1937 in paleontology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 1937.
Plants
Ferns and fern allies
Flowering plants
Magnoliids
Monocots
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Smilax magna[2] |
Syn nov |
A greenbriar species. |
|||||||
Basal Eudicots and unplaced core Eudicots
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tetracera spokanensis[2] |
Sp nov |
jr synonym |
Brown |
First described as a Tetracera species. |
|||||
|
Vitis washingtonensis[2] |
Comb nov |
(Knowlton) Brown |
synonymy
|
 | |||||
Superasterids - basal
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Philadelphus pardeei[2] |
Comb nov |
Phyllites peculiaris |
A Philadelphus species. |
 | |||||
|
Vaccinium sophoroides[2] |
Comb nov |
A Vaccinium species. |
 | ||||||
Superasterids
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aralia republicensis[2] |
Nom nov. |
jr synonym |
Aralia whitneyi non Lesquereux nec Berry, (1929) |
First named as an Aralia species. |
 | ||||
|
Arbutus idahoensis[2] |
Comb nov |
Payette Formation |
|||||||
|
Hydrangea fraxinifolia[2] |
Comb nov |
A Hydrangea species. |
|||||||
|
Mahonia reticulata[2] |
Comb nov |
Strawberry Volcanics |
synonymy
|
An Oregon grape species. |
|||||
|
Viburnum fernquisti[2] |
Comb nov |
A viburnum species. |
|||||||
|
Viburnum lantanafolium[2] |
Syn nov |
Aesculus hesperia Berry (1929) |
A viburnum species. |
||||||
Superrosids
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Acer bendirei[2] |
Syn nov |
A maple species. |
|||||||
|
Acer osmonti[2] |
Syn nov |
John Day Formation |
A maple species. |
||||||
|
Alnus carpinoides[2] |
Syn nov |
John Day Formation |
Alnus prerhombifolia Berry (1929) |
An alder species. |
 | ||||
|
Alnus relatus[2] |
Comb nov |
| |||||||
|
Betula fairii[2] |
Comb nov |
A birch species. |
 | ||||||
|
Betula vera[2] |
Sp nov |
||||||||
|
Carya simulata[2] |
Comb nov |
||||||||
|
Cotinus fraterna[2] |
Syn nov |
Andromeda delicatula |
A cotton-easter species. |
||||||
|
Dilodendron boreale[2] |
Sp nov |
A sapindaceous species. |
|||||||
|
Comb nov |
Jr synonym |
synonymy
|
A sapindaceous species. |
||||||
|
Fagus washoensis[2] |
Syn nov |
LaMotte |
Cedarville Formation |
A beech species. |
|||||
|
Paliurus florissanti[2] |
Syn nov |
Acalypha myricina |
A rhamnaceous species. |
||||||
|
Pterocarya mixta[2] |
Comb nov |
A wingnut species. |
|||||||
|
Salix spokanensis[2] |
Comb et syn nov |
Vaccinium spokanense (1929) |
 | ||||||
|
Zelkova oregoniana[2] |
Comb nov |
synonymy
|
|||||||
Angiosperms - other
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Carpites boraginoides |
Comb nov |
valid? |
Latah Formation |
A fruit or seed of uncertain affinity |
 |
Arthropods
Insects
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Protrogosita[5] |
Gen et sp nov |
valid |
Piton & Théobald |
A Trogossitid bark gnawing beetle |
 | |||
Vertebrates
Dinosaurs
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Bactrosaurus prynadai"[6] | Nomen nudum | Riabinin | Santonian | Dabrazinskaya Svita |  Kazakhstan |
A species of Bactrosaurus, formally described in 1939 | ||
| "Jaxartosaurus"[6] | Nomen nudum | Riabinin | Santonian | Dabrazinskaya Svita | Kazakhstan |
A hadrosaurid, formally described in 1939 | ||
| Parksosaurus[7] | Gen. nov. | Valid | Sternberg | Maastrichtian | Horseshoe Canyon Formation |  Canada |
A new genus name for Thescelosaurus warreni |  |
Synapsids
| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Valid |
Olson | 255 Millions of years ago | A Gorgonopsian. |  | ||
|
Junior Synonym |
Junior Synonym of Thrinaxodon. | |||||
|
Valid |
||||||
|
Valid |
||||||
|
Valid |
||||||
|
Valid |
||||||
|
Valid |
Broom | 255 Millions of years ago | One of the Earliest-Known Cynodonts. |  | ||
|
Valid |
Young | 245 Millions of years ago | A Chinese Kannemeyerid Dicynodont. |  | ||
Popular culture
Amusement parks and attractions
- August 28th: The Calgary Zoo's Prehistoric Park opened. Paleontologist Darren Tanke has described Prehistoric Park as "an extensive treed park and pathways containing numerous life-sized concrete dinosaurs and other prehistoric life". It also had "two long, walkthrough display buildings containing a Corythosaurus skeleton and individual dinosaur bones", as well as exhibits of paleozoic invertebrates and prehistoric plants. It became a popular attraction among visitors to the zoo.[8]
Literature
- In 1937, Morant imagined a feathered dinosaur-like animal that lived during the Triassic and glided about on four wings. This portrayal reflected contemporary scientific speculations attempting to reconstruct the hypothetical ancestor of birds. Fossils from China later revealed the existence of just this sort of animal.[9]