1975 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 1975.

Paleozoology

Arthropods

Insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Cretopone[2]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Dlussky	Turonian	Beleutinskaya Formation	Kazakhstan	An ant of uncertain phylogenetic placement. Type species C. magna	Cretopone magna
Electrodryinus areolatus[3]	gen et sp nov	jr synonym	Ponomarenko	Eocene	Baltic amber	Russia	A dryinid wasp, genus synonymized with Deinodryinus	Deinodryinus areolatus
"Palaeomyrmex"[4]	Gen et sp nov.	Jr synonym	Dlussky	Santonian	Taimyr amber	Russia	A Sphecomyrminae ant. homonym of Palaeomyrmex Heer. Moved to Dlusskyidris zherichini	Dlusskyidris zherichini

Molluscs

Bivalves

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Fordillidae[5]	fam nov	Valid	Pojeta	Lower Devonian	worldwide		New family for Fordilla and Pojetaia	Fordilla

Conodonts

German paleontologist and stratigrapher Heinz Walter Kozur (1942-2013) and G.K. Merrill described the conodont genus Diplognathodus.^[6]

Vertebrates

Dinosaurs

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[7]

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Abrictosaurus[8]	gen nov	Valid	Hopson	Early Jurassic	Upper Elliot Formation	Lesotho		Abrictosaurus
Alocodon	Gen et sp nov	Valid		194 Millions years ago.		Portugal UK
Bagaceratops[9]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Maryańska & Osmólska	Late Cretaceous		Mongolia		Bagaceratops
"Sinopliosaurus" fusuiensis[10]	Sp. Nov.	junior synonym?	Lian-Hai, Hsiang-K'uei, & Xi-Jin	Early Cretaceous	Xinlong Formation	China	Originally classified as a second species of the pliosauroid Sinopliosaurus,[10] and later as a spinosaurid dinosaur.[11] Now a possible junior synonym of the spinosaurid genus Siamosaurus.[12][13][14]	"Sinopliosaurus" fusuiensis
Barapasaurus[15]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Jain, Kutty, Roy-Chowdhury, & Chatterjee	Lower Jurassic	Kota Formation	India		Barapasaurus
Bradycneme[16]	Fam, gen, et sp nov	Nomen dubium	Harrison & C. A. Walker	Maastrichtian	Sânpetru Formation	Romania	Possibly synonymous with Elopteryx.
Heptasteornis[16]	gen et sp nov	Valid	Harrison & C. A. Walker	Maastrichtian	Sânpetru Formation	Romania	alvarezsaurid, originally described as an owl
Lanasaurus[17]	Gen nov	Valid	Gow	Hettangian to Sinemurian	Elliot Formation	South Africa
"Yubasaurus"		Nomen nudum.	He				informal name for Yandusaurus.

Newly named birds

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Anhinga grandis [18]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Larry D. Martin Robert M. Mengel	Pliocene	Kimball Formation	USA ( Florida)	An Anhingidae.
Botaurus hibbardi [19]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Carolyn Moseley Alan Feduccia	Late Pliocene	Rexroad Formation	USA ( Kansas)	An Ardeidae.
Bulweria bifax [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson	Holocene		Saint Helena	A Procellariidae, Extinct after 1502 arrival of man
Dakotornis cooperi [21]	Gen. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Bruce R. Erickson	Paleocene	Tongue River Formation	USA ( North Dakota)	Described in the Dakornithidae, now placed in the Graculavidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Dysmoropelia dekarchiskos [20]	Gen. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson	Middle Pleistocene-Holocene		Saint Helena	A Columbidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Falco antiquus [22]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Cécile Mourer-Chauviré	Middle Pleistocene	MQ 2B	France	A Falconidae.
Nannococcyx spix [20]	Gen. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson	Holocene		Saint Helena	A Cuculidae, this is the type species of the new genus. Extinct at the start of the 16th century BC
Primapus lacki [23]	Gen. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Collin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Early Eocene	London Clay, MP 8-9	UK	An Apodiformes, Aegialornithidae Lydekker, 1891.
Pterodroma rupinarum [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson	Late Pleistocene-Holocene		Saint Helena	A Procellariidae, sometimes placed in the genus Pseudobulweria. Extinct after 1502 due to deforestation
Puffinus pacificoides [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson	Pleistocene		Saint Helena	A Procellariidae.
Spizaetus schultzi [24]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Larry D. Martin	Pliocene, Kimballian	Kimball Formation	USA ( Florida)	An Accipitridae.
Upupa antaios [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson	Holocene		Saint Helena	An Upupidae. Extinct before or around 1502

Pterosaurs

New taxa

Name Status Authors Location Notes Puntanipterus Valid Bonaparte Sanchez, T.M Quetzalcoatlus Valid Lawson, Douglas A.[25] USA( Texas) Canada( Alberta) Quetzalcoatlus

Incertae sedis

New taxa

Name Status Authors Notes Gluteus minimus Valid Richard Arnold Davis & Holmes A. Semken, Jr.[26]