1981 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 1981.

Plants

Angiosperms

Superrosids - Fabids

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Synonymized taxa	Notes	Images
Palaeocarpinus[2]	Sp nov	Valid	Crane	Ypresian	Reading Formation	UK England		A betulaceous fruit. Type species P. laciniata
Pseudofagus[3]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Smiley & Huggins	Miocene Langhian	Latah Formation Clarkia Florule	USA Idaho		A fagaceous genus The type species is P. idahoensis

Arthropoda

Insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Protamblyopone inversa[4]	Gen et sp. nov	jr synonym	Dlussky	Middle Miocene	Chon-Tyz mine	Kyrgyzstan	An Amblyoponin ant. jr synonym of Casaleia inversa

Reptilia

Early reptiles

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Claudiosaurus germaini[5]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Carroll	Late Permian	Lower Sakamena Formation	Madagascar	An early neodiapsid
Thadeosaurus colcanapi[5]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Carroll	Late Permian	Lower Sakamena Formation	Madagascar	An early neodiapsid

Archosauromorpha

Dinosaurs

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Avimimus portentosus[6]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid taxon	Kurzanov	Campanian	Djadochta Formation	Mongolia	A very bird-like oviraptorosaur
Barsboldia sicinskii[7]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Maryańska & Osmólska	Maastrichtian	Nemegt Formation	Mongolia	A hadrosaurid of uncertain relations
Elmisaurus rarus[8]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Osmólska	Maastrichtian	Nemegt Formation	Mongolia	An oviraptorosaur
Garudimimus brevipes[9]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Barsbold	Santonian	Bayanshiree Formation	Mongolia	An early ornithomimosaur
"Honghesaurus"		Nomen nudum	Anonymous				Later namedYandusaurus
Ingenia yanshini[9]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Preoccupied	Barsbold	Maastrichtian	Baruungoyot Formation	Mongolia	Generic name preoccupied by a nematode Gerlach 1957 and renamed Ajancingenia, but considered a species of Heyuannia
Lambeosaurus laticaudus[10]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Morris	Campanian	El Gallo Formation	Mexico	Later given the genus Magnapaulia
Muttaburrasaurus langdoni[11]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Bartholomai & Molnar	Albian	Mackunda Formation	Australia	An iguanodont with a horn-like knob of its Snout.
Palaeopteryx thomsoni[12]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Jensen	Kimmeridgian	Morrison Formation	Colorado	A coelurosaur
Scutellosaurus lawleri[13]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Colbert	Sinemurian	Kayenta Formation	Arizona	An early thyreophoran

Birds

• Palaeopteryx thomsoni Jensen, 1981 is most likely not a bird but rather a small non-avian dinosaur.
• Plegadis pharangites Olson, 1981 is a new name for Plegadis gracilis Miller et Bowman, 1956, preoccupied by Plegadis gracilis (Lydekker, 1891), described as Milnea gracilis Lydekker, 1891 and transferred to the genus Plegadis Kaup, 1829 by Cheneval, 1984.

Name	Status	Novelty	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Burhinus lucorum [14]	Valid	Sp. nov.	K. Jeffrey Bickart	Early Miocene	Middle Sheep Creek Formation	USA: Nebraska	A Burhinidae.
Enantiornis leali [15]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Cyril A. Walker	Late Cretaceous	Maastrichtian Lecho Formation	Argentina	An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Alexornithiformes Brodkorb, 1976, Enantiornithidae Nessov et Borkin, 1983, this is the type species of the new genus.
Eogrus crudus [16]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Middle-Late Eocene	Tsagan Kutel	Mongolia	A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, this is the type species of the new genus.
Falco medius [17]	Valid	Sp. nov.	A. S. Umanskaya	Late Miocene	MN 11-13	Soviet Union: Ukraine	A Falconidae.
Gavia paradoxa [17]	Valid	Sp. nov.	A. S. Umanskaya	Late Miocene	MN 11-13	Soviet Union: Ukraine	A Gaviidae.
Ioriotis gabunii [18]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich Abesalom K. Vekua	Late Pliocene	Kvabebi	Soviet Union: Georgia	An Otididae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Mancalla emlongi [19]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Storrs L. Olson	Late Pliocene	Blancan, San Diego Formation	USA: California	An Alcidae, Mancallinae L. H. Miller, 1946.
Microdytes tonnii [20]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	George G. Simpson	Late Oligocene-Early Miocene	Patagonian	Argentina	A Sphniscidae, this is the type species of the new genus. Microdytes Simpson, 1981 is preoccupied by Microdytes Balfour-Browne, 1949 (Coleoptera), so Storrs L. Olson created the new genus Eretiscus Olson, 1986 to accommodate Microdytes tonnii Simpson, 1981.[21]
Pedinorhis stirpsarcana [22]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Storrs L. Olson Mary C. McKitrick	Pleistocene	Cave deposits	Puerto Rico	A Fringillidae, Emberizinae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Pelecanus cadimurka [23]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Patricia Vickers Rich Gerard F. Van Tets	Pleistocene	Kuttipirra (Katipiri) Waterhole	Australia: South Australia	A Pelecanidae.
Picus peregrinabundus [24]	Valid	Sp. nov.	A. S. Umanskaja	Late Miocene	MN 11-12	Soviet Union: Ukraine	A Picidae.
Sonogrus gregalis [16]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Late Eocene-Early Oligocene	Ergilin Dzo Formation	Mongolia	A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, this is the type species of the new genus.
Uria brodkorbi [25]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Hildegarde Howard	Late Miocene	Sisquoc Formation, Clarendonian	USA: California	An Alcidae.
Urmiornis orientalis [16]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Middle Pliocene		Soviet Union: Kazakhstan	A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, transferred to the genus Amphipelargus Lydekker, 1891 by both Kurochkin, 1985 and Olson, 1985.
Urmiornis ukrainus [16]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Late Miocene	Mn 9-10-11	Soviet Union: Moldova; Ukraine; Russia	A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, transferred to the genus Amphipelargus Lydekker, 1891 by both Kurochkin, 1985 and Olson, 1985.
Youngornis gracilis [26]	Valid	Gen. nov et Sp. nov.	Yeh Hsiangk’uei	Middle Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A Rallidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Zeltornis ginsburgi [27]	Valid	Gen. nov et Sp. nov.	Jean Chr. Balouet	Early Miocene	Late Burdigalian, Djebel Zelten	Libya	An Ardeidae, this is the type species of the new genus.

Plesiosaurs

• Carroll, R. C., 1981, Plesiosaur ancestors from the Upper Permian of Madagascar: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, v. 293, p. 315- 383.

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Kimmerosaurus	Valid	Brown		Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian	Kimmeridge Clay	UK	A cryptoclidid.

Pterosaurs

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors		Location	Images
Comodactylus	Valid	Galton		Germany
Sultanuvaisia	Valid	Nesov