1851 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 1851.

List of years in paleontology (table)
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Arthropods

Insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Toxorhina brevipalpa[2]	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Loew	Middle Eocene	Baltic amber	Europe	A Limoniid cranefly, jr syn of Elephantomyia brevipalpa	Elephantomyia brevipalpa
Toxorhina longirostris[2]	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Loew	Middle Eocene	Baltic amber	Europe	A Limoniid cranefly, jr syn of Elephantomyia longirostris	Elephantomyia longirostris
Toxorhina pulchella[2]	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Loew	Middle Eocene	Baltic amber	Europe	A Limoniid cranefly, jr syn of Elephantomyia pulchella	Elephantomyia pulchella

Archosauromorphs

Pterosaurs

• Two pterosaurs sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins were put on display in England's Crystal Palace. These were the first three-dimensional life-size restorations of pterosaurs.^[3]

Other archosauromorphs

New taxa

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Clepsysaurus[4]	Gen et sp nov	Nomen dubium	Lea	Late Triassic (Norian)	Passaic Formation	United States	Dubious genus phytosaur.

Plesiosaurs

Newly named plesiosaurs

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Cimoliasaurus	Valid	Leidy		Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)	Navesink Formation	United States	An elasmosaurid.
Discosaurus	Valid	Leidy		Late Cretaceous		United States	A dubious elasmosaurid.

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. Kania, I (2015). "Subfamily Limoniinae Speiser, 1909 (Diptera, Limoniidae) from Baltic Amber (Eocene): The Genus Elephantomyia Osten Sacken, 1860". PLOS ONE. 10 (2): 1–25. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1017434K. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117434. PMC 4338262. PMID 25706127.
3. Wellnhofer, Peter (2008). "A short history of pterosaur research". Zitteliana B. 28: 7–19.
4. Lea, I. 1851. Remarks on the bones of a fossil reptilian quadruped. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 5: pp. 171-172.