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1940 in paleontology

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of years in paleontology (table)
In science
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
+...

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 1940.

Plants

[edit]

Angiosperms

[edit]
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Eucommia eocenica[2]

Sp nov

valid

(Berry) Brown

Middle Eocene

Claiborne Formation

 USA
 Tennessee

new generic placement of Simaroubites eocenica

Eucommia montana[2]

Sp nov

valid

Brown

Middle Eocene

Renova Formation

 USA
 Montana

Eucommia species, found across Western North America

Eucommia montana

Pseudolarix americana[3]

Sp nov.

nomen nudum

Brown

Ypresian

Klondike Mountain Formation

 USA
 Washington

A golden larch species,
split into Pseudolarix arnoldii and Pseudolarix wehrii in 1992

Pseudolarix wehrii

Tetrapteris simsoni[4][5]

Sp nov

jr synonym

Brown

Middle Eocene

Clarno Formation

 USA
 Oregon

A walnut relative.
Moved to Cruciptera simsonii in 1991

Arthropods

[edit]

insects

[edit]
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Centrinus longipes[6]

Sp nov

valid

Piton

Thanetian

Menat Formation

 France

A weevil

Centrinus longipes

Lixus ligniticus[6]

Sp nov

valid

Piton

Thanetian

Menat Formation

 France

A weevil

Lixus ligniticus

Doryderes laticollis[6]

Sp nov

valid

Piton

Thanetian

Menat Formation

 France

A pentatomid stinkbug

Doryderes laticollis

Phaenolobus arvernus[6]

Sp nov

valid

Piton

Thanetian

Menat Formation

 France

An ichneumonid wasp

Phaenolobus arvernus

Archosauromorphs

[edit]

Crurotarsans

[edit]
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Asiatosuchus grangeri[7]

Gen. et. sp. nov

Valid

Mook

Upper Eocene

Irdin Manha Formation

 China

A crocodyloid.

Dinosaurs

[edit]

Data from George Olshevky's dinosaur genera list.[8]

Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Caenagnathus[9]

Valid

Sternberg

 Canada
 Alberta

Caenagnathus

Plesiosaurs

[edit]

New taxa

[edit]
Name Status Authors Location Images

Seeleyosaurus

Valid

White

Tremamesacleis

Jr. Synonym of Muraenosaurus.

White

Synapsids

[edit]

Non-mammalian

[edit]
Name Status Authors Age Location Notes Location

Aelurosauroides

Jr. Synonym of Aelurosaurus.

Aelurosauropsis

Valid

Haughton and Brink

Bienotherium

Valid

Young 193 Millions of years ago.

Dicynodontoides

Valid

Broom 257 Millions of years ago.

Leontocephalus

Jr. Synonym of Aelurognathus.

Nanictocephalus

Valid

Broom 257 Millions of years ago

Prorubidgea

Jr. Synonym of Aelurognathus

References

[edit]
  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. ^ a b Call, V.B.; Dilcher, D.L. (1997). "The fossil record of Eucommia (Eucommiaceae) in North America". American Journal of Botany. 84 (6): 798–814. doi:10.2307/2445816. JSTOR 2445816. PMID 21708632. S2CID 20464075.
  3. ^ Gooch, N. L. (1992). "Two new species of Pseudolarix Gordon (Pinaceae) from the middle Eocene of the Pacific Northwest". PaleoBios. 14: 13–19.
  4. ^ Brown, R. W. (1940). "New species and changes of name in some American fossil floras". Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences. 30 (8): 344–356. JSTOR 24529454.
  5. ^ Manchester, S.R. (1994). "Fruits and Seeds of the Middle Eocene Nut Beds Flora, Clarno Formation, Oregon". Palaeontographica Americana. 58: 30–31.
  6. ^ a b c d Piton, L. (1940). "Paléontologie du Gisement Éocéne de Menat (Puy-de-Dôme) (Flore et Faune)". Mémoire de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle d'Auvergne. 1: 1–303.
  7. ^ Mook, Charles Craig (December 26, 1940). "A new fossil crocodilian from Mongolia". American Museum Novitates (1097): 1–3. hdl:2246/2242.
  8. ^ Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  9. ^ Sternberg, R.M. 1940. A toothless bird from the Cretaceous of Alberta. J. Paleontol. 14: pp. 81-85.