1859 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 1859.

Overview of the events of 1859 in paleontology
List of years in paleontology (table)
In science
1856
1857
1858
1859
1860
1861
1862
+...

Plants

Angiosperms

Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes Images

Anchietea borealis[2]

Sp nov

jr synonym

Heer

Paleocene
late Paleocene

Menat Formation

 France
 Puy-de-Dôme

First described as a violaceous species.
Moved to Atriplex borealis inn 1912.
Moved to Palaeocarpinus borealis in 2021.

Dinosaurs

Newly named dinosaurs

Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes

Astrodon[3]

Valid

Johnston

Early Cretaceous (Aptian/Albian boundary)

Arundel Formation

 United States ( Maryland)

An indeterminate titanosauriform.

Astrodon.

Compsognathus

Valid

Wagner

Late Jurassic (Tithonian)

Solnhofen Limestone

 Germany
 France

A compsognathid.

Compsognathus.

Hadrosaurus[4]

Valid

Joseph Leidy

Late Cretaceous (early Campanian)

Woodbury Formation

 United States  New Jersey

A hadrosaurid.

Scelidosaurus[5]

Valid

Sir Richard Owen

Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian)

Blue Lias

 UK

A basal thyreophoran.

Scelidosaurus.

Pterosaurs

New taxa

Name Age Location Notes Images
Dimorphodon 195 Millions years ago  Mexico UK Antarctica A dimorphodontid; new generic name for Pterodactylus macronyx. A shellfish-eating Pterosaur.
Dimorphodon

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Genus Age Location Notes Images
Galesaurus 252 Millions of years ago  South Africa

References

  • iconPaleontology portal
  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. ^ Correa-Narvaez, J. E.; Manchester, S. R. (2021). "Distribution and Morphological Diversity of Palaeocarpinus (Betulaceae) from the Paleogene of the Northern Hemisphere". The Botanical Review. 88 (2): 161–203. doi:10.1007/s12229-021-09258-y. S2CID 237795532.
  3. ^ Johnston, C. 1859. Note on odontography. Amer. J. Dent. Sci. 9: pp. 337-343
  4. ^ Leidy, J. 1859. Extinct vertebrata from the Judith River and Great Lignite Formations of Nebraska. American Philosophical Society Transactions 11:pp. 139-154.
  5. ^ Owen, R. 1859. On the order of fossil and recent reptilia, and their distribution in time. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science: pp. 153-166.