1976 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 1976.

List of years in paleontology (table)
… 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 …
In science 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
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Dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[2]

Newly named dinosaurs

Name	Status	Author		Location	Notes	Image
Alioramus[3]	Valid taxon	Sergei Kurzanov		Mongolia	A Tyrannosaur with five knobs on the snout.	Alioramus
Itemirus[4]	Valid taxon	Sergei Kurzanov		Uzbekistan	A close relative of Velociraptor.
Marshosaurus	Valid taxon	J. H. Madsen		USA ( Colorado and  Utah)	A North American Megalosaur Close Relative of the Piatnitzkysaurus.	Marshosaurus
Ouranosaurus[5]	Valid taxon	Philippe Taquet		Niger	A sail-backed Iguanodont	Ouranosaurus
Zigongosaurus[6]	Disputed.	Hou Chao	Chu		Possible junior synonym of Mamenchisaurus.

Newly named birds

Name	Novelty	Status	Author	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Image
Aegialornis broweri [7]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Charles T. Collins	Eocene or Oligocene	Phosphorites du Quercy, MP 16-28; Geiseltal	France  DDR	An Apodiformes, Aegialornithidae Lydekker, 1891, transferred to the new genus Mesogiornis Mlíkovský, 2002. by Mlíkovský, 2002.[8]
Aegialornis wetmorei [7]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Charles T. Collins	Eocene or Oligocene	Phosphorites du Quercy, MP 16-28	France	An Apodiformes, Aegialornithidae Lydekker, 1891, transferred to the new genus Mesogiornis Mlíkovský, 2002. by Mlíkovský, 2002.,[8] it is the type species of the new genus.
Alexornis antecedens [9]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Pierce Brodkorb	Late Cretaceous	Campanian	Mexico	An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Alexornithiformes Brodkorb, 1976, Alexornithidae Brodkorb, 1976.
Anas soporata [10]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Miocene-Pliocene	Chirgiz-Nur Formation	Mongolia	An Anatidae, transferred to the genus Dendrocygna by Jíří Mlíkovský & Petr Švec, 1986.[11]
Anser liskunae [10]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Middle Pliocene	Zavhan	Mongolia	An Anatidae.
Apteribis glenos [12]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson Alexander Wetmore	Holocene	25,000 Ybp	USA ( Hawaii)	A Threskiornithidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Aythya spatiosa [10]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Early Pliocene	Hyargas Nuur Formation	Mongolia	An Anatidae.
Apus wetmorei [13]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Peter Ballmann	Early Pliocene	Gargano, MN 14-15	Italy	An Apodidae.
Butorides validipes [14]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Early Pleistocene	Late Blancan	USA ( Florida)	An Ardeidae.
Columba omnisanctorum [13]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Peter Ballmann	Early Pliocene	Gargano, ppMN 14-15	Italy	A Columbidae.
Eobucco brodkorbi [15]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Alan Feduccia Larry D. Martin	Middle Eocene	Bridger Formation	USA ( Wyoming)	Described as a Piciformes, Primobucconidae Feduccia et Martin, 1976, now placed in the Coliiformes, Sandcileidae Houde et Olson, 1992, it is the type species of the new genus.
Gigantibis incognita [16]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Late Eocene	MP 17	UK	Described as a Threskiornithidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Olson, 1981,[17] this is the type species of the new genus.
Heterochen vicinus [10]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Late Miocene	Hyargas Nuur Formation	Mongolia	An Anatidae, transferred to the genus Anser by Jíří Mlíkovský & Petr Švec, 1986,[11] and made the type species of his new genus Heteroanser by Nikita V. Zelenkov, 2012.[18]
Howardia eous [16]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Late Eocene	MP 17	UK	An Anatidae, this is the type species of this new genus but it is preoccupied by Howardia Berlese et Leonardi, 1896. (Insecta: Hemiptera)so transferred to and becoming the type species of the new genus Palaeopapia Harrison et Walker, 1979 by Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker in 1979.[19]
Jacana farrandi [20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson	Middle Pliocene	Alachua Formatie, Early Hemphillian	USA ( Florida)	A Jacanidae.
Macrodontopteryx oweni [21]	Gen. nov et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Early Eocene	Ypresian, MP 8-9	UK	A Pelagornithidae Fürbringer, 1888, this is the typespecies of the new genus.
Milvago alexandri [22]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson	Late Pleistocene	Cave deposits	Haiti	A Falconidae.
Nyctanassa kobdoena [10]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Late Miocene		Mongolia	An Ardeidae.
Ogygoptynx wetmorei [23]	Gen. nov et Sp. nov.	Valid	Patricia Vickers Rich David J. Bohaska	Middle Paleocene	Tiffanian	USA ( Colorado)	A Strigiformes, Ogygoptyngidae Rich et Bohaska, 1981.,[24] this is the type species and type genus of the new genus and the new family.
Oreopholus orcesi [25]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr.	Pleistocene	La Carolina	Ecuador	A Charadriidae.
Palaeotodus emryi [26]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson	Oligocene	Brule Formation	USA ( Wyoming)	A Todidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Pandion homalopteron [27]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Stuart L. Warter	Middle Miocene	Barstovian	USA ( California)	A Pandionidae.
Pelecanus aethiopicus [28]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Early Middle Pleistocene	Olduvai Series	Tanzania	A Pelecanidae.
Petropluvialis simplex [16]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Late Eocene	MP 17	UK	Described in the Burhinidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský 2002,[8] according to Mayr et Smith, 2001 [29] closely related to Palaeopapia eous (Harrison et Walker, 1976) and possibly synonymous with this species so they place it in the Anseriformes, this is the type species of the new genus.
Phalacrocorax reliquus [10]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Pliocene		Mongolia	A Phalacrocoracidae.
Phoenicopterus aethiopicus [30]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Collin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Early Miocene	Rusinga Island Maboko Island	Kenya	A Phoenicopteridae, transferred to the genus Leakeyornis Vickers-Rich & Walker, 1983 by Patricia Vickers Rich & Cyril A. Walker,[31] it is the type species of the new genus.
Piscator tenuirostris [16]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Late Eocene	MP 17	UK	Described in the Phalacrocoracidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský 2002,[8] this is the type species of the new genus.
Podilymbus wetmorei [32]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Robert W. Storer	Late Pleistocene	Rancholabrean	USA ( Florida)	A Podicipedidae.
Praemancalla wetmorei [33]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Hildegarde Howard	Late Miocene	Monterey Formatie	USA ( California)	An Alcidae, transferred to the genus Miomancalla N. A. Smith, 2011 by N. Adam Smith, 2011.[34]
Primobucco olsoni [15]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Alan Feduccia Larry D. Martin	Early Eocene; Middle Eocene	Green River Formation	UK  USA ( Wyoming)	Described as a Piciformes, Primobucconidae Feduccia et Martin, 1976, made the type species of the new genus Cyrilavis Martin, 2010 [35] and placed in the stem Psittaciformes, Halcyornithidae Harrison et Walker, 1972.
Pseudodontornis longidentata [21]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Early Eocene	Ypresian, MP 8-9	UK	A Pelagornithidae Fürbringer, 1888.
Strix? perpasta [13]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Peter Ballmann	Early Pliocene	Gargano, MN 14-15	Italy	A Strigidae, transferred to the geus Bubo by Mlíkovský 1998.[36]
Tenuicrus magnum [16]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Late Eocene	MP 17	UK	A Phoenicopteriformes, Juncitarcidae, this is the type of this new genus but it is preoccupied by Tenuicrus Womersley, 1940. (Arachnida: Acarina)so transferred to and becoming the type species of the new genus Kashinia Harrison et Walker, 1979 by Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker in 1979.[19]
Tetrao macropus [37]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Late Pliocene	MN 18	Hungary	A Phasianidae.
Thambetochen chauliodous [12]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson Alexander Wetmore	Holocene	Molokai, Oahu, Maui	USA ( Hawaii)	The first described moa-nalo, an Anatidae.
Uintornis marionae [38]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Alan Feduccia Larry D. Martin	Middle Eocene	Bridger Formation	USA ( Wyoming)	Described in the Piciformes, Primobucconidae Feduccia & Martin, 1976, transferred to the Coliiformes, Sandcoleidae Houde et Olson, 1992 by Peter W. Houde & Storrs L. Olson, 1992.[39]
Villetus grandis [16]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Late Eocene	MP 14-16	UK	Described in the Scolopacidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský 2002,[8] this is the type species of the new genus.
Villetus waltoni [16]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker	Late Eocene	MP 14-16	UK	Described in the Scolopacidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský 2002.[8]

Plesiosaurs

New taxa

Name Status Authors Notes Georgia[40] Valid Otschev preoccupied by a genus of mollusk, renamed to Georgiasaurus in 1977 Valid

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Author	Discovery year	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Image
	Valid
	Valid

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. Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Retrieved 2008-08-07.
3. Kurzanov, S.M. 1976. A new Late Cretaceous carnosaur from Nogon-Tsav, Mongolia [in Russian]. Sovm. Sov.-Mong. Paleontol. Eksped. Trudy 3: pp. 93-104.
4. Kurzanov, S.M. 1976. Braincase structure in the carnosaur Itemirus n. gen. and some aspects of the cranial anatomy of dinosaurs. Paleontol. Zhurnal 1976: pp. 127-137.
5. Taquet, P. 1977. Dinosaurs of Niger. Nigerina Field 42 (1): pp. 1-8.
6. Hou, L., X. Chao, and (first name?) Chu. 1976. New discovery of sauropod dinosaurs from Sichuan. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 14: pp. 160- 165.
7. Charles T. Collins (1976). "A Review of the Lower Miocene Swifts (Aves: Apodiae)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 27: 129–132.
8. Jírí Mlíkovský (2002). "Cenozoic Birds of the World Part 1: Europe" (PDF). Praha Ninox Press: 1–407. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
9. Pierce Brodkorb (1976). "Discovery of a Cretaceous Bird, Apparently Ancestral to the Orders Coraciiformes and Piciformes" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 27: 67–73.
10. Evgeny N. Kurochkin (1976). "[New Data on Paleocene Birds of Western Mongolia]". Transactions of the Joint Soviet-Mongolian Paleontological Expedition. 3 (4): 51–67.
11. Jíří Mlíkovský & Petr Švec (1986). "Review of the Tertiary Waterfowl (Aves: Anseridae) of Asia" (PDF). Vestnik Ceskoslovenske Spolecnosti Zoologicke. 50: 249–272. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
12. Storrs L. Olson & Alexander Wetmore (1976). "Preliminary Diagnoses of Two Extraordinary New Genera of Birds from Pleistocene Deposits in the Hawaiian Islands" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 89: 247–258. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-13. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
13. Peter Ballmann (1976). "Fossile Vögel aus dem Neogen der Halbinsel Gargano (Italien) Zweiter Teil". Scripta Geologica. 38: 1–59.
14. Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr. (1976). "An Early Pleistoceen Avifauna from Haile XVA, Florida" (PDF). Wilson Bulletin. 88 (2): 345–347.
15. Alan Feduccia & Larry D. Martin (1976). "The Eocene Zygodactyl Birds of North America (Aves: Piciformes)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 27: 101–110.
16. Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1976). "Birds of the British Upper Eocene". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 59 (4): 323–351. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1976.tb01017.x.
17. Storrs L. Olson (1981). "The Generic Allocation of Ibis pagana Milne-Edwards, with A Review of the Fossil Ibises (Aves: Threskiornithidae)" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 1 (2): 165–170. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.510.7434. doi:10.1080/02724634.1981.10011888.
18. Nikita V. Zelenkov (2012). "Neogene Geese and Ducks (Aves: Anatidae) from Localities of the Great Lakes Depression, Western Mongolia". Paleontological Journal. 46 (11): 607–619. doi:10.1134/S0031030112060123.
19. Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1979). "New Names for Two Upper Eocene Bird Genera". Tertiary Research. 2 (3): 110.
20. Storrs L. Olson (1976). "A Jacana from the Pliocene of Florida (Aves: Jacanide)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 89: 259–264.
21. Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1976). "A Review of the Bony-Toothed Birds (Odontopterygiformes): with the Description of Some New Species". Tertiary Research Special Papers. 2: 1–72.
22. Storrs L. Olson (1976). "A New Species of Milvago from Hispaniola, with Notes on Other Fossil Caracaras from the West Indies (Aves: Falconidae)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 88 (3): 355–366.
23. Patricia Vickers Rich & David J. Bohaska (1976). "The World's Oldest Owl: A New Strigiform from the Paleocene of Southwestern Colorado" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 27: 87–93.
24. Patricia Vickers Rich & David J. Bohaska (1981). "The Ogygoptyngidae, a New Family of Owls from the Paleocene of North America" (PDF). Alcheringa. 5 (2): 95–102. doi:10.1080/03115518108565424.
25. Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr. (1976). "The Late Pleistocene Avifauna of La Carolina, Southwestern Ecuador" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 27: 155–168.
26. Storrs L. Olson (1976). "Oligocene Fossils Bearing on the Origins of the Todidae and the Motmotidae (Aves: Coraciiformes)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 27 (27): 111–119. doi:10.5479/si.00810266.27.1.
27. Stuart L. Warter (1976). "A New Osprey from the Miocene of California (Falconiformes: Pandionidae)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 27: 133–139.
28. Colin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1976). "A New Fossil Pelican from Olduvai". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology Series. 27: 315–320.
29. Gerald Mayr & Richard Smith (2001). "Ducks, Rails and Limicoline Waders (Aves: Anseriformes, Gruiformes, Charadriiformes) from the Lowermost Oligocene of Belgium" (PDF). Praha Ninox Press. 34 (5): 547–561. doi:10.1016/s0016-6995(01)80069-3.
30. Collin J. O. Harrison & Cyril A. Walker (1976). "Cranial Material of Oligocene and Miocene Flamingos: With a Description of a New Species". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology Series. 27: 305–314.
31. Patricia Vickers Rich & Cyril A. Walker (1983). "A New Genus of Miocene Flamingo from East Africa". Ostrich. 54 (2): 95–104. doi:10.1080/00306525.1983.9634452.
32. Robert W. Storer (1976). "The Pleistocene Pied-billed Grebes (Aves: Podicipedidae)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 27: 147–153.
33. Hildegarde Howard (1976). "A New Species of Flightless Auk from the Miocene of California (Alcidae: Mancallinae)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 27: 141–146.
34. N. Adam Smith (2011). "Taxonomic Revision and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Flightless Mancallinae (Aves, Pan-Alcidae)" (PDF). ZooKeys (91): 1–116. doi:10.3897/zookeys.91.709. PMC 3084493. PMID 21594108. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
35. Larry D. Martin (2010). "Paleogene Avifauna of the Holarctic" (PDF). Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 48 (4): 367–374.
36. Jíří Mlíkovský (1998). "Two New Owls (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of the Czech Republic, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Subfamily Striginae" (PDF). Buteo. 10: 5–21.
37. Dénes Jánossy (1976). "Plio-Pleistocene Bird Remains from the Carpathian Basin. I. Galliformes. 1. Tetraonidae". Aquila. 82: 13–36.
38. Alan Feduccia & Larry D. Martin (1976). "The Eocene Zygodactyl Birds of North America (Aves: Piciformes)" (PDF). In Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore ed.: Storrs. L. Olson; Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 27: 101–110.
39. Peter W. Houde & Storrs L. Olson (1992). "A Radiation of Coly-like Birds from the Eocene of North America (Aves: Sandcoleiformes New Order)" (PDF). In Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring Pierce Brodkorb. ed: Jonathan J. Becker, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Science Series. 36: 137–160.
40. Otschev, V.G. (1977). "A substitution for the preoccupied name Georgia penzensis". Paleontological Journal. 11: 118.