1909 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 1909.

List of years in paleontology (table)
… 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 …
In science 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912
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Arthropods

Newly named insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Etoptychoptera[2]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Handlirsch	Ypresian	Allenby Formation	Canada  British Columbia	An etoptychopterine phantom cranefly. Type species E. tertiaria.	Etoptychoptera tertiaria (1910 illustration)
Raphidia exhumata[3]	Sp nov	jr synonym	Cockerell	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA  Colorado	A raphidiid snakefly Moved to Megaraphidia exhumata in 2014[4]	Megaraphidia exhumata
Protanyderus[2]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Handlirsch	Jurassic		Mongolia	A tanyderine phantom cranefly.

Archosauromorphs

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[5]

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Hierosaurus[6]	Valid taxon	Wieland		Late Cretaceous (Coniacian-Santonian)	Niobrara Formation	United States ( Kansas)	A nodosaurid.

Plesiosaurs

New taxa

Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images Picrocleidus Valid Andrews Callovian Oxford Clay Formation  UK A cryptoclidid. Simolestes Valid Andrews Callovian Oxford Clay Formation  France  India  UK A thalassophonean pliosaurid. Simolestes Tricleidus Valid Andrews Callovian Oxford Clay Formation  Norway  UK A cryptoclidid.

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Bauria	Valid	Robert Broom		Early Triassic	Cynognathus Assemblage Zone	South Africa	A bauriid theriodont.	Bauria

People

• Death of Harry Govier Seeley, the paleontologist who invented the Saurischian/Ornithischian dinosaur dichotomy.^[7]