1974 in paleontology

List of years in paleontology
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In science 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977
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Paleontology or palaeontology (from Greek: paleo, "ancient"; ontos, "being"; and logos, "knowledge") 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 1974.

Archosauromorphs

Dinosaurs

• Massospondylus gastroliths are documented.^[2]

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[3]

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Chubutisaurus[4]	gen et sp nov	Valid	del Corro	Albian	Cerro Barcino Formation	Argentina
Homalocephale[5]	gen et sp nov	Valid	Maryańska & Osmólska	late Cretaceous		Mongolia		Homalocephale
Labocania[6]	gen et sp nov	Valid	Molnar	Campanian	La Bocana Roja Formation	Mexico	possible tyrannosauroid	Labocania anomala
Prenocephale[5]	gen et sp nov	Valid	Maryańska & Osmólska	late Cretaceous		Mongolia		Prenocephale
Stokesosaurus[7]	gen et sp nov	Valid	Madsen	Late Jurassic	Morrison Formation, Utah	USA		Stokesosaurus langhami
Tylocephale[5]	gen et sp nov	Valid	Maryańska & Osmólska	late Cretaceous		Mongolia

Newly named birds

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Chunga incerta [8]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Eduardo P. Tonni	Late Pliocene	Monte Hermoso Formation	Argentina	A Cariamidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Cryptociconia indica [9]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison	Pliocene	Siwalik Series	India	A Ciconiidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Dendrocopos praemedius [10]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Late Pliocene	MN 17	Austria	A Picidae.
Francolinus minor [11]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Late Pleistocene	Villafranchian	Poland	A Phasianidae.
Francolinus villanyiensis [11]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Late Pliocene	MN 16	Poland	A Phasianidae.
Francolinus wenzensis [11]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Early Pliocene	MN 15	Poland	A Phasianidae.
Gobipteryx minuta [12]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Andrzej Elzanowski	Late Cretaceous	?Campanian, Barun Goyot Formation	Mongolia	Described in the Palaeognathae, but transferred to the Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, this is the type species of the new genus.
Leptoptilos richae [9]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison	Late Miocene	Belgia Formation	Tunisia	A Ciconiidae.
Leptoptilos siwalikensis [9]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison	Pliocene	Siwalik Series	India	A Ciconiidae.
Neophrontops slaughteri [13]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Alan Feduccia	Late Pliocene	Glenns Ferry Formatie, Hagerman Local Fauna	USA:  Idaho	An Accipitridae.
Nesotrochis steganinos [14]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson	Quaternary	Cave deposits	Haiti	A flightless Rallidae.
Pachydyptes simpsoni [15]	Sp. nov.	Valid	R. J. F Jenkins	Late Eocene	Blanche Point Marls, Aldingan Stage	Australia:  South Australia	A Spheniscidae.
Tetrao conjugens [11]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Late Pliocene	?Campanian, Węże 1	Poland	A Phasianidae.
Tetrastes praebonasia [10]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Early Pleistocene	Tarkö - lagen 11, 12; Hundsheim; Montoussé	Hungary;  Austria;  France	A Phasianidae,transferred to the genus Bonasa Stephen, 1819 by Zygmunt Bocheński, 1991.[16]

Newly named pterosaurs

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Gallodactylus	gen et sp nov	subjective synonym	Fabre	Late Jurassic		France	subjective synonym of Cycnorhamphus	Cycnorhamphus suevicus
Herbstosaurus	gen et sp nov	Valid	Casamiquela	Tithonian	Vaca Muerta Formation	Argentina

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. Raath (1974). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167.
3. Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Retrieved 2008-08-07.
4. Corro, G. del. 1974. Un nuevo megalosaurio (Carnosaurio) del Cretacico de Chubut (Argentina). Communicaciones Mus. Argent. Ciencias Nat. "Bernardino Rivadavia" Paleontol. 1:pp. 37-44.
5. Maryanska, T. and H. Osmólska. 1974. Pachycephalosauria, a new suborder of ornithischian dinosaurs. Paleontol. Polinica 30: pp. 45-102.
6. Molnar, R.E. 1974. A distinctive theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Baja California (Mexico). Journal of Paleontology 48 (5): pp. 1009-1017.
7. Madsen, J. H., Jr. 1974. A new theropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic of Utah. J. Paleontol. 48: pp. 27-31.
8. Eduardo P. Tonni (1974). "Un Nuevo Cariámido (Aves, Gruiformes) del Plioceno Superior de la Provincia de Buenos Aires". Ameghiniana. 11: 366–372.
9. Colin J. O. Harrison (1974). "A Re-examination of Material of the Extinct Marabou Stork, Leptoptilos falconeri, with Description of Some New Species" (PDF). Bulletin British Ornithologist’s Club. 94: 42–49.
10. Dénes Jánossy (1974). "Die Mittelpleistozäne Vogelfauna von Hundsheim (Niederösterreich)" (PDF). Sitzungsberichte der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mathematisch- Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse, Abteilung I. 182: 211–257.
11. Dénes Jánossy (1974). "Upper Pliocene and Lower Pleistocene Bird Remains from Poland". Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia. 19 (21): 531–563.
12. Andrzej Elzanowski (1974). "Results of the Polish-Mongolian Paleontological Expeditions-Part V: Preliminary Note on the Palaeognathous Bird from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia" (PDF). Paleontologica Polonica. 30: 103–100.
13. Alan Feduccia (1974). "Another Old World Vulture from the New World" (PDF). Wilson Bulletin. 86 (3): 251–255.
14. Storrs L. Olson (1974). "A New Species of Nesotrochis from Hispaniola, with Notes on Other Fossil Rails from the West Indies (Aves: Rallidae)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 87 (38): 439–450.
15. R. J. F Jenkins (1974). "A New Giant Penguin from the Eocene of Australia" (PDF). Palaeontology. 17 (2): 291–310.
16. Zygmunt Bocheński (1991). "Pliocene Grouse of Genus Lagopus from Poland". Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia. 34 (2): 563–577.

• Raath, M.A. (1974). Fossil vertebrate studies in Rhodesia: further evidence of gastroliths in Prosauropod dinosaurs. Arnoldia Rhodesia. 7 (5): 1-7.
• Sanders F, Manley K, Carpenter K. Gastroliths from the Lower Cretaceous sauropod Cedarosaurus weiskopfae. In: Tanke D.H, Carpenter K, editors. Mesozoic vertebrate life: new research inspired by the paleontology of Philip J. Currie. Indiana University Press; Bloomington, IN: 2001. pp. 166–180.