1990 in paleontology

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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 1990.

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Plants

Conifers

Pinaceae

More information Name, Novelty ...

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Synonymized taxa	Notes	Images
Abies rigida^[2]^[3]	Syn nov	valid	Knowlton	Oligocene Chattian	Creede Formation	US Colorado	Abies longirostris (1923)	A possible bristlecone fir species	Abies rigida
Pinus crossii^[2]^[3]	Syn nov	Valid	Knowlton	Oligocene Chattian	Creede Formation	US Colorado	Pinus aristata fossilis(1934) Pinus coloradensis (1923) Pinus similis (1923) Pinus wasonii (1987)	A bristle cone pine species

Angiosperms

Basal eudicots

More information Name, Novelty ...

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Location	Synonymized taxa	Notes	Images
Berberis coloradensis^[3]	Syns nov	Valid	Axelrod	Oligocene Chattian	Creede Formation	US Colorado	synonymy Berberis riogrande (1987) Fendlera coloradensis p.p. (1987) Philadelphus creedensis (1987) Vaccinium creedensis (1987)	A barberry species
Mahonia aceroides^[2]^[3]	Comb et syn nov	valid	(Knowlton) Schorn & Wolfe	Oligocene Chattian	Creede Formation	US Colorado	synonymy Mahonia creedensis (1956) Mahonia hakeaefolia p.p. (1936) Mahonia marginata p.p. (1936)	An Mahonia species Moved from Sterculia aceroides (1923)

Superroids

Malpighiales

More information Name, Novelty ...

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Location	Synonymized taxa	Notes	Images
Populus larsenii^[2]^[3]	Comb et syn nov	valid	(Knowlton) Schorn & Wolfe	Oligocene Chattian	Creede Formation	US Colorado	synonymy Betula smithiana p.p. 1987 Populus cedrusensis auct. non Wolfe, nec Axelrod, 1987 Populus creedensis (1987) Populus lesquereuxi auct. non Cockerell, nec Knowlton, 1923 Populus pliotremuloides auct. non Axelrod, 1937 nec Axelrod, 1987	First identified as a possible Alder species Moved from Alnus? larseni (1923)

Paleomycology

newly named fungi

More information Name, Novelty ...

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type unit	Location	Notes	Images
Coprinites^[4]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Poinar & Singer	Burdigalian	Dominican amber.	Dominican Republic	first mushroom genus described from the fossil record

Arthropods

Newly named crustaceans

More information Name, Novelty ...

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type unit	Location	Notes	Images
Orbitoplax^[5]	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Tucker & Feldmann	Early Oligocene	Poul Creek Formation	USA ( Alaska)	A euryplacid crab, type species is O. plafkeri.

Newly named insects

More information Name, Novelty ...

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type unit	Location	Notes	Images
Casaleia^[6]	Gen nov	valid	Pagliano & Scaramozzino	Middle Miocene	Chon-Tyz mine	Kyrgyzstan	A replacement name for "Protamblyopone" Dlussky 1981.	Casaleia eocenica
Paleochrysopa^[7]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Séméria & Nel	Priabonian	Monteils Formation	France	A green lacewing. The type species is P. monteilsensis	Paleochrysopa monteilsensis
Tetraponera klebsi^[8]	Comb nov	Valid	(Wheeler)	Lutetian	Baltic amber	Europe	A pseudomyrmecine ant. Moved from Sima klebsi (Wheeler, 1915)	Tetraponera klebsi

Vertebrates

Conodonts

More information Name, Novelty ...

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type unit	Location	Notes	Images
Chiosella^[9]	Gen nov	Valid	Kozur
Clarkina	Gen nov	Valid	Kozur

Newly named Actinopterygii ("Ray-finned Fish")

More information Name, Novelty ...

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type unit	Location	Notes	Images
Veronavelifer	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Bannikov	Eocene	Monte Bolca	Italy		Veronavelifer sorbinii

Pseudosuchians

More information Name, Novelty ...

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Baru darrowi^[10]	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Willis, Murray & Megirian	Miocene	Bullock Creek	Australia	A mekosuchine crocodilian. Originally material from the Riversleigh WHA was also assigned to this species, but later research found these fossils to have belonged to a distinct taxon.

Dinosaurs

All Anatosaurus species except A. copei were moved to the previously existing genus Edmontosaurus by Brett-Surman
"Seismosaurus" gastroliths documented.^[11]

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[12]

More information Name, Status ...

Name	Status	Authors		Location	Images
Agilisaurus^[13]	Valid taxon	Peng G.		China	Agilisaurus
Anatotitan^[14]	Junior synonym of Edmontosaurus.	Brett-Surman vide: Chapman	Michael K. Brett-Surman	Canada ( Alberta)	Anatotitan copei
Bellusaurus^[15]	Valid taxon	Dong Zhiming		China	Bellusaurus
Breviceratops^[16]	Valid taxon	Kurzanov		Mongolia
Coloradisaurus^[17]^[18]	Valid taxon	Peter Galton		Argentina	Coloradisaurus
Drinker^[19]	Junior synonym of Nanosaurus.	Robert Bakker Galton	Siegwarth Filla	USA ( Wyoming)
Emausaurus^[20]	Valid taxon	Haubold		Germany
Epachthosaurus^[21]	Valid taxon	Jaime Eduardo Powell		Argentina	Epachthosaurus
"Futabasaurus"	Nomen nudum; later applied to a plesiosaur.	David Lambert		Japan
“Hadrosauravus"^[22]	Nomen nudum	David Lambert		USA ( Montana, Utah) Canada
“Hisanohamasaurus”^[22]	Nomen nudum	David Lambert		Japan
“Katsuyamasaurus"^[22]	Nomen nudum	David Lambert
"Kitadanisaurus"^[22]	Nomen nudum	David Lambert
"Madsenius"^[22]	Nomen nudum	David Lambert		USA
Monkonosaurus^[23]	Valid taxon	Zhao X. vide: Dong Zhiming		China
Richardoestesia	Valid taxon	Phillip Currie Rigby and	R.E. Sloan	Canada ( Alberta) USA ( Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming)
“Sugiyamasaurus"^[22]	Nomen nudum	David Lambert
Yimenosaurus^[24]	Valid taxon	Bai vide: Bai Yang J.	Wang G.H.	China

Newly named birds

More information Name, Status ...

Name	Status	Novelty	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Agnopterus sicki ^[25]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Herculano M. F. de Alvarenga	Late Oligocene / Early Miocene	Bacia de Taubate	Brazil	A Phoenicopteriformes, Agnopteridae Lambrecht, 1933.
Anser arenosus ^[26]	Valid	Sp. nov.	K. Jeffrey Bickart	Late Miocene	Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation	USA: Arizona	An Anatidae.
Anser arizonae ^[26]	Valid	Sp. nov.	K. Jeffrey Bickart	Late Miocene	Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation	USA: Arizona	An Anatidae.
Brachyramphus dunkeli ^[27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Robert M. Chandler	Late Pliocene	Blancan, San Diego Formation	USA: California	An Alcidae.
Branta woolfendeni ^[26]	Not Valid	Sp. nov.	K. Jeffrey Bickart	Late Miocene	Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation	Mongolia; USA: Arizona	An Anatidae, placed in synonymy with Bonibernicla ponderosa Kurochkin, 1985 by Zelenkov, 2012.^[28]
Cerorhinca reai ^[27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Robert M. Chandler	Late Pliocene	Blancan, San Diego Formation	USA: California	An Alcidae.
Chlamydotis mesetaria ^[29]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Antonio Sanchez Marco	Early Pliocene	MN 15	Spain: Castile and León	An Otididae.
Corvus galushai ^[26]	Valid	Sp. nov.	K. Jeffrey Bickart	Late Miocene	Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation	USA: Arizona	A Corvidae.
Cygnus mariae ^[26]	Valid	Sp. nov.	K. Jeffrey Bickart	Late Miocene	Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation	USA: Arizona	An Anatidae.
Diomedea howardae ^[27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Robert M. Chandler	Late Pliocene	Marine Beds	USA: California	A Diomedeidae.
Himantopus olsoni ^[26]	Valid	Sp. nov.	K. Jeffrey Bickart	Late Miocene	Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation	USA: Arizona	A Recurvirostridae
“Ichthyornis” minusculus ^[30]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Lev A. Nessov	Late Eocene	Coniacian, Bisekty Formation	Uzbekistan	Possibly an Enantiornithes Walker, 1981.
Kievornis rogovitshi ^[31]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Alexander O. Averianov Olga R. Potapova Lev A. Nessov	Late Eocene	MP 17-20	Ukraine	An Aves Incertae Sedis, possibly a Procelariiformes or a Phaethontidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Melanitta ceruttii ^[27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Robert M. Chandler	Late Pliocene	Blancan, San Diego Formation	USA: California	An Anatidae, transferred to the genus Histrionicus Lesson, 1828 by Storrs L. Olson & Pamela C. Rasmussen, 2001 ^[32]
Palaeeudyptes klekowskii ^[33]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Andrezej Myrcha Andrzej Tatur Rodolfo Del Valle	Late Eocene	La Meseta Formatie on Seymour Island	Antarctica	A Spheniscidae.
Podiceps arndti ^[27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Robert M. Chandler	Late Pliocene	Blancan, San Diego Formation	USA: California	A Podicipedidae.
Puffinus gilmorei ^[27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Robert M. Chandler	Late Pliocene	Marine Beds	USA: California	A Procellariidae.
Puffinus holei ^[34]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Cyril A. Walker Graham M. Wragg Colin J. O. Harrison	Late Pleistocene MQ 2C; Late Pleistocene MQ 2C-D; Early Holocene MQ 2E	Portugal, Spain: Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, Portugal	Portugal; Spain: Canary Islands	A Procellariidae, Mourer-Chauviré & Antunes, 2000 ^[35] emended the spelling to Puffinus holeae.
Puffinus olsoni ^[36]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Miquel McMinn Damià Jaume Josep A. Alcover	Holocene	Fuerteventura	Spain: Canary Islands	A Procellariidae.
Rissa estesi ^[27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Robert M. Chandler	Late Pliocene	Blancan, San Diego Formation	USA: California	A Laridae.
Songzia heidangkouensis ^[37]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Hou Lianhai	Early Eocene	Yangxi Formation	China	A Ralliformes, Songziidae Hou, 1990, this is the type species of the new genus.
Stictocarbo kumeyaay ^[27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Robert M. Chandler	Late Pliocene	Blancan, San Diego Formation	USA: California	A Phalacrocoracidae, transferred to the genus Phalacrocorax Brisson, 1760.
Sula clarki ^[27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Robert M. Chandler	Late Pliocene	Blancan, San Diego Formation	USA: California	A Sulidae.
Struthio dmanisensis ^[38]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich Abesalom K. Vekua	Early Pleistocene	Dmanisi	Georgia	A Struthionidae.
Synthliboramphus rineyi ^[27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Robert M. Chandler	Late Pliocene	Blancan, San Diego Formation	USA: California	An Alcidae.

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]
Knowlton, F.H. (1923). Fossil plants from the Tertiary lake beds of South-Сentral Colorado (Report). Professional Paper. Vol. 131-G. United States Geological Survey. pp. 183–197. doi:10.3133/pp131G.
[3]
Wolfe, J.A.; Schorn, H.E. (1990). Taxonomic revision of the Spermatopsida of the Oligocene Creede flora, southern Colorado (Report). Bulletin. Vol. 1923. United States Geological Survey. pp. 1–40. doi:10.3133/b1923.
[4]
Poinar, G.; Singer, R. (1990). "Upper Eocene gilled mushroom from the Dominican Republic". Science. 248 (4959): 1099–1101. Bibcode:1990Sci...248.1099P. doi:10.1126/science.248.4959.1099. PMID 17733372. S2CID 42236437.
[5]
Tucker, Annette B.; Feldmann, Rodney M. (May 1990). "Fossil decapod crustaceans from the lower Tertiary of the Prince William Sound Region, Gulf of Alaska". Journal of Paleontology. 64 (3): 409–427. Bibcode:1990JPal...64..409T. doi:10.1017/S0022336000018643. ISSN 0022-3360.
[6]
Dlussky, G.M.; Putyatina, T.S. (2014). "Early Miocene ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Radoboj, Croatia". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 272 (3): 237–285. Bibcode:2014NJGPA.272..237D. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.692.9292. doi:10.1127/0077-7749/2014/0409.
[7]
Séméria, Y.; Nel, A. (1990). "Paleochrysopa monteilsensis gen. et sp. nov., a new fossil of Chrysopidae from the Upper Eocene formation of Monteils (France with a review of the known chrysopid fossils (Insecta, Neuroptera)". Advances in Neuropterology, Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Neuropterology: 27–32.
[8]
Ward, P. S. (1990). "The ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): generic revision and relationship to other formicids". Systematic Entomology. 15 (4): 449–489. Bibcode:1990SysEn..15..449W. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.1990.tb00077.x. S2CID 86012514.
[9]
Kozur, Cour Forschungsinst Senckenb, 1990, volume 117, page 414
[10]
Willis, P.M.; Murray, P.; Megirian, D. (1990). "Baru darrowi gen. et sp. nov., a large, broad-snouted crocodyline (Eusuchia: Crocodylidae) from mid-Tertiary freshwater limestones in Northern Australia". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 29 (2): 521–540.
[11]
Gillette, D. (1990). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167.
[12]
Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
[13]
Peng, G-Z. 1990. A new small ornithopod (Agilisaurus louderbacki gen et sp. nov.) from Zigong, Sichuan, China. Zigong Dinosaur Museum Newsletter 2: pp. 19 - 27.
[14]
Brett-Surman vide Chapman, R.E., and M.K. Brett- Surman. 1990. Morphometric observations on hadrosaurid dinosaurs (Chapter 12). In: Dinosaurs Systematics: Perspectives and Approaches (K. Carpenter. and P.J. Currie, P.J., eds.). Cambridge University Press, New York: pp. 163- 177.
[15]
Dong, Z. 1990. Sauropoda from the Kelameili Region of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang Autonomous Region. (Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Academia Sinica) Vertebrata PalAsiatica 28 (1 - January): pp. 43-58.
[16]
Kurzanov, S.M. 1991. A new Late Cretaceous protoceratopsid genus from Mongolia. Paleontological Journal 1990: pp. 85-91.
[17]
Galton, P.M. (1990). "Basal Sauropodomorpha - Prosauropoda". In Weishampel, D.B.; Dodson, P.; Osmólska, H. (eds.). The Dinosauria. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. pp. 320–344. ISBN 0-520-06726-6.
[18]
Greenfield, T.; Bivens, G.; Fonseca, A. (2020). "The correct authorship of Coloradisaurus (Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha): Galton, 1990, not Lambert, 1983". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 77 (1): 153–155. doi:10.21805/bzn.v77.a050. S2CID 229723564.
[19]
Bakker, R.T., P. Galton, J. Siegwarth, and J. Filla. 1990. A new latest Jurassic vertebrate fauna, from the highest levels of the Morrison Formation at Como Bluff, Wyoming, with comments on Morrison biochronology Part IV. The dinosaurs: a new Othnielia-like hypsilophodontoid. Hunteria, 2: pp. 8-13.
[20]
Haubold, H. 1990. Ein neuer dinosaurier (Ornithischa, Thyreophora) aus dem unteren Jura des Hordlichen Mitteleuropa: Reviue de Paleobiologie 9 (1) : pp. 149-177.
[21]
Powell, J.E. 1986. Revision de los titanosauridos de America del Sur Argentina. Unpublished doctoral thesis. Universidad Nacional de Tucuman, Tucuman, Argentina.
[22]
Lambert, D., and the Diagram Group. 1990. The Dinosaur Data Book. Avon Books (320 pages).
[23]
Zhao vide Dong, Z. 1990. Stegosaurs of Asia. In: Dinosaur systematics: approaches and perspectives (K. Carpenter and P.J. Currie, eds.). Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK: pp. 255- 268.
[24]
Bai, Z., J. Yang, and G. Wang. 1990. A new genus of prosauropod from the Yuxi (region) of Yunnnan Province [Yunnan Yuxi yuanxijiao lei yi xin shu]. Yuxi Cultural Organization [Yuxi Wen Tuan] 1 (October 1990): pp. 14-23 + plate 1.
[25]
Herculano M. F. de Alvarenga (1990). "Flamingos Fósseis da Bacia de Taubaté, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil: Descrição de Nova Espécie". Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 62 (1): 335–345.
[26]
K. Jeffrey Bickart (1990). "The Birds of the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene Big Sandy Formation, Mohave County, Arizona" (PDF). Ornithological Monographs. 44 (1): 1–72. doi:10.2307/40166673. JSTOR 40166673.
[27]
Robert M. Chandler (1990). "Fossil Birds of the San Diego Formation, Late Pliocene, Blancan, San Diego County, California" (PDF). Ornithological Monographs. 44 (2): 73–161. doi:10.2307/40166674. JSTOR 40166674.
[28]
Nikita V. Zelenkov (2012). "Neogene Geese and Ducks (Aves: Anatidae) from Localities of the Great Lakes Depression, Western Mongolia". Paleontological Journal. 46 (1): 607–619. Bibcode:2012PalJ...46..607Z. doi:10.1134/S0031030112060123. S2CID 84232041.
[29]
Antonio Sanchez Marco (1990). "A New Bustard (Otididae; Aves) from the Early Pliocene of Layna (Soria, Spain)". Paleontologia i Evolució. 23: 223–229.
[30]
Lev A. Nessov (1990). "Small Ichthyonithiform Bird and Other Bird Remains from Bissekty Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Central Kizylkum Desert". Trudy Zoologicheskogo Instituta Akademii Nauk SSSR. 210: 59–62.
[31]
Alexander O. Averianov, Olga R. Potapova & Lev A. Nessov (1990). "On the First Findings of Ancient Bird Bones in the Fatherland". Trudy Zoologicheskogo Instituta, Akademiya Nauk SSSR. 210: 3–9.
[32]
Storrs L. Olson & Pamela C. Rasmussen (2001). "Miocene and Pliocene Birds from the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina" (PDF). Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 90: 233–365. doi:10.5479/si.00810266.90.233.
[33]
Andrezej Myrcha, Andrzej Tatur & Rodolfo Del Valle (1990). "A New Species of Fossil Penguin from Seymour Island, West Antarctica". Alcheringa. 14 (3): 195–205. Bibcode:1990Alch...14..195M. doi:10.1080/03115519008619055.
[34]
Cyril A. Walker, Graham M. Wragg & Colin J. O. Harrison (1990). "A New Shearwater from the Pleistocene of the Canary Islands and Its Bearings on the Evolution of Certain Puffinus Shaerwaters". Historical Biology. 3 (3): 203–224. Bibcode:1990HBio....3..203W. doi:10.1080/08912969009386522.
[35]
Cécile Mourer-Chauviré & Miguel Telles Antunes (2000). "L'Avifane Pléistocène et Holocène de Gruta da Figueira Brava (Arrabida, Portugal)". Memorias da Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Classe de Ciências. 38: 117–149.
[36]
Miquel McMinn, Damià Jaume & Josep A. Alcover (1990). "Puffinus olsoni n.sp.: Nova Espècie de Baldritja Recentment Extingida Provinent de Depòsits Espeleològics de Fuerteventura i Lanzarote (Illes Canàries, Atlàntic Oriental)". Endins. 16: 63–71.
[37]
Hou, Lianhai (1990). "An Eocene Bird from Songzi, Hubei Province" (PDF). Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 28 (1): 34–42.
[38]
Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich & Abesalom K. Vekua (1990). "The Fossil Ostrich Struthio dmanisensis sp. n. from the Lower Pleistocene of Eastern Georgia". Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia. 33 (7): 121–132.

Works cited

Gillette, D (1990). "Gastrolithes of a sauropod dinosaur from New Mexico". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 10 (suppl. 3): 24A. doi:10.1080/02724634.1990.10011841.
Sanders F, Manley K, Carpenter K. Gastroliths from the Lower Cretaceous sauropod Cedarosaurus weiskopfae. In: Tanke D.H, Carpenter K, editors. Mesozoic vertebrate life: new research inspired by the paleontology of Philip J. Currie. Indiana University Press; Bloomington, IN: 2001. pp. 166–180.

Conifers

Pinaceae

Angiosperms

Basal eudicots

Superroids

Malpighiales

newly named fungi

Newly named crustaceans

Newly named insects

Conodonts

Newly named Actinopterygii ("Ray-finned Fish")

Pseudosuchians

Dinosaurs

Newly named dinosaurs

Newly named birds

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