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 1856.

Insects

New taxa

Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Osmylus picta[2]

Sp. nov

Synonym

Hagen

Priabonian

Baltic amber

 Europe

A protosmyline Osmylid lance lacewing
Moved to "Protosmylus" picta (1913)
moved to Osmylidia picta (2021)

Conodonts

New taxa

Taxon Novelty Status Author(s) Age Unit Location Notes Images
Acodus[3] Valid Pander
Gnathodus[3] valid Pander Early Carboniferous
Prioniodus[3] valid

Pander

Archosauromorphs

Dinosaurs

New taxa

Taxon Novelty Status Author(s) Age Unit Location Notes Images
Deinodon horridus[4] Gen. et sp. nov. Nomen dubium Leidy Campanian Judith River Formation  Montana Might be a subjective synonym of Gorgosaurus or Daspletosaurus.
"Dinosaurus gresslyi"[5] Invalid Nomen nudum Rütimeyer Rhaetian Knollenmergel   Switzerland Preoccupied by a therapsid but invalid as published in an abstract. Later named Gresslyosaurus
Palaeoscincus costatus[4] Gen. et sp. nov. Nomen dubium Leidy Campanian Judith River Formation  Montana Possible subjective synonym of Edmontonia or Panoplosaurus.
Thespesius occidentalis[4] Gen. et sp. nov. Nomen dubium Leidy Maastrichtian Lance Formation  Montana A dubious hadrosaurid.
Trachodon mirabilis[4] Gen. et sp. nov. Nomen dubium Leidy Campanian Judith River Formation  Montana A dubious hadrosaurid.
Troodon formosus[4] Gen. et sp. nov. Disputed Leidy Campanian Judith River Formation  Montana A potentially dubious troodontid.

Pterosaurs

  • Albert Oppel reported the discovery of a pterosaur lower jaw from the Posidonia shales of Holzmaden. This was the first pterosaur specimen to be reported from these deposits, which would go on to produce many pterosaur fossils of exceptional quality.[6]

Phytosaurs

New taxa

Taxon Novelty Status Author(s) Age Unit Location Notes Images
Centemodon[7] Nomen dubium Lea

Crocodylomorphs

New taxa

Taxon Novelty Status Author(s) Age Unit Location Notes Images
Dakosaurus[8] Valid Quenstedt  Germany A metriorhynchid thalattosuchian belong to Geosaurinae.

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Makarkin, V.N.; Archibald, S.B.; Mathewes, R.W. (2021). "New Protosmylinae (Neuroptera: Osmylidae) from the early Eocene of western North America, with taxonomic remarks". Zootaxa. 4980 (1): 142–156.
  3. ^ a b c Monographie der fossilen fische des silurischen systems des Russisch-baltischen gouvernements. CH Pander, 1856
  4. ^ a b c d e Leidy, J. 1856. Notices of the remains of extinct reptiles and fishes, discovered by Dr. F.V. Hayden in the badlands of the Judith River, Nebraska Territory. Proc Acad. Nat. Sci. 1856: pp. 72-72.
  5. ^ Rutimeyer. L. 1856. (Dinosaurus gresslyi). Biblio. Universelle Geneve Arch. September 1856: p. 53.
  6. ^ Wellnhofer, Peter (2008). "A short history of pterosaur research". Zitteliana B. 28: 7–19.
  7. ^ Lea, I. 1856. Description of Centemodon sulcatus. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 10: pp. 77-78.
  8. ^ Quenstedt, F. A. 1856. Sonst und Jetzt. Populäre Vorträge über Geologie. Tübingen: Laupp. [pp. 128, 130].
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1856_in_paleontology
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