1870 in paleontology

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 1870.

Arthropods

Newly named insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Bibio lartetii[2]	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Oustalet, 1870	Oligocene		France	A bibionid, moved to Plecia larteti in 2017	Plecia larteti
Protomyia lugens[2]	Sp nov	jr synonym	Oustalet, 1870	Oligocene		France	A bibionid, moved to Penthetria lugens in 2017	Penthetria lugens

"Fish"

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Asineops'[3]	Gen et Sp nov	valid	Cope	Eocene Ypresian	Green River Formation	US Wyoming	A fish of possibly Percopsiformes affiliation. The type species is A. squamifrons	Asineops squamifrons
Cyprinodon levatus[3]	Sp nov	Jr synonym	Cope	Eocene Ypresian	Green River Formation	US Wyoming	A percopsid fish Moved to Erismatopterus levatus in 1871	Erismatopterus levatus

Turtles

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Pneumatoarthrus[4]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Cope	Cretaceous Maastrichtian	Mount Laurel Formation	US New Jersey	First identified as a possible basal sauropod. Reidentified as a protostegid marine turtle. The type species is P. peloreus	Pneumatoarthrus

Archosauromorphs

Newly named birds

Name	Status	Authors		Location	Notes
Laornis	Misidentification.	Marsh	USA New Jersey	Misidentified bird. The type species is L. edvardsianus

Dinosaurs

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Antrodemus	Gen. nov.	Nomen dubium	Leidy	Tithonian	Morrison Formation	Colorado	Possible subjective synonym of Allosaurus
Hadrosaurus minor[5]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Marsh	Maastrichtian	Navesink Formation?	New Jersey	A species of Hadrosaurus
Ornithopsis hulkei	Gen. et sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Barremian	Wealden Formation	England	Earlier it was believed that the fossils were those of a pterosaur. But now it is known that they were the bones of a Sauropod.
"Struthiosaurus"		Nomen nudum	Bunzel	Campanian	Grünbach Formation	Austria	An ankylosaur formally named Struthiosaurus in 1871

Plesiosaurs

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors		Location	Notes
Taphrosaurus	Valid	Cope		USA ( New Jersey)
Uronautes	Valid	Cope

Pterosaurs

• Harry Govier Seeley published his expansive book The Ornithosauria, reviewing the anatomy and classification of pterosaurs.^[6]

New taxa

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Cycnorhamphus[6]	Gen. nov.	Valid	Seeley	Kimmeridgian	Nursplinger Schist	Germany	A new genus for Pterodactylus suevicus Quenstedt, 1855
Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus capito[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus colorhinus[6]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus. Later named Camposipterus colorhinus
Ornithocheirus crassidens[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus dentatus[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus denticulatus[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus enchorhynchus[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus eurygnathus[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus huxleyi[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus machaerorhynchus[6]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus. Later named Lonchodraco machaerorhynchus.
Ornithocheirus microdon[6]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus. Later named Lonchodraco microdon.
Ornithocheirus nasutus[6]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus. Later named Camposipterus nasutus.
Ornithocheirus oxyrhinus[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus platystomus[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus polyodon[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus reedi[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus scaphorhynchus[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus tenuirostris[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus[6]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Albian	Cambridge Greensand	England	A new species of Ornithocheirus.
Rhabdopelix		Misidentification	Cope				At first it was thought to be a Triassic pterosaur, but is now known to be (at least in part) a kuehneosaurid

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Location	Notes	Images
Lystrosaurus	Valid	Cope	252 million years ago.	Antarctica China India South Africa	It was a protomammal that had fangs very similar to those of a walrus.	Lystrosaurus