1979 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 1979.

List of years in paleontology (table)
… 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 …
In science 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
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Bryophytes

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Location	Notes	Images
Aulacomnium heterostichoides[2]	Sp nov	Valid	Janssens	Ypresian	Horsefly Shales	Canada  British Columbia	An aulacomniaceous moss.

Fish

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Location	Notes	Images
Libotonius pearsoni[3]	Sp nov	Valid	Wilson	Ypresian	Klondike Mountain Formation	USA  Washington	A libotoniid sandroller relative.	Libotonius pearsoni

Archosauromorphs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[4]

Non Avian Dinosaurs

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Location	Notes	Images
"Gadolosaurus"[5]		Nomen nudum.	Saito	Cenomanian	Bayan Shireh Formation	Mongolia	informal name created by phonetic translation of the crylic for hadrosaur ("gadrosavr") into Japanese. Skeleton considered possibly a juvenile Arstanosaurus.	juvenile ?Arstanosaurus
Gilmoreosaurus[6]	Gen et comb nov	Valid	Brett-Surman	Cretaceous late Campanian - early Maastrichtian	Iren Dabasu Formation	Mongolia	A hadrosauroid.	Gilmareasaurus
Gravitholus[7]		Junior synonym?	Wall & Galton	Judithian	Dinosaur Park Formation	Canada ( Alberta)	A pachycephalosaur, possible Junior synonym of Stegoceras.	Gravitholus
Maiasaura[8]		Valid	Horner & Makela	Judithian	Upper Two Medicine Formation	United States ( Montana)	Publication of Maiasaura renewed interest in the Two Medicine Formation.[9]	Maiasaura peeblesorum
Majungatholus[10]	Gen et sp nov	Junior synonym	Hans-Dieter Sues & Philippe Taquet	Maastrichtian	Maevarano Formation	Madagascar	Described as a pachycephalosaur, now considered an abelisaurid. The type species is M. atopus. Junior synonym of Majungasaurus.	Majungasaurus
Microhadrosaurus[11]	Gen et sp nov	Nomen dubium.	Zhiming	Campanian	Yuanpu Formation	China	A hadrosaurid.
Mussaurus[12]		Valid	Bonaparte & Vince	Norian	Laguna Colorada Formation	Argentina	An anchisaurian.	Mussaurus
Nanshiungosaurus[13]		Valid	Zhiming	Campanian	Yuanpu Formation	China	A therizinosaur.	Nanshiungosaurus
Patagosaurus[14]		Valid	Bonaparte	Callovian	Canadon Asfalto Formation	Argentina	A sauropod.	Patagosaurus
Piatnitzkysaurus[14]		Valid	Bonaparte	Callovian	Canadon Asfalto Formation	Argentina	A piatnitzkysaurid.	Piatnitzkysaurus
Secernosaurus[15]		Valid	Brett-Surma	Cretaceous late Campanian - early Maastrichtian	Bajo Barreal Formation Los Alamitos Formation	Argentina	A saurolophine hadrosaurid.
Segnosaurus[16]		Valid	Perle	Cenomanian-Turonian	Bayan Shireh Formation	Mongolia	A therizinosaur.	Segnosaurus
Torvosaurus[17]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Galton & Jenson	Jurassic late Kimmeridgian-Tithonian	Morrison Formation	United States  Colorado	A megalosaurid.	Torvosaurus
Unquillosaurus[18]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Powell	Campanian	Los Blanquitos Formation	Argentina	A possible Carcharodontosaurian.
Volkheimeria[14]		Valid	Jose Bonaparte	Callovian	Canadon Asfalto Formation	Argentina	A sauropod.
Yandusaurus[19]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	He	Oxfordian	Shangshaximiao Formation	China	A basal neornithischian ornithopod.

Birds

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Amplibuteo hibbardi [20]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	An Accipitridae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Anas albae [21]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Late Pliocene	MN 15-16-17	Hungary	An Anatidae.
Anas amotape [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	An Anatidae.
Anas sanctaehelenae [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Early Pleistocene; Late Pleistocene	La Carolina	Ecuador	An Anatidae.
Anas talarae [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Early Pleistocene; Late Pleistocene	Argentina: Centinale del Mar; Talara Tar Seeps	Argentina  Peru	An Anatidae, transferred to the genus Callonetta Delacour, 1936 by Agnolin, 2006.[22]
Ardea bennuides [23]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Ella Hoch	Subrecent	5000 YBP (Years Before Present)	UAE	A giant Ardeidae, not formally described but a photo is published which keeps it from being a Nomen Nudum.
Argillipes magnus [24]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Early Middle Oligocene	MP 21-23	UK	Described in the Catharthidae, transferred to Aves Incertae Sedis.
Barawertornis tedfordi [25]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Patricia Vickers-Rich	Late Oligocene/Early Miocene	Carl Creek Limestone	Australia	A Dromornithidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Belonopterus edmundi [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Charadriidae.
Bubo longaevus [26]	Sp. nov.	Valid	A. S. Umanskaya	Late Miocene	MN 11-13	Soviet Union (Actually  Ukraine)	A Strigidae, transferred to the genus Asio Brisson, 1760 by Mlíkovský, 1998.[27]
Bullockornis planei [25]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Patricia Vickers-Rich	Middle-Late Miocene	Camfield Beds	Australia	A Dromornithidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Caprimulgus piurensis [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Caprimulgidae-nightjar.
Cayaoa bruneti [28]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Eduardo P. Tonni	Late Oligocene-Miocene		Argentina	An Anatidae.
Corvus simionescui [29]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Jenö Kessler	Early Pliocene	MN 15	Romania	A Corvidae, possibly a synonym of Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758.
Cuculus csarnotanus [21]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Early Pliocene	MN 15	Hungary	A Cuculidae.
Dege hendeyi [30]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	George G. Simpson	Late Miocene-Early Pliocene	Varswater Formation	South Africa	A Spheniscidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Dromornis stirtoni [25]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Patricia Vickers-Rich	Late Miocene-Early Pliocene	Alcoota Homestead	Australia	A Dromornithidae.
Eudocimus peruvianus [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Threskiornithidae.
Gallinago veterior [21]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Early Pliocene	MN 15	Hungary	A Scolopacidae.
Geronogyps reliquus [20]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Cathartidae.
Glareola neogena [31]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Peter Ballmann	Middle Miocene	MN 6	Germany	A Glareolidae.
Gymnogyps howardae [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Cathartidae.
Ilbandornis? lawsoni [25]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Patricia Vickers-Rich	Late Miocene-Early Pliocene	Alcoota Homestead	Australia	A Dromornithidae, not certainly an Ilbandornis Rich, 1979.
Ilbandornis woodburnei [25]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Patricia Vickers-Rich	Late Miocene-Early Pliocene	Alcoota Homestead	Australia	A Dromornithidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Latipons gardneri [32]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Middle Eocene	MP 11-13	UK	A Rallidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Latipons robinsoni [32]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Middle Eocene	MP 11-13	UK	A Rallidae.
Litoripes medius [32]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Middle Eocene	MP 11-13	UK	Described in the Phasianidae, but transferred by Mlíkovský, 2002.[33] to Aves Incertae Sedis, this is the type species of the new genus.
Micropalama chapmani [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Scolopacidae.
Milvago brodkorbi [20]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Falconidae.
Milvoides kempi [32]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Middle Eocene	MP 11-13	UK	Described as an Accipitridae, known only from a damaged distal end of a right tarsometatarsus, making it not possible to identify it, better treated as Aves Incertae Sedis, this is the type species of the new genus.
Mioglareola gregaria [31]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Peter Ballmann	Early Miocene Czech Republic; Middle Miocene Germany	MN 4b; MN 6	Czech Republic  Germany	A Glareolidae, it is the type species of the new genus.
Miootis compactus [34]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	A. S. Umanskaya	Late Miocene	MN 13	Soviet Union (Actually  Ukraine)	An Otididae, it is the type species of the new genus.
Miraquila terrestris [20]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	An Accipitridae, transferred to the genus Buteogallus Lesson, 1830 by Suárez et Olson, 2009,[35] this is the type species of the new genus.
Nannonetta invisitata [20]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Nucleornis insolitus [36]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	George G. Simpson	Miocene	Duinefontein	South Africa	A Spheniscidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Nuntius solitarius [20]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Scolopacidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Oligocathartes olsoni [24]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Early Middle Oligocene	MP 21-23	UK	Described in the Catharthidae, but the holotype is too fragmentary for identification so best treated as Aves Incertae Sedis.
Palaeopapia hamsteadiensis [24]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Early Middle Oligocene	MP 21-23	UK:	An Anseriformes Incertae Sedis.
Paracathartes howardae [37]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Eocene	Greybullian, Middle Wasatchian, Willwood Formation	USA ( Wyoming)	Described as a Cathartidae, Houde 1988 placed it in the Lithornithiformes, Houde, 1988, Lithornithidae Houde, 1988,[38] it is the type species of the new genus.
Paracygnopterus scotti [24]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid ?	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Early Middle Oligocene	MP 21-23	UK	An Anatidae, it is the type species of the new genus.
Parvirallus gracilis [32]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Middle Eocene	MP 11-13	UK	A Rallidae.
Percolinus proudlocki [32]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Middle Eocene	MP 11-13	UK	Described as a Phasianidae, transferred to the genus Talantatos Reichenbach, 1852 and placed in the Cariamidae door Mlíkovský, 2002.[33]
Phalacrocorax tanzaniae [39]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Early-Middle Pleistocene	Kamasian	Tanzania	A Phalacrocoracidae.
Porzana estramosi [21]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Middle Miocene	MN 6-8	Hungary	A Rallidae.
Proanser major [34]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	A. S. Umanskaya	Late Miocene	MN 11	Ukraine	An Anatidae, it is the type species of the new genus.
Proardeola walkeri [40]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Miocene	MN 2a	France	An Ardeidae, it is the type species of the new genus.
Proceriavis martini [24]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid ?	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Early Middle Oligocene	MP 21-23	UK	Described as an Eleutherornithidae, based on a fragment of a cervical vertebra, best treated as Aves Incertae Sedis, it is the type species of the new genus.
Sarcoramphus? fisheri [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Cathartidae, not certain to be a Sarcoramphus Duméril, 1806.
Scolopax baranensis [21]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Early Pliocene	MN 15	Hungary	A Scolopacidae.
Steganopus graui [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Phalaropodidae.
Syrigma sanctimartini [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	An Ardeidae.
Theristicus wetmorei [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Threskiornithidae.
Thinocorus koepckeae [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Thinocoridae.
Tringa ameghini [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Scolopacidae.
Turdoides borealis [21]	Sp. nov.	Valid ?	Dénes Jánossy	Early Pliocene	MN 15	Hungary	The holotype is a heavily eroded proximal part of a left humerus, best placed in Passeriformes Incertae Sedis.
Valenticarbo praetermissus [41]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid ?	Colin J. O. Harrison	Late Pliocene	Siwalik complex	India	A Phalacrocoracidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Viator picis [20]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Late Pleistocene	Talara Tar Seeps	Peru	A Charadriidae, this is the type species of the new genus.

Plesiosaurs

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Location	Notes	Images
Dravidosaurus	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Yadagiri & Ayyasami	Cretaceous Coniacian	Trichinopoly Group	India	Either a Plesiosaur or Stegosaur

Synapsids

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Location	Notes	Images
Aycrossia[42]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Bown	Eocene Bridgerian	Aycross Formation	US  Wyoming	An Omomyid primate The type species is A. lovei
Gazinius[42]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Bown	Eocene Bridgerian		US  Wyoming	An Omomyid primate The type species is G. amplus
Strigorhysis[42]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Bown	Eocene Bridgerian	Aycross Formation	US  Wyoming	An Omomyid primate The type species is S. bridgerensis

Expeditions, field work, and fossil discoveries

• While volunteering for field work on a team led by Philip Currie, Darren Tanke learned about the lost "Eoceratops" first excavated by William Edmund Cutler. Tanke would later rediscover the specimen in London's Natural History Museum.^[43]