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 1868.
Arthropoda
Newly named crustaceans
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Schlüter |
Moved to the genus Protastacus in 1983. |
|||||
|
Sp nov |
Valid |
Schlüter |
An erymid. |
|||||
|
Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Schlüter |
A decapod, type species is E. nanodactylus. |
|||||
|
Sp nov |
Valid |
Schlüter |
A lobster |
|||||
|
Sp nov |
Valid |
Schlüter |
||||||
|
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Schlüter |
Late Cretaceous (Upper Santonian) |
Moved to Bournelyreidus in 2012. |
||||
|
Sp nov |
Valid |
Schlüter |
Newly named insects
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aphaenogaster berendti[3] |
Sp nov |
jr synonym |
 | |||||
|
Sp nov |
valid |
A myrmicine ant. |
 | |||||
|
Camponotus constrictus[3] |
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil formicine ant., |
 | |
|
Camponotus mengei[3] |
Sp nov |
valid |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil formicine ant. |
 | |
|
Enneamerus[3] |
Gen et 2 sp nov |
valid |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
A myrmecine ant. 2 species |
 | |
|
Formica flori[3] |
Sp nov |
valid |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil formicine ant |
 | |
|
Hypoclinea balticus[3] |
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil Dolichoderine ant, moved to Dolichoderus balticus in 1893 |
 | |
|
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil Dolichoderine ant, jr synonym of Yantaromyrmex constricta |
 | ||
|
Hypoclinea cornuta[3] |
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil Dolichoderine ant, moved to Dolichoderus cornutus in 1893 |
 | |
|
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil Dolichoderine ant, |
 | ||
|
Hypoclinea goepperti[3] |
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil Dolichoderine ant, |
 | |
|
Hypoclinea longipennis[3] |
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil Dolichoderine ant, moved to Dolichoderus longipennis in 1893 |
 | |
|
Hypoclinea sculpturata[3] |
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil Dolichoderine ant, moved to Dolichoderus sculpturata in 1893 |
 | |
|
Hypoclinea tertiaria[3] |
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil Dolichoderine ant, moved to Dolichoderus tertiaria in 1893 |
 | |
|
sp nov |
jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil Agroecomyrmecine ant, moved to Agroecomyrmex duisburgi in 1910 |
 | ||
|
Pheidologeton antiquus[3] |
sp nov |
jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Fossil myrmicine ant, |
 | |
|
Sp nov |
jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
Baltic Amber |
A ponerine ant, moved to Pachycondyla succinea in 1995 |
 | ||
|
Sp nov |
Jr synonym |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
European amber |
Fossil formicine ant, jr synonym of Nylanderia pygmaea |
 | ||
|
Stigmomyrmex[3] |
Gen et sp nov |
valid |
Mayr |
Middle Eocene |
European amber |
A myrmicin ant. |
 |
Archosauromorphs
Dinosaurs
- Leidy collaborated with artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins to mount Hadrosaurus foulkii for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. This became both the first mounted dinosaur skeleton ever mounted for public display and also one of the most popular exhibits in the history of the academy. Estimates have the Hadrosaurus exhibit as increasing the number of visitors by up to 50%.[5]
New taxa
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gen et sp nov |
( |
Possible subjective synonym of Albertosaurus or Deinodon. |
 | |||||
|
Gen nov |
Leidy |
|
Possible subjective synonym of Dryptosaurus. |
Plesiosaurs
New taxa
|
| |||||||||||||
Synapsids
Non-mammalian
| Name | Status | Authors | Discovery year | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Valid |
Huxley |
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f g von der Marck, W.; Schlüter, C. (1868). Neue fische und krebse aus der kreide von Westphalen (PDF). Stuttgart: Palaeontographica. pp. 269–305. OCLC 39999779.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Wheeler, W. M. (1915). "The ants of the Baltic amber". Schriften der Physikalisch-Okonomischen Gesellschaft zu Konigsberg. 55 (4): 56–59.
- ^ LaPolla, J.S.; Dlussky, G.M. (2010). "Review of fossil Prenolepis genus-group species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 112 (2): 258–273.
- ^ Weishampel, David B.; Young, L. (1996). Dinosaurs of the East Coast. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 71. ISBN 9780801852169.
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