1984 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 1984.

List of years in paleontology (table)
… 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 …
In science 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
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Plants

Angiosperms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Hooleya lata[2]	Sp nov	Valid	Wing	Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA  Oregon	A Platycaryeae fruit morphospecies.
Platycarya bognorensis[2]	Comb nov	valid	(Chandler) Wing & Hickey	Eocene	London Clay	UK  England	Moved from Pterocaryopsis bognorensis (1961) Pterocaryopsis elliptica (1978) synonymized in.
Platycarya castaneopsis[2]	Comb nov	valid	(Lesquereux) Wing & Hickey	Ypresian	Green River Formation	USA  Colorado	Moved from Quercus castaneopsis (1883)
Platycarya manchesterii	Sp nov	valid	Wing & Hickey	Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA  Oregon	A Platycarya fruit morphospecies.

Arthropods

Arachnids

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Selenops beynai[3]	Sp nov	Valid	Schawaller	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A selenopid wall spider	Selenops beynai

Newly named crustaceans

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Gorgonophontes[4]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Schram	Kasimovian	Swope Formation Dennis Formation Oread Formation	US ( Nebraska  Iowa)	A mantis shrimp, type species is G. peleron	Gorgonophontes
Peachocaris acanthouraea[4]	Sp nov	Valid	Schram	Upper Pennsylvanian	Swope Formation	US ( Nebraska  Iowa)	A lophogastrid
Pseudarmadillo cristatus[5]	Sp nov	Valid	Schmalfuss	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A delatorreid isopod
Pseudarmadillo tuberculatus[5]	Sp nov	Valid	Schmalfuss	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A delatorreid isopod

Newly named eurypterids

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Mycterops whitei[4]	Sp nov	Valid	Schram	Kasimovian	Swope Formation	US ( Nebraska  Iowa)	A mycteroptid

Conodont paleozoology

Willi Ziegler and Charles A. Sandberg described the conodont genus Alternognathus.

Archosauromorphs

Newly named archosauromorphs

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Technosaurus[6]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Chatterjee	Norian	Bull Canyon Formation	USA ( Texas)	Originally described as a fabrosaurid; now Archosauriformes incertae sedis

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[7]

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Chuandongocoelurus[8]		Valid	He	Middle Jurassic	Lower Shaximiao Formation	China	A tetanuran theropod
Datousaurus[9]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Dong & Tang	Middle Jurassic	Lower Shaximiao Formation	China	A Mamenchisaurid sauropod	Datousaurus
Harpymimus[10]	Fam., gen et sp nov	Valid	Barsbold & Perle	Hauterivian to Barremian	Shinekhudug Formation	Mongolia	An ornithomimosaurian	Harpymimus
Kaijiangosaurus[8]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	He	Middle Jurassic	Xiashaximiao Formation	China	A tetanuran theropod
Liliensternus[11]	Gen nov	Valid	Welles	Norian	Trossingen Formation	Germany	A coelophysoid	Liliensternus
Longosaurus	Gen nov	Jr. synonym of Coelophysis.	Welles
Xuanhanosaurus[12]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Dong	Middle Jurassic	Lower Shaximiao Formation	China	A megalosauroid. Before it was believed that this animal was a quadruped, but now it is known that this was a biped.

Newly named birds

Name	Status	Novelty	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Anser thraceiensis [13]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich Ivan M. Nikolov	Late Miocene or Early Pliocene	MN 11-15	Bulgaria	An Anatidae.
Archaeopteryx recurva [14]	Disputed	Sp. nov.	Michael E. Howgate	Late Jura	Portlandian	Germany:  Bavaria	An Archaeopterygidae, the 5th specimen, this species becomes the type species of the new genus Jurapteryx Howgate, 1985.[15]
Bubo leakeyae [16]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Pierce Brodkorb Cécile Mourer-Chauviré	Holocene	Olduvai Gorge	Tanzania	A Strigidae.
Cursoricoccyx geraldinae [17]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Larry D. Martin Robert M. Mengel	Early Miocene	Pawnee Creek Formation	:  USA  Colorado	A Cuculiformes, Neomorphidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Cygnopterus alphonsi [18]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Jacques Cheneval	Early Miocene	MN 2a	France	An Anatidae.
Dromaius baudinianus [19]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Shane A. Parker	Holocene	Kangeroo Island	Australia:  South Australia	A Dromaiidae.
Eocypselus vincenti [20]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Eocene	MP 8	UK:  England	An Apodiformes, Eocypselidae Harrison, 1984, this is the type species of the new genus.
Fulmarus miocaenus [21]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Hildegarde Howard	Middle Miocene	Round Mountain Silt, Barstovian	USA:  California	A Procellariidae.
Gansus yumenensis [22]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Hou Lianhai Liu Zhicheng	Early Cretaceous	Xiagou Formation	China	An Ornithuromorphae Chiappe, Ji, Ji et Norell, 1999, Gansuiformes Hou et Liu, 1984, Gansuidae Hou et Liu, 1984, this is the type species of the new genus.
Gavia moldavica [23]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Jenö Kessler	Late Miocene; Early Pliocene	MN 9?	Romania  Moldova  USA:  Florida	A Gaviidae.
Kizylkumavis cretacea [24]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Lev A. Nessov	Late Cretaceous	Late Turonian-Coniacian	Soviet Union:  Uzbekistan	An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Alexornithiformes, Brodkorb, 1976, Alexornithidae Brodkorb, 1976, Alexornithinae Brodkorb, 1976, this is the type species of the new genus.
Larus udabnensis [25]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich E. G. Gabashvili	Late Miocene		Soviet Union:  Georgia	A Laridae.
Mioaegypius gui [26]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Hou LianHai	Middle Miocene	Xiacaowan Formation	China	An Accipitridae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Otus guildayi [27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Pierce Brodkorb Cécile Mourer-Chauviré	Pleistocene	Cave deposits	USA:  Maryland	A Strigidae.
Parahesperornis alexi [28]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Larry D. Martin	Late Cretaceous	Niobrara Chalk Formation	USA:  Kansas	A Hesperornithiformes Fürbringer, 1888, Hesperornithidae Marsh, 1872, this is the type species of the new genus.
Parvirallus bassetti [29]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Eocene	MP 8-9	UK:  England	A Rallidae.
Parvirallus gassoni [29]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Eocene	MP 8-9	UK:  England	A Rallidae.
Parvirallus medius [29]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Eocene	MP 8-9	UK:  England	A Rallidae.
Pediorallus hookeri [30]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Eocene	Ypresian, London Clay B MP 8-9	UK:  England	Described as a Rallidae, transferred to the genus Lithornis Owen, 1840 by Houde, 1988,[31] a Palaeognathae, Lithornithiformes Houde, 1988, Lithornithidae Houde, 1988.
Pediorallus nasi [30]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Eocene	Ypresian, London Clay A MP 8	UK:  England	Described as a Rallidae, transferred to the genus Lithornis Owen, 1840 by Houde, 1988,[31] a Palaeognathae, Lithornithiformes Houde, 1988, Lithornithidae Houde, 1988.
Phalacrocorax owrei [32]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Pierce Brodkorb Cécile Mourer-Chauviré	Pleistocene	Douglas Leakey Korongo	Tanzania	A Phalacrocoracidae.
Phalacrocorax serdicensis [13]	Valid ?	Sp. nov.	Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich Ivan M. Nikolov	Late Miocene	MN 11-13	Bulgaria	A Phalacrocoracidae, possibly a synonym of Phalacrocorax aristotelis.
Phasianus yanshansis [33]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Huang Wanpo Hou Lianhai	Holocene	Cave deposits	China	A Phasianidae.
Podiceps miocenicus [23]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Jenö Kessler	Late Miocene	MN 9	Romania  Moldova	A Podicipedidae.
Scaniacypselus wardi [20]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Eocene	MP 8	Denmark	An Apodidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Scopus xenopus [34]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Storrs L. Olson	Early Pliocene	Varswater Formation	South Africa	A Scopidae
Stintonornis mitchelli [29]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Eocene	MP 8-9	UK:  England	Described as a Falconidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský, 2002.[35]
Zhyraornis kashkarovi [24]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Lev A. Nessov	Late Cretaceous	Coniacian, Bissekty Formation	Soviet Union:  Uzbekistan	An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Alexornithiformes, Brodkorb, 1976, Alexornithidae Brodkorb, 1976, Zhyraornithinae Nessov, 1984, this is the type species of the new genus.

Pterosaurs

Name Status Authors Location Notes Azhdarcho Valid Nesov  Spain  Tajikistan  Uzbekistan the Type Genus of Azhdarchidae. Brasileodactylus Valid Kellner  Brazil Rhamphinion Valid Padian  USA ( Arizona)