1994 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 feces (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 or were published in the year 1994.

Plants

Conifers

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Diploporus^[2]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA	Fossil Yew Genus, type species D. torreyoides
Taxus masonii^[2]	Sp nov	valid	Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA	Fossil Yew species
Torreya clarnensis^[2]	Sp nov	valid	Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA	Fossil nutmeg yew species

Angiosperms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Actinidia oregonensis^[2]	Sp nov	valid	Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA	Fossil Kiwi species
Cornus clarnensis^[2]	Sp nov	valid	Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA	Fossil dogwood species
Coryloides^[2]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA	Fossil hazelnut relative, Type species C. hancockii
Eucommia constans^[3]	Sp nov	valid	Magallón-Puebl & Cevallos-Ferriz	Miocene - Pleistocene	Pié de Vaca Formation	Mexico	Youngest Eucommia sp. in North America.
Kardiasperma^[2]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA	Fossil hazelnut relative, type species K. parvum
Paleopanax^[2]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA	Fossil ginseng genus, type species P. oregonensis
Rhus rooseae^[2]	Sp nov	valid	Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA	Fossil Sumac species

Arthropods

Newly named insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Acanthognathus poinari^[4]	Sp nov	Valid	Baroni Urbani & De Andrade	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	only fossil Acanthognathus ant
Anochetus ambiguus^[5]	Sp nov	Valid	De Andrade	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A ponerin ant	Anochetus ambiguus
Anochetus conisquamis^[5]	Sp nov	Valid	De Andrade	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A ponerin ant	Anochetus conisquamis
Anochetus dubius^[5]	Sp nov	Valid	De Andrade	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A ponerin ant	Anochetus dubius
Anochetus exstinctus^[5]	Sp nov	Valid	De Andrade	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A ponerin ant	Anochetus exstinctus
Anochetus intermedius^[5]	Sp nov	Valid	De Andrade	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A ponerin ant	Anochetus intermedius
Anochetus lucidus^[5]	Sp nov	Valid	De Andrade	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A ponerin ant	Anochetus lucidus

Molluscs

Bivalves

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Fordilla germanica^[6]	sp nov	Valid	Elicki	Early Cambrian	Zwetau Formation	Germany	early Cambrian bivalve species

Fishes

Newly named bony fishes

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Megalocoelacanthus^[7]	Gen. et sp. nov	valid	Schwimmer, Stewart & Williams	Late Cretaceous (late Santonian to mid-Campanian)	Blufftown Formation Niobrara Formation	United States	A giant latimeriid coelacanth.^[8] The type species is Megalocoelacanthus dobiei.

Archosauromorphs

Aff. Rebbachisaurus gastroliths documented.^[9]
The "Talkeetna Mountains Hadrosaur" specimen was discovered in a quarry being excavated for road material.^[10] The quarry is near the Glenn Highway, approximately 150 miles northeast of Anchorage.^[11] That fall, excavation began, and was resumed in the summer of 1996.^[10]

Newly named pseudosuchians

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Galtonia^[12]	Valid non-dinosaurian taxon	Hunt	S.G. Lucas	Late Triassic (late Carnian)	New Oxford Formation	United States	An relative of Revueltosaurus.
Pekinosaurus^[12]	Junior synonym	Hunt	S. G. Lucas	Late Triassic (late Carnian)	Cumnock Formation	United States	A junior synonym of Revueltosaurus.

Newly named basal dinosauromorphs

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Marasuchus^[13]	Valid Non-Dinosaurian Taxon	Paul Sereno	Arcucci	Middle Triassic (Ladinian)	Chañares Formation	Argentina	A basal dinosauriform; new genus for "Lagosuchus" liloensis Romer (1972).	Marasuchus

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[14]

Name	Status	Authors		Notes	Images	Afrovenator Cryolophosaurus Monolophosaurus Skeletal mount Mymoorapelta on display in a museum. Sinornithoides Sinraptor
Afrovenator^[15]	Valid taxon	Paul Sereno Jeffrey A. Wilson. Larsson	Dutheil Sues
Alwalkeria^[16]	Valid taxon	Sankar Chatterjee	Creisler
Alxasaurus^[17]	Valid taxon	Dale A. Russell	Dong Zhiming
“Amphicoelicaudia”	nomen nudum later named Huabeisaurus	Cheng Z.
Caenagnathasia^[18]	Valid taxon	Phillip Currie Godfrey	Lev A. Nesov
Cryolophosaurus^[19]	Valid taxon	Hammer	Hickerson
Koparion^[20]	Valid taxon	Chure
Monolophosaurus^[21]	Valid taxon	Zhao X.	Phillip Currie
Mymoorapelta^[22]	Valid taxon	James Kirkland	Kenneth Carpenter
Pelecanimimus^[23]	Valid taxon	Perez-Moreno Sanz Buscalioni	Moratalla Ortega Rasskin-Gutman
Phuwiangosaurus^[24]	Valid taxon	V. Martin Buffetaut	Suteethorn
Sinornithoides^[25]	Valid taxon	Dale A. Russell	Dong Zhiming
Sinraptor^[26]	Valid taxon	Phillip Currie	Zhao X.
Timimus^[27]	Valid taxon	Thomas H. Rich	Patricia Vickers-Rich
“Tonouchisaurus”	nomen nudum	Rinchen Barsbold
Yingshanosaurus^[28]	Valid taxon	Zhou S.

Newly named birds

Name	Status	Novelty	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Berruornis orbisantiqui ^[29]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Cécile Mourer-Chauviré	Late Paleocene	MP 6	France	A Strigiformes, Sophiornithidae Mourer-Chauviré, 1987.
Bubo osvaldoi ^[30]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Oscar Arredondo Storrs L. Olson	Quaternary, probably Pleistocene	Cave deposits	Cuba	A Strigidae.
Falco duboisi ^[31]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Graham S. Cowles	Holocene	Cave deposits	Réunion	A Falconidae.
Mascarenachen kervazoi ^[31]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Graham S. Cowles	Holocene	Réunion	Réunion	An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus. The species is transferred to the genus Alopochen Stejneger, 1885 by Mourer-Chauviré, Bour, Ribes & Moutou, 1999.
Mascarenotus grucheti ^[32]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Cécile Mourer-Chauviré Roger Bour François Moutou Sonia Ribes	Holocene	Réunion	Réunion	A Strigidae.
Messelastur gratulator ^[33]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Dieter S. Peters	Middle Eocene	Messel pit, MN 11	Germany: Hessen	A Psittaciformes, Messelasturidae G. Mayr, 2005, this is the type species of the new genus.
Microcarbo serventyorum ^[34]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Gerard F. van Tets	Holocene	Peat Swamp near Mining Lease	Australia: Western Australia	A Phalacrocoracidae.
Neuquenornis volans ^[35]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Luis M. Chiappe Jorge O. Calvo	Late Cretaceous	Santonian-Coniacian, Rio Colorado Formation	Argentina	An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Avisauridae Brett-Surman et Paul, 1985, this is the type species of the new genus.
Nycticorax borbonensis ^[31]	Not valid	Sp. nov.	Graham S. Cowles	Holocene	Réunion	Réunion	An Ardeidae, this is a junior synonym of Nycticorax duboisi (Rothschild, 1907).
Otogornis genghisi ^[36]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Hou Lianhai	Early Cretaceous	Inner Mongolia	China	An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Longirostravidae Zhou, 2006, this is the type species of the new genus.
Presbyornis isoni ^[37]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Storrs L. Olson	Late Paleocene	Aquia Formation	USA: Maryland	An Anseriformes, Presbyornithidae Wetmore, 1926.
Puffinus spelaeus ^[38]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Richard N. Holdaway Trevor H. Worthy	Late Quartenary	Cave Deposits, South Island	New Zealand	A Procellariidae.
Stephanoaetus mahery ^[39]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Steven M. Goodman	Holocene. (Subrecent)	Madagascar	Madagascar	An Accipitridae.
Wanshuina lii ^[40]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Hou Lianhai	Paleocene	Doumu Formation	China	A Rallidae, this is the type species of the new genus.

Plesiosaurs

Plesiosaur gastroliths documented.^[41]

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors		Notes
Morturneria	Valid	Chatterjee Creisler
	Valid

Pterosaurs

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Arthurdactylus	Valid	Frey Martill	Early Cretaceous (late Aptian/early Albian)	Crato Formation	Brazil	A pteranodontoid pterosaur.
Montanazhdarcho^[42]	Valid	Padian, K., Horner de Ricqlès, A.J.	Late Cretaceous (Judithian)	Two Medicine Formation	United States	An azhdarchid.
"Wyomingopteryx"	nomen nudum	Bakker	Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian)	Morrison Formation	United States
Zhejiangopterus	Valid	Cai, Z. Wei, F.	Late Cretaceous (early Campanian)	Tangshang Formation	China	An azhdarchid.

Other diapsids

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Lucianosaurus^[12]	Valid Non-Dinosaurian Taxon	Hunt	S. G. Lucas	Late Triassic (Norian)	Bull Canyon Formation	United States
Tecovasaurus^[12]	Valid Non-Dinosaurian Taxon	Hunt	S. G. Lucas	Late Triassic (late Carnian)	Tecovas Formation	United States

Footnotes

↑ 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.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Manchester, S.R. (1994). "Fruits and Seeds of the Middle Eocene Nut Beds Flora, Clarno Formation, Oregon". Palaeontographica Americana 58: 30–31.
↑ Call, V.B.; Dilcher, D.L. (1997). "The fossil record of Eucommia (Eucommiaceae) in North America" (PDF). American Journal of Botany 84 (6): 798–814. doi:10.2307/2445816. PMID 21708632.
↑ Baroni Urbani, C.; De Andrade, M. L. (1994). "First description of fossil Dacetini ants with a critical analysis of the current classification of the tribe (Amber Collection Stuttgart: Hymenoptera, Formicidae. VI: Dacetini)". Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie) 198: 1–65.
↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 De Andrade, M. L. (1994). "Fossil Odontomachiti Ants from the Dominican Republic (Amber Collection Stuttgart: Hymenoptera, Formicidae. VII: Odontomachiti)". Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie) 199: 1–28.
↑ 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.
↑ David R. Schwimmer, J. D. Stewart and G. Dent Williams (1994). "Giant fossil coelacanths of the Late Cretaceous in the eastern United States". Geology 22 (6): 503–506. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0503:gfcotl>2.3.co;2.
↑ Hugo Dutel, John G. Maisey, David R. Schwimmer, Philippe Janvier, Marc Herbin and Gaël Clément (2012). "The Giant Cretaceous Coelacanth (Actinistia, Sarcopterygii) Megalocoelacanthus dobiei Schwimmer, Stewart & Williams, 1994, and Its Bearing on Latimerioidei Interrelationships". PLoS ONE 7 (11): e49911. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049911.
↑ Calvo (1994). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167.
↑ 10.0 10.1 "Introduction," in Pasche and May (2001); page 220.
↑ "Location and Geologic Setting," in Pasche and May (2001); page 220.
↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Hunt, A.P. and S.G. Lucas. 1994. Ornithischian dinosaurs from the Upper Triassic of the United States. In: the Shadow of the Dinosaurs, Early Mesozoic Tetrapods (N.C. Fraser and H.-D. Sues, Eds.). Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK: pp. 227-241.
↑ Sereno, P.C. and A.B. Arcucci. 1994. Dinosaur precursors from the Middle Triassic of Argentina: Marasuchus lilloensis gen. nov. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 14: pp. 53-73.
↑ Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Retrieved 2008-08-07.
↑ Sereno, P.C., J.A. Wilson, H.C.E. Larsson, D.B. Dutheil, H.-D. Sues. 1994. Early Cretaceous dinosaurs from the Sahara. Science 266 (14 October [5183]): pp. 267-271.
↑ Chatterjee, S. and B.S. Creisler. 1994. Alwalkeria (Theropoda) and Morturneria (Plesiosauria), new names for preoccupied Walkeria Chatterjee, 1987 and Turneria. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 14: 142.
↑ Russell, D.A. and Z.-M. Dong. 1994. The affinities of a new theropod from the Alxa Desert, Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China. Can. J. Earth Sci. 30:pp. 2107-2127.
↑ Currie, P.J., S.J. Godfrey, and L. Nesov. 1993 [Olshevsky cites 1994]. New caenagnathid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) specimens from the Upper Cretaceous of North America and Asia. Can. J. Earth Sci. 30: pp. 2255-2272.
↑ Hammer, W.R. and W.J. Hickerson. 1994. A Crested Theropod Dinosaur from Antarctica. Science. 264: pp. 828-830.
↑ Chure, D.J. 1994. Koparion douglassi, a new dinosaur from the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic) of Dinosaur National Monument; The oldest troodontid (Theropoda: Maniraptora). Brigham Young University Geology Studies 40: pp. 11-15.
↑ Zhao, X.J. and P.J. Currie, P.J. 1994 [not 1993]. A large crested theropod from the Jurassic of Xinjiang, China. Canadian. J. Earth Sci. 30: pp. 2027-2036.
↑ Kirkland, J.I. and K. Carpenter. 1994. North America’s First Pre-Cretaceous Ankylosaur (Dinosauria) from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Western Colorado. Brigham Young University Geology Studies 40: pp. 25-42.
↑ Perez-Moreno, B., J.L. Sanz, A.D. Buscalloni, J.J. Moratalla, F. Ortega, and D. Rasskin-Gutman. 1994. A unique multitoothed ornithomimosaur dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain. Nature 370: pp. 363-367.
↑ Martin, V. E. Buffetaut, and V. Suteethorn. 1994. A new genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Sao Khua Formation (Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous) of north-eastern Thailand. Comptes Rendus l'Acad. Sci. Paris (II) 319 : pp. 1085-1092.
↑ Russell, D.A. and Z.-M Dong. 1993 [George Olshevsky cites 1994, not 1993]. A nearly complete skeleton of a new troodontid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of the Ordos Basin, Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China. Can. J. Earth Sci. 30: pp. 2163-2173.
↑ Currie, P.J. and X.J. Zhao. 1994. A new carnosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Jurassic of Xinjiang, People's Republic of China. Can. J. Earth Sci., 30: pp. 2037-2081.
↑ Rich, T.H., and P. Vickers-Rich. 1994. Neoceratopsians and ornithomimosaurs: Dinosaurs of Gondwana origin. Res. Exploration 10: pp. 129-131.
↑ Zhou Songlin, 1994. Record of a fossil stegosaur from Yingshan in the Sichuan Basin. Sichuan Cultural Relics. 1994-S1: 8-14.
↑ Cécile Mourer-Chauviré (1994). "A Large Owl from the Paleocene of France" (PDF). Palaeontology 37 (2): 339–348.
↑ Oscar Arredondo & Storrs L. Olson (1994). "A New Species of Owl of the Genus Bubo from the Pleistocene of Cuba (Aves: Strigiformes)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 107 (3): 436–444.
↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Graham S. Cowles (1994). "A New Genus, Three New Species and Two New Records of Extinct Holocene Birds From Réunion Island, Indian Ocean". Géobios 27 (1): 87–93. doi:10.1016/s0016-6995(06)80215-9.
↑ Cécile Mourer-Chauviré, Roger Bour, François Moutou & Sonia Ribes (1994). "Mascarenotus Nov. Gen. (Aves: Strigiformes) Genre Endémique Éteint des Mascareignes et M. grucheti N. Sp. Espècé Éteinte de la Réunion" (PDF). Académie des Sciences, Comptes Rendus, ser. 2A 318: 1699–1706.
↑ Dieter S. Peters (1994). "Messelastur gratulator n. gen. n. spec., ein Greifvogel aus der Grube Messel (Aves, Accipitridae)" (PDF). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 170: 3–9.
↑ Gerard F. van Tets (1994). "An Extinct New Species of Cormorant (Phalacrocoracidae, Aves) from a Western Australian Peat Swamp". Records of the South Australian Museum 27: 135–138.
↑ Luis M. Chiappe & Jorge O. Calvo (1994). "Neuquenornis volans, a New Late Cretaceous Bird (Enantiornithes: Avisauridae) from Patagonia, Argentina" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 14 (2): 230–246. doi:10.1080/02724634.1994.10011554.
↑ Hou Lianhai (1994). "A Late Mesozoic Bird from Inner Mongolia" (PDF). Vertebrata PalAsiatica 32 (4): 258–266.
↑ Storrs L. Olson (1994). "A Giant Presbyornis (Aves: Anseriformes) and Other Birds from the Paleocene Aquia Formation of Maryland and Virginia" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 107 (3): 429–435.
↑ Richard N. Holdaway & Trevor H. Worthy (1994). "A New Fossil Species of Shearwater Puffinus from the Late Quartenary of the South Island, New Zealand, and Notes on the Biogeography and Evolution of the Puffinus gavia Superspecies". Emu 94 (3): 201–215. doi:10.1071/mu9940201.
↑ Steven M. Goodman (1994). "Description of a New Species of Subfossil Eagle from Madagascar: Stephanoaetus (Aves: Falconiformes) from the Deposits of Amphasambazimba" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 107 (3): 421–428.
↑ Hou Lianhai (1994). "A New Paleocene Bird from Anhui, China" (PDF). Vertebrata PalAsiatica 32 (1): 60–65.
↑ Martin (1994). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167.
↑ Padian, K., Ricqles, A. de J., and Horner, J. R., 1994, Bone histology determines identification of a new fossil taxon of pterosaur (Reptilia: Archosauria): Compte rendu hebdomadaire des seances de l’Academie des Sciences Paris, tomo 320, serie 2, p. 77-84.

References

Calvo,J.O. (1994). Gastroliths in sauropod dinosaurs. Gaia, 10: 205-208.
Martin, James E.; 1994; Gastric residues in marine reptiles from the Late Cretaceous Pierre Shale in South Dakota; their bearing on extinction; Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology; 14(3, Suppl.) pp. 36; University of Oklahoma
Pasch, A. D., K. C. May. 2001. Taphonomy and paleoenvironment of hadrosaur (Dinosauria) from the Matanuska Formation (Turonian) in South-Central Alaska. In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life. Ed.s Tanke, D. H., Carpenter, K., Skrepnick, M. W. Indiana University Press. Pages 219-236.
Sanders F, Manley K, Carpenter K. Gastroliths from the Lower Cretaceous sauropod Cedarosaurus weiskopfae. In: Tanke D.H, Carpenter K, editors. Mesozoic vertebrate life: new research inspired by the paleontology of Philip J. Currie. Indiana University Press; Bloomington, IN: 2001. pp. 166–180.