1908 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 1908.

Arthropoda

Newly named insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Anabrus caudeli^[2]	Sp nov		Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	A platycleidine tettigoniid Mormon cricket relative	Anabrus caudeli
Cecidomyia(?) pontaniiformis^[2]	Sp nov		Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	A cecidomyiine gall midge gall Gall on Myrica drymeia	Cecidomyia pontaniiformis gall on Myrica drymeia
Dryobius miocenicus^[2]	Sp nov		Beutenmüller & Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	A cerambycine longhorned beetle	Dryobius miocenicus
Electromyrmex^[3]	Gen et sp nov	nom nudum	Wheeler	Lutetian	Baltic amber	Europe	A nyrmicine ant. Type species E. klebsi Validly described in 1910	Electromyrmex klebsi
Eriophyes(?) beutenmulleri^[2]	Sp nov		Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	An eriophyid gall mite gall Described from galls on a possible Salix leaf	Eriophyes beutenmulleri galls on Salix sp.
Glossina oligocena^[2]	Comb nov		(Scudder) Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	A Glossinid tsetse fly moved from Paloestrus oligocenus (1892)	Glossina oligocenus
Lithogryllites^[2]	Gen et sp nov		Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	A cricket relative The type species is L. lutzii	Lithogryllites lutzii
Necrodes primaevus^[2]	Sp nov		Beutenmüller & Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	A silphine carrion beetle	Necrodes primaevus
Nymphalites scudderi^[2]	Sp nov		Beutenmüller & Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	A nymphaline brush-footed butterfly	Nymphalites scudderi
Panorpa arctiiformis^[2]	Sp nov		Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	A scorpionfly	Panorpa arctiiformis
Phenacolestes^[2]	Gen et sp nov		Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	A dysagrionine odonate The type species is P. mirandus Also tentatively included is P.(?) parallelus	Phenacolestes mirandus
Phymatodes volans^[2]	Sp nov		Beutenmüller & Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	A callidiine cerambycine longhorned beetle	Phymatodes volans
Polystoechotes piperatus^[2]	Sp nov	jr synonym	Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	An ithonid giant lacewing Moved to Propsychopsis piperatus in 1943 moved to Polystoechotites piperatus in 2006	Polystoechotites piperatus

Archosauromorphs

Newly named basal archosauromorphs

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Scaphonyx		Synonym of Hyperodapedon	Woodward	Late Triassic (Carnian)	Santa Maria Formation	Brazil	A hyperodapedontid rhynchosaur.

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[4]

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Ankylosaurus^[5]	Valid taxon	Barnum Brown	Late Cretaceous (Lancian)	Hell Creek Formation Lance Formation Scollard Formation	Canada United States	An ankylosaurid.	Ankylosaurus
"Gigantosaurus"^[6]	Preoccupied.	Eberhard Fraas	Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian)	Tendaguru Formation	Tanzania	Preoccupied by Harry Govier Seeley, 1869 renamed Tornieria.
Halticosaurus^[7]	Nomen dubium.	Friedrich von Huene	Late Triassic (early Norian)	Stubensandstein	Germany	A coelophysoid theropod.
"Pachysaurus"^[8]	Preoccupied.	Friedrich von Huene	Late Triassic (middle Norian)	Trossingen Formation	Germany	Preoccupied by Fitzinger, 1843 renamed Pachysauriscus.
Sellosaurus^[8]	Valid taxon	Friedrich von Huene	Late Triassic (early Norian)	Stubensandstein	Germany	A plateosaurid sauropodomorph.

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Alopecodon	Valid	Broom	Middle Permian	Middle Abrahamskraal Formation	South Africa	A scylaosaurid theriodont.	Tetraceratops
Kannemeyeria	Valid	Seeley	Early-Middle Triassic (late Olenekian to Anisian)	Burgersdorp Formation	South Africa	A kannemeyeriid dicynodont.
Tetraceratops	Valid	Matthew	Early Permian	Arroyo Formation	US	Possibly a basal therapsid.
Trochosuchus	Nomen dubium	Broom	Middle Permian	Middle Abrahamskraal Formation	South Africa	Named from fossils belonging to Lycosuchidae.

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 ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Cockerell, T. (1908). "Fossil insects from Florissant, Colorado". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 24: 59–69.
^ Wheeler, W. M. (1915). "The ants of the Baltic amber". Schriften der Physikalisch-Okonomischen Gesellschaft zu Konigsberg. 55 (4): 56–59.
^ Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
^ Brown, B. 1908. The Ankylosauridae, a new family of armoured dinosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 24: pp. 187-201.
^ Fraas, E. 1908. Ostafrikanische Dinosaurier. Mitteilungen aus dem Kgl. Naturalien-Kabinett zu Stuttgart: pp.105-144.
^ Huene, F. von. 1907/1908. Die Dinosaurier der Europaiaschen Triasformation mit Berucksichtiging der aussereuropaischen Vorkommnisse. Geol. Paleont. Abhandl. Suppl. 1: pp. 1-419.
^ ^a ^b Huene, F. von. 1908. Eine Zusammensteilung uber die englische Trias und Alter ihre Fossilen. Centralblatt fur Mineralogie, Geologie und Palaontologie, Stuttgart 1908: pp. 9-17.

[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.

[Cockerell1908-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Cockerell, T. (1908). "Fossil insects from Florissant, Colorado". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 24: 59–69.

[Wheeler1915-3] Wheeler, W. M. (1915). "The ants of the Baltic amber". Schriften der Physikalisch-Okonomischen Gesellschaft zu Konigsberg. 55 (4): 56–59.

[ddinogeorge-4] Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.

[5] Brown, B. 1908. The Ankylosauridae, a new family of armoured dinosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 24: pp. 187-201.

[6] Fraas, E. 1908. Ostafrikanische Dinosaurier. Mitteilungen aus dem Kgl. Naturalien-Kabinett zu Stuttgart: pp.105-144.

[7] Huene, F. von. 1907/1908. Die Dinosaurier der Europaiaschen Triasformation mit Berucksichtiging der aussereuropaischen Vorkommnisse. Geol. Paleont. Abhandl. Suppl. 1: pp. 1-419.

[vonhuene08centralblatt-8] Huene, F. von. 1908. Eine Zusammensteilung uber die englische Trias und Alter ihre Fossilen. Centralblatt fur Mineralogie, Geologie und Palaontologie, Stuttgart 1908: pp. 9-17.

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