1954 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 1954.

List of years in paleontology (table)
… 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 …
In science 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957
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Plants

Angiosperms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Amyridoxylon[2]	Gen et sp nov		Kruse	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA  Wyoming	A rutaceous petrified wood. The type species is A. ordinatum
Aspidospermoxylon[2]	Gen et sp nov		Kruse	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA  Wyoming	An apocynaceous petrified wood. The type species is A. uniseriatum
Chandlera[3]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Scott	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA  Oregon	A moon seed genus. Type species C. lacunosa.
Edenoxylon[2]	Gen et sp nov		Kruse	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA  Wyoming	An anacaridaceous petrified wood. The type species is E. parviareolatum
Fagara biseriata[2]	Sp nov		Kruse	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA  Wyoming	A rutaceous petrified wood.
Fagara monophylloides[2]	Sp nov		Kruse	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA  Wyoming	A rutaceous petrified wood.
Forchhammerioxylon[2]	Gen et sp nov		Kruse	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA  Wyoming	A resedaceous petrified wood. The type species is F. scleroticum
Heveoxylon[2]	Gen et sp nov		Kruse	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA  Wyoming	A euphorbiaceous petrified wood. The type species is H. microporosum
Juglans clarnensis[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scott	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA  Oregon	A walnut.
Mastixioidiocarpum oregonense[3]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Scott	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA  Oregon	A Tupelo relative
Myrica scalariformis[2]	Sp nov	jr synonym	Kruse	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA  Wyoming	An Eden Valley petrified wood. Moved to Morella scalariformis in 2021[4]
Odontocaryoidea[3]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Scott	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA  Oregon	A moon seed genus. Type species O. nodulosa.
Palaeonyssa spatulata[3]	sp nov	jr synonym	Scott	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA	A Tupelo, moved to Nyssa spatulata in 1994
Palaeophytocrene hancockii[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scott	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA  Oregon	An icacinaceous species.
Palaeophytocrene pseudopersica[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scott	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA  Oregon	An icacinaceous species.
Parthenocissus angustisulcata[3]	Sp nov	valid	Scott	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA  Oregon	A vitaceous species
Schinoxylon[2]	Gen et sp nov		Kruse	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA  Wyoming	An anacaridaceous petrified wood. The type species is S. actinoporosum
Suriana inordinata[2]	Sp nov		Kruse	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA  Wyoming	A surianaceous petrified wood.
Talauma multiperforata[2]	Sp nov		Kruse	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA  Wyoming	An Eden Valley petrified wood.
Trochodendroxylon beckii[5]	Sp nov	valid	Hergert & Phinney	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA  Oregon	A Trochodendron wood species. Moved to Trochodendron beckii in 1982

Arthropods

Insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Parastylotermes frazieri[6]	Sp. nov	valid	Snyder	Miocene		USA	A Stylotermitid termite.

Archosauromorphs

Phytosaurs

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Coburgosuchus[7]	Valid taxon	Heller		Late Triassic (Norian)	Burgsandstein Formation	Germany	A member of Pseudopalatinae.

Dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[8]

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Mamenchisaurus[9]	Valid taxon	Yang Zhongjian (as Young C. C.)		Late Jurassic (late Callovian-early Oxfordian)	Shangshaximiao Formation	China	A mamenchisaurid. The type species is M. constructus. This animal had a neck of more than 10 meters.	Mamenchisaurus
Rebbachisaurus[10]	Valid taxon	René Lavocat		Middle Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian)	Kem Kem Beds	Morocco  Niger  Tunisia	A rebbachisaurid.	Rebbachisaurus
Therizinosaurus[11]	Valid taxon	Evgeny Maleev		Late Cretaceous (late Campanian-early Maastrichtian)	Nemegt Formation	Mongolia	A therizinosaurid.	Therizinosaurus

Synapsids

Pelycosaurs

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Location	Notes	Images
Phreatophasma	Valid	Ivan Yefremov	Middle Permian	Russia	A synapsid of uncertain affinities, perhaps a caseid.

Eutherians

Cetaceans

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Leptodelphis	Valid	Kirpichnikov	Middle Miocene (Sarmatian)		Russia	A member of Kentriodontidae.
Sarmatodelphis	Valid	Kirpichnikov	Middle Miocene (Sarmatian)		Moldova	A kentriodontid.

References

• Paleontology 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. Kruse, H.O. (1954). "Some Eocene dicotyledonous woods from Eden Valley, Wyoming". Ohio Journal of Science. 54 (4): 243–244.
3. Manchester, S.R. (1994). "Fruits and Seeds of the Middle Eocene Nut Beds Flora, Clarno Formation, Oregon". Palaeontographica Americana. 58: 30–31.
4. Wheeler, E. A.; Baas, P.; Manchester, S. R. (2021). "Wood Anatomy of Modern and Fossil Fagales in Relation to Phylogenetic Hypotheses, Familial Classification, and Patterns of Character Evolution". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 183 (1): 61–86. doi:10.1086/717328. S2CID 244081754.
5. Scott, R. A.; Wheeler, E. A. (1982). "Fossil woods from the Eocene Clarno Formation of Oregon". IAWA Journal. 3 (3–4): 135–154. doi:10.1163/22941932-90000829.
6. Snyder, T.E. (1955). "A new fossil termite, Parastylotermes frazieri, from California (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 57 (2): 79–80.^{[permanent dead link]}
7. Ein Parasuchier-Schädelrest aus dem Oberen Burgsandstein von Coburg [A parasuchian skull remain from the Upper Burgsandstein of Coburg]. Geologisch Blätter für Nordost-Bayern 3:1-13
8. Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
9. Young C.-C. 1954. On a new sauropod from Yiping. Szechuan, China. Acta Palaeontol. Sinica 2: pp. 355-369.
10. René Lavocat. 1954. Sur les Dinosauriens du continental intercalaire des Kem-Kem de la Daoura. C. R. 19th Internatl. Geol. Congr. (1952): pp. 65-68.
11. Maleev, E.A. 1954. A new turtle-like saurian in Mongolia. Priroda (1954): pp. 106-108.