1988 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 1988.

Plants

Angiosperms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Synonymy	Notes	Images
Hemiptelea mikii [2]	sp nov		Minaki, Noshiro, & Suzuki	Pleistocene		Japan		An ulmaceous species
Keratosperma [3]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Cevallos-Ferriz & Stockey	Eocene Ypresian	Okanagan Highlands Princeton Chert	Canada   British Columbia		A lasioid arum family seed genus. The type species is K. allenbyensis
Pistillipollianthus [4]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Stockey & Manchester	Eocene Ypresian	Okanagan Highlands Horsefly Shales	Canada   British Columbia		A flower of uncertain affinities The type species is P. wilsoni. Producer of the Pistillipollenites macgregorii palynomorph.
Salmonensea [5]	Gen et Comb nov	Valid	Wolfe & Wehr	late Middle Eocene	Salmon Flora	USA   Idaho		A rosaceous genus The type species is S. prefoliolosa Moved from Chamaebatia prefoliolosa (1935)	Salmonensea prefoliolosa
Sorbaria wahrhaftigii [5]	Sp nov	Valid	Wolfe & Wehr	Eocene latest Eocene	Rex Creek Flora	USA   Alaska		A rosaceous species	Sorbaria wahrhaftigii
Stockeya [5]	Gen, sp et Comb nov	Valid	Wolfe & Wehr	late Oligocene	Creede Formation	USA   Colorado	Chamaebatiaria creedensis (1937)	A rosaceous genus The type species is S. creedensis Also includes S. montana	Stockeya montana
Stonebergia [5]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Wolfe & Wehr	Eocene Ypresian	Okanagan Highlands Allenby Formation	Canada   British Columbia		A rosaceous genus The type species is S. columbiana	Stonebergia columbiana

Arthropods

Crustaceans

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Pseudotealliocaris palincsari [6]	Sp nov	jr synonym	Schram	Famennian	Huntley Mountain Formation	USA   Pennsylvania	Moved to the genus Tealliocaris in 2013. [7] Though initially reported to be from the Pocono Formation, the deposits it was found in are now considered part of the Huntley Mountain Formation. [8]

Insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Synonymy	Notes	Images
Aneuretellus [9]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Dlussky	Middle Eocene	Sakhalin amber	Russia		An aneuretine ant
Protopone primigena [9] [10]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Dlussky	Middle Eocene	Sakhalin amber	Russia		A ponerine ant	Protopone primigena
Zherichinius [9]	Gen et 2 sp nov	valid	Dlussky	Middle Eocene	Sakhalin amber	Russia		A dolichoderine ant The type species is Z. horiibilis Also includes Z. rapax	Zherichinius horribilis

Archosauromorphs

Newly named non-avian dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list. ^[11]

• The dubious family, Ornitholestidae is named by Gregory Scott Paul.

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Synonymy	Notes	Images
Anserimimus [12]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Barsbold	Late Cretaceous	Nemegt Formation	Mongolia		An ornithomimid theropod	Anserimimus planinychus
Brachylophosaurus goodwini [13]	Sp nov	Junior synonym	Horner	Campanian	McClellend Ferry Member, Judith River Formation	USA   Montana		A saurolophine hadrosaurid. Junior synonym of Brachylophosaurus canadensis or an indeterminate brachylophosaurin. [14]
Cathetosaurus [15] [16]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Jensen	Late Jurassic		USA   Colorado		A camarasauromorph sauropod The type species is C. lewisi	Cathetosaurus lewisi
"Chassternbergia" [17]	Subgen Nov	Junior synonym	Bakker	Campanian	Dinosaur Park Formation	Canada   Alberta		Jr synonym of Edmontonia	Edmontonia rugosidens
Denversaurus [17]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Bakker	Cretaceous late Maastrichtian	Lance Formation	USA		A nodosaurid	Denversaurus schlessmani (on left)
Giraffatitan	Gen et comb nov	Valid	Paul	Late Jurassic	Tendaguru formation	Tanzania	Brachiosaurus brancai 1914 Brachiosaurus fraasi 1914	A sauropod The type species is G. brancai	Giraffatitan brancai
"Hironosaurus"	Gen nov	Nomen nudum	Hisa	Late Cretaceous		Japan		A possible hadrosaurid, undescribed
"Kagasaurus"	Gen nov	Nomen nudum	Hisa	Early Cretaceous		Japan		A possible dromeosaurid, undescribed
Kotasaurus [18]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Yadagiri	Early Jurassic	Kota Formation	India		A basal sauropod
Nanotyrannus [19]	Gen et comb nov	Valid?	Bakker, Williams, & Currie	Late Cretaceous	Lance Formation	USA   Montana		Possible junior synonym of Tyrannosaurus .	Nanotyrannus lancensis
Orodromeus [20]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Horner & Weishampel	Cretaceous Campanian	Two Medicine Formation			An ornithopod The type species is O. makelai	Orodromeus makelai
"Protognathus" [21]	Gen et sp nov	Senior synonym	Zhang	Middle Jurassic	Shaximiao Formation	China		Junior homonym of ProtognathusBasilewsky, 1950; (syn. for Pseudognathaphanus, Schauberger, 1932); renamed Protognathosaurus in 1991
"Stenotholus" [22]	Gen et sp nov	Junior synonym	Giffin, Gabriel, & Johnson	Late Cretaceous	Hell Creek Formation	USA   Montana		Junior synonym of Stygimoloch	Stygimoloch spinifer

Newly named birds

Name	Status	Novelty	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Synonymy	Notes	Images
Ciconia kahli [23]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Haarhoff	Early Pliocene	Varswater Formation	South Africa		A Ciconiidae.
Diomedea rumana [24]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Grigorescu & Kessler	Middle Miocene		Romania		A Diomedeidae.
Gymnogyps kofordi [25]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Emslie	Pleistocene Irvingtonian		USA   Florida		A Cathartidae.
Hadrogyps [26]	Valid	Gen. et sp. nov.	Emslie	Middle Miocene Barstovian	Round Mountain Silt	USA   California		A cathartid The type species is H. aigialeus.
Jungornis [27]	Valid	Fam, gen et sp nov.	Karkhu	Early Oligocene	Maykop Formation	Russia		A Jungornithidae Apodiformes the type species is J. tesselatus.
Lithornis [28]	Valid	Subord, Fam, Gen et sp. nov.	Houde	Late Paleocene Early Tiffanian	Fort Union Formation	USA   Montana		A lithornithid palaeognathaen The genus includes L. celetius, L. plebius, & L. promiscuus
Messelornis [29]	Valid	Fam, gen et sp nov.	Hesse	Eocene Ypresian	Messel Formation	Germany   Hessen		A Messelornithidae Ralliformes The type species is M. cristata.
Morus olsoni [24]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Grigorescu & Kessler	Middle Miocene		Romania		A Sulidae.
Pachyplichas [30]	Valid	Gen et sp. nov.	Millener	Late Quaternary Otiran Glacial Stage?		New Zealand		An Acanthisittidae The type species is P. yaldwyni. Also includes P. jagmi
Phocavis maritimus [31]	Valid	Gen et Sp nov.	Goedert	Late Eocene	Keasey Formation	USA   Oregon		A Plotopteridae Pelecaniformes The type species is P. maritimus
Porphyrio paepae [32]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Steadman	Holocene	Tahuata & Hiva Oa	French Polynesia   Marquesas Islands		A Rallidae.
Primocolius [33]	Valid	Gen et sp. nov.	Mourer-Chauviré	Late Eocene	Phosphorites du Quercy	France		A Coliidae. The type species is P. sigei Also includes P. minor
Pseudocrypturus [28]	Valid	Gen et sp. nov.	Houde	Eocene Ypresian	Green River Formation	USA   Wyoming		A Lithornithidae Palaeognathae. The type species is P. cercanaxius.
Psilopterus colzecus [34]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Tonni & Tambussi	Late Miocene Chasicoan	Arroyo Chasicó Formation	Argentina		A Psilopterinae Phorusrhacidae.
Sula tasmani [35]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Tets, Meredith, Fullagar, & Davidson	Holocene	Lord Howe & Norfolk Islands	Australia   New South Wales		A Sulidae,
Sylphornis [33]	Valid	Fam, gen et sp. nov.	Mourer-Chauviré	Late Eocene		France		A Sylphornithidae basal Piciformes The type species is S. bretouensis
Taubacrex [36]	Valid	Gen et sp. nov.	Alvarenga	Late Oligocene-Early Miocene	Tremembé Formation	Brazil		A Quercymegapodiidae [37] the type species is T. granivora
Tshulia [38]	Valid	Gen et sp. nov.	Nessov	Late Paleocene		Kazakhstan		A possibe Rallidae The type species is T. litorea
Ventivorus [33]	Valid	Gen et sp. nov.	Mourer-Chauviré	Late Eocene		France		A Caprimulgidae The type species is V. ragei.
Zheroia [38]	Valid	Gen et sp. nov.	Nessov	Eocene Bartonian		Uzbekistan		A Graculavidae genus The type species is Z. kurochkini.
Zhylgaia [38]	Valid	Gen et sp nov.	Nessov	Late Paleocene		Kazakhstan		A Prophaethontidae Pelecaniformes The type species is Z. aestiflua

Pterosaurs

New taxa

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Synonymy	Notes	Images
Tupuxuara [39]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Kellner & Campos	Cretaceous	Santana Formation	Brazil		A Thalassodromidae pterosaur	Tupuxuara leonardii

References

• Paleontology portal

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. Minaki, M.; Noshiro, S.; Suzuki, M. (1988). "Hemiptelea mikii sp. nov. (Ulmaceae), fossil fruits and woods from the Pleistocene of central Japan". The Botanical Magazine - Shokubutsu-gaku-zasshi. 101 (4): 337–351. doi:10.1007/BF02488081. S2CID   41884511.
3. Cevallos-Ferriz, S; Stockey, RA (1988). "Permineralized fruits and seeds from the Princeton Chert (Middle Eocene) of British Columbia: Araceae". American Journal of Botany. 75 (8): 1099–1113. doi:10.2307/2444092. JSTOR   2444092.
4. Stockey, R. A.; Manchester, S. R. (1988). "A fossil flower with in situ Pistillipollenites from the Eocene of British Columbia". Canadian Journal of Botany. 66 (2): 313–318. doi:10.1139/b88-051.
5. Wolfe, J.A.; Wehr, W.C. (1988). "Rosaceous Chamaebatiaria-like foliage from the Paleogene of western North America". Aliso. 12 (1): 177–200. doi: 10.5642/aliso.19881201.14 .
6. "Pseudotealliocaris palincsari n. sp., a pygocephalomorph from the Pocono Formation, Mississippian of Pennsylvania". Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History. 21: 221–225. 1988. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.24584. ISSN   0080-5947.
7. Clark, Neil D.L. (2013-12-20). "Tealliocaris: a decapod crustacean from the Carboniferous of Scotland". Palaeodiversity. 6: 107–133. S2CID   83091612.
8. Jones, Wade T.; Feldmann, Rodney M.; Schram, Frederick R.; Schweitzer, Carrie E.; Maguire, Evin P. (2016). "The Proof is in the Pouch: Tealliocaris is a Peracarid". Palaeodiversity. 9 (1): 75–88. doi:10.18476/pale.v9.a5. ISSN   1867-6294.
9. Dlussky, G. M. (1988). "Ants of Sakhalin amber (Paleocene?)" (PDF). Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal (in Russian). 1988 (1): 50–61.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
10. Dlussky, G.M.; Wedmann, S. (2012). "The poneromorph ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae: Amblyoponinae, Ectatomminae, Ponerinae) of Grube Messel, Germany: High biodiversity in the Eocene". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology . 10 (4): 725–753. doi:10.1080/14772019.2011.628341. S2CID   83928415. – via  Taylor & Francis (subscription required)
11. Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
12. Barsbold, R. 1988. A new late Cretaceous ornithomimid of Mongolia [in Russian]. Paleontol. J. 1: pp. 122-125.
13. Horner, John R. (1988-09-23). "A new hadrosaur (Reptilia, Ornithischia) from the Upper Cretaceous Judith River Formation of Montana". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 8 (3): 314–321. doi:10.1080/02724634.1988.10011714. ISSN   0272-4634.
14. Freedman Fowler, Elizabeth A.; Horner, John R. (2015-11-11). "A New Brachylophosaurin Hadrosaur (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) with an Intermediate Nasal Crest from the Campanian Judith River Formation of Northcentral Montana". PLOS ONE. 10 (11): e0141304. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141304 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   4641681 . PMID   26560175.
15. Jensen, J.A. 1988. A fourth new sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic of the Colorado Plateau and sauropod bipedalism. Great Basin Nat. 48 (2), pp. 121-145.
16. Mateus, O., & Tschopp E. (2013). Cathetosaurus as a valid sauropod genus and comparisons with Camarasaurus. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Program and Abstracts, 2013. 173.
17. Bakker, R. T. 1988. Review of the late Cretaceous Nodosaurid Dinosauria, Denversaurus schlessmani, a new armor-plated dinosaur from the Latest Cretaceous of South Dakota, the Last Survivor of the Nodosaurians, with comments on Stegosaur-Nodosaur Relationships. Hunteria 1 (3), pp. 3-23.
18. Yadagiri, P. 1988. A new sauropod Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis from Lower Jurassic Kota Formation of India. Records of the Geological Survey of India 116 (3-8): pp. 102-127.
19. Bakker, R.T., M. Williams, and P. Currie. 1988. Nanotyrannus, a new genus of pygmy tyrannosaur, from the latest Cretaceous of Montana. Hunteria 1: pp. 1-30.
20. Horner, J.R. and D.B. Weishampel. 1988. A comparative embryological study of two ornithischian dinosaurs. Nature 332: pp. 256- 257.
21. Olshevsky, G. 1991. A Revision of the Parainfraclass Archosauria Cope, 1869, Excluding the Advanced Crocodylia. Mesozoic Meanderings 2 (1st printing): iv + 196 pages.
22. Giffin, E. B., D.L. Gabriel, and R.E. Johnson. 1987. A new pachycephalosaurid skull (Ornithischia) from the Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of Montana. J. Vert. Palaeontol. 7 (4); pp. 398-407.
23. Philippa J. Haarhoff (1988). "A New Fossil Stork (Aves, Ciconiidae) from the Late Tertiary of Langebaanweg, South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 97: 297–313.
24. Dan Grigorescu; Jenö Kessler (1988). "New Contributions to the Knowledge of the Sarmatian Birds from South Dobrogea in the Frame of the Eastern Paratethyan Avifauna". Revue Roumaine de Géologie, Géophysique et Géographie, Série Géologie. 32: 91–97.
25. Steven D. Emslie (1988). "The Fossil History and Phylogenetic Relationships of Condors (Ciconiiformes: Vulturidae) in the New World". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 8 (2): 212–228. doi:10.1080/02724634.1988.10011699.
26. Steven D. Emslie (1988). "An Early Condor-like Vulture from North America" (PDF). The Auk. 105 (3): 529–535. doi:10.1093/auk/105.3.529.
27. Aleksandr A. Karkhu (1988). "A New Family of Swift-Like Birds from the Paleogene of Europe". Paleontological Journal. 22: 77–88.
28. Peter W. Houde (1988). "Paleognathous Birds from the Early Tertiary of the Northern Hemisphere". Publication of the Nuttall Ornithological Club. 22: 1–148.
29. Angelika Hesse (1988). "Die †Messelornithidae-Ein Neue Familie der Kranichartigen (Aves: Gruiformes: Rhynocheti) aus dem Tertiär Europas und Nordamerikas". Journal für Ornithologie. 129 (1): 83–95. doi:10.1007/bf01641534. S2CID   23280617.
30. Philip R. Millener (1988). "Contributions to New Zealand's Late Quaternary Avifauna. I: Pachyplichas, a New Genus of Wren (Aves: Acanthisittidae), with Two New Species". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 18 (4): 383–406. doi:10.1080/03036758.1988.10426464.
31. James L. Goedert (1988). "A New Late Eocene Species of Plotopteridae (Aves: Pelecaniformes) from Northwestern Oregon". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 45 (6): 97–102.
32. David W. Steadman (1988). "A New Species of Porphyrio (Aves: Rallidae) from Archeological Sites in the Marquesas Islands". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 101 (1): 162–170.
33. Cécile Mourer-Chauviré (1988). "Le Gisement du Bretou (Phosphorites du Quercy, Tarn-et-Garonne, France) et sa Faune de Vertébrés de l'Éocène Supérieur II. Oiseaux". Palaeontographica A. 205: 29–50.
34. Eduardo P. Tonni; Claudia P. Tambussi (1988). "Un Nuevo Psilopterninae (Aves: Ralliformes) del Mioceno Tardio de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Republica Argentina". Ameghiniana. 25: 155–160.
35. Gerard F. van Tets; Charles W. Meredith; Peter J. Fullagar; Peter M. Davidson (1988). "Osteological Differences Between Sula and Morus, and a Description of an Extinct New Species of Sula from Lord Howe and Norfolk islands, Tasman Sea" (PDF). Notornis. 35 (1): 35–57. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-26. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
36. Herculano M. F. de Alvarenga (1988). "Ave Fóssil (Gruiformes: Rallidae) dos Folhelhos da Bacia de Taubaté, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil". Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 60: 321–328.
37. Cécile Mourer-Chauviré (2000). "A New Species of Ameripodius (Aves: Galliformes: Quercymegapodiidae) from the Lower Miocene of France". Palaeontology. 43 (3): 481–493. doi: 10.1111/j.0031-0239.2000.00136.x .
38. Lev A. Nessov (1988). "Novyye ptitsy mela i paleogena Sredney Azii i Kazakhstana i usloviya na mestakh ikh obitaniya. [New Cretaceous and Paleogene Birds from Middle Asia and Kazakhstan, and the Condition Existing at Theire Places of Residence.] [in Russian, with English sum.]". Trudy Zoologicheskogo Instituta Akademii Nauk SSSR. 182: 116–123.
39. Kellner, A.W.A., and Campos, D.A. (1988). "Sobre un novo pterossauro com crista sagital da Bacia do Araripe, Cretaceo Inferior do Nordeste do Brasil. (Pterosauria, Tupuxuara, Cretaceo, Brasil)." Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 60: 459–469. [in Portuguese]