Jenö Kessler | Early Miocene | Sarmatian, MN 8 | A Ciconiidae. | ||
Cinclodes major | Sp. nov. | Valid | Eduardo P. Tonni | Middle Pleistocene | A Furnariidae. | |||
Coturnipes cooperi | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | Described in the Phasianidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Olson, 1999, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Gallus beremendensis | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Late Pliocene | MN 16a | A Phasianidae. | ||
Limnofregata azygosternon | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Storrs L. Olson | Early Eocene | Green River Formatie, Fossil Bute Member | A Fregatidae, Limnofregatinae Olson, 1977, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Malacorhynchus scarletti | Sp. nov. | Valid | Storrs L. Olson | Holocene | ± 3500 YBP | An Anatidae. | ||
Marinavis longirostris | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | Described in the Procelariiformes, in its own family, Marinavidae Harrison et Walker, 1977, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Microena goodwini | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | Described in the Columbidae, placed in Aves Inceretae Sedis by Mlíkovský 2002, according to Mayr, 2009 perhaps a "Coraciiformes" or a "Caprimulgiformes"/Apodiformes, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Neptuniavis minor | Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | An ?Procellariidae, maybe a synonym of Dasornis toliapica. | ||
Neptuniavis miranda | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | An ?Procellariidae, this is the type species of the new genus, maybe a synonym of Dasornis emuinus, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Oxyura zapatanima | Sp. nov. | Valid | Rafael Alvarez | Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene | Jocotopec Sand and Gravel Quarry | An Anatidae. | ||
Parvicuculus minor | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | An Apodiformes, Hemiprocni Karkhu, 1992, Parvicuculidae Harrison, 1982, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Parvigyps praecox | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | Described in the Accipitridae, by Mlíkovský, 2002 placed in Aves Incertae Sedis, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Percolinus venablesi | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | Described in the Phasianidae, transferred to the genus Gypsornis Milne-Edwards, 1871 in the Cariamidae by Mlíkovský, 2002, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Phalacrocorax chapalensis | Sp. nov. | Valid | Rafael Alvarez | Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene | Jocotopec Sand and Gravel Quarry | A Phalacrocoracidae. | ||
Pinguinus alfrednewtoni | Sp. nov. | Valid | Storrs L. Olson | Early Pliocene | Chesapeake Group | An Alcidae. | ||
Precursor litorum | Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | Described in the Glareolidae, best treated as Aves Incertae Sedis. | ||
Precursor magnus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | Described in the Glareolidae, best treated as Aves Incertae Sedis. | ||
Precursor parvus | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | Described in the Glareolidae, this is the type species of the new genus, best treated as Aves Incertae Sedis. | ||
Primodroma bournei | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | A Hydrobatidae, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Primoscens minutus | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | Described in a new family Primoscenidae Harrison et Walker, 1977, Passeriformes, placed in synonymy with the family Zygodactylidae Brodkorb, 1971, ?Piciformes by Mayr, 2008, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Procuculus minutus | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | Described as a Cuculidae, Harrison, 1982 placed it in his new family Parvicuculidae, Olson, 1985 and Mayr, 2009 think it might be a synonym of Primapus lacki Harrison et Walker, 1975. Best treated as Aves Incertae Sedis, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Quipollornis koniberi | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Patricia Vickers Rich Allan R. McEvey | Early to Middle Miocene | Diatomite deposits on Chalk Mountain | An Aegothelidae, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Rallus richmondi | Nom. nov. | Valid | Storrs L. Olson | Late Miocene | MN 13 | A Rallidae, a new name for Rallus dubius Portis, 1887, a junior primary homonym of Rallus dubius Piller et Mitterpacher, 1783, so its objective junior synonym. | ||
Sarmatosula dobrogensis | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Dan Grigorescu Jenö Kessler | Middle Miocene | Sarmatian, MN 8 | A Sulidae, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Shandongornis shanwanensis | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Yeh Xiangkui | Middle Miocene | Shanwang Series | A Phasianidae, this is the type species of the new genus. | ||
Xenicibis xympithecus | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Storrs L. Olson David W. Steadman | Quaternary | Cave deposits | A Threskiornithidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
Pterodactyls
Popular culture
Literature
- The Year of the Dinosaur Edwin H. Colbert and illustrated by his wife, Margaret was published. This story describes a year in the life of a "brontosaur" and was an attempt to educate the reader about prehistory through a fictional portrayal of it.