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 1931.

List of years in paleontology (table)
In science
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
+...

Plants

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Angiosperms

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Monocots

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes Images

Lysichiton washingtonense[2]

Sp nov

Valid?

Berry

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Grand Coulee Florule

  USA
  Washington

First described as a skunk cabbage fruit species
Treated as placement incertae sedis by Chaney & Axelrod (1959)[3]

 
Lysichiton washingtonense

Superasterids - basal

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes Images

Nyssa hesperia[2]

Sp nov

valid

Berry

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Grand Coulee Florule

  USA
  Washington

A tuplo seed species.[4]

Superrosids - Basal

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes Images

Vitis bonseri[2]

Sp nov

valid

Berry

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Grand Coulee Florule

  USA
  Washington

A grape seed species.

Superrosids - Fabids

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes Images

Hicoria washingtoniana[2]

Sp nov

jr synonym

Berry

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Grand Coulee Florule

  USA
  Washington

First described as a hickory species.
Synonymized into Magnolia dayana

 
Magnolia dayana

Quercus mccanni[2]

Sp nov

valid

Berry

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Grand Coulee Florule

  USA
  Washington

An oak species.

 
Quercus mccanni

Superrosids - Malvids

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes Images

Ptelea miocenica[2]

Sp nov

valid

Berry

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Grand Coulee Florule

  USA
  Washington

An hoptree species.

 
Ptelea miocenica

Incertae sedis

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes Images

Phyllites couleeannus[2]

Sp nov

jr synonym

Berry

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Grand Coulee Florule

  USA
  Washington

First described as a leaf morphospecies of uncertain affinity.
Moved to Amelanchier couleeana (1946)[5]

 
Amelanchier couleeana

Arthropods

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Insects

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Blattoidea

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Stylotermes washingtonensis[6]

sp. nov

Jr synonym

Snyder

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Spokane Florule

  USA
  Washington

A Stylotermitid termite.
Moved to Parastylotermes washingtonensis (1949)[7]

Coleoptera

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Pterostichus fernquisti[8]

sp. nov

Wickham

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Spokane Florule

  USA
  Washington

A carabid ground beetle

Dytiscus latahensis[8]

sp. nov

Wickham

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Spokane Florule

  USA
  Washington

A predaceous diving beetle

Diptera

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Elephantomyia baltica[9]

Sp. nov

valid

Alexander

Middle Eocene

Baltic amber

  Russia

A Limoniid cranefly

Hemiptera

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Latahcoris[10]

Gen et sp. nov

Cockerell

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Spokane Florule

  USA
  Washington

A tessaratomid giant stink bug
The type species is L. spectatus

Hymenoptera

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Bombus proavus[10]

Sp. nov

Cockerell

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Spokane Florule

  USA
  Washington

A bumble bee

Hemiptera

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Miocordulia[11]

Gen et sp. nov

Kennedy

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Spokane Florule

  USA
  Washington

A corduliid dragonfly
The type species is M. latipennis

Hemiptera

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes Images

Miopsyche[12]

Gen et 2 sp. nov

Carpenter

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Spokane Florule

  USA
  Washington

A northern caddisfly genus
The type species is M. alexanderi
Also includes M. martynovi

Phryganea spokanensis[12]

Sp. nov

Carpenter

Miocene
Langhian

Latah Formation
Spokane Florule

  USA
  Washington

A giant caddisfly species

Vertebrates

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Conodonts

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes Images

Idiognathodus[13]

Gen et sp nov

valid

Gunnell

Gzhelian

Fort Scott Limestone

  USA
  Missouri

The type species is I. simulator

Jawless fish

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes Images

Cardipeltis[14]

Gen est sp nov

Valid

Branson & Mehl

Devonian

Jefferson Formation

  USA
  Utah

A heterostracan agnathan
The type species is C. wallacii.

 
Cardipeltis wallacii

Newly named archosauromorphs

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Dinosaurs

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Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[15]

Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Synonymized taxa Notes Images

Brasileosaurus[16]

Gen et sp nov

vald?

von Huene

Cretaceous
Turonian

Adamantina Formation

  Brazil

First named as a coelurosaur
Deemed to be a notosuchid crocodylomorph (1937)[17]

Carcharodontosaurus[18]

Gen et comb nov

Valid

Stromer

Cretaceous
Cenomanian

Bahariya Formation

  Egypt

A carcharodontosaurid

 
Carcharodontosaurus saharicus

Embasaurus[19]

Gen et sp nov

valid?

Riabinin

Cretaceous
Berriasian

Neocomian sands

  Kazakhstan

A theropod of uncertain placement.
The type species is E. minax

Orthogoniosaurus[20]

Gen et sp nov

Nomen dubium?

Das-Gupta

Late Cretaceous

Lameta Formation

  India

An indeterminate theropod tooth-taxon.
The type species is O. matleyi

Tetragonosaurus[21]

Gen et comb nov

Rejected name

Parks

Cretaceous
Campanian

Dinosaur Park Formation

  Canada

First described as a small "cheneosaurine" hadrosaur.
The type species is T. praeceps
name suppressed by ICZN in favor of Procheneosaurus.
Species redescribed as juvenile Lambeosaurus lambei (1975)[22]

 
Lambeosaurus lambei

Synapsids

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Non-mammalian

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Name Status Authors Age Location Notes Images

Cerataelurus

Junior synonym of Pristerodon.

Ericiolacerta

Valid

Watson 250 Millions of years ago. Despite the meaning of his name, it was not related to lizards.
 
Ericiolacerta

Euchambersia

Valid

Broom

Ictidostoma

Valid

Broom 261 Millions of years ago.

Ictidosuchoides

Valid

Broom 257 Millions of years ago.
 
Ictidosuchoides

Keratocephalus

Valid

Huene 261 Millions of years ago. A protomammal with strange bumps on its head.
 
Keratocephalus

Lycideops

Valid

Broom 257 Millions of years ago.

Megacyclops

Junior synonym of Neomegacyclops.[dubiousdiscuss]

Neomegacyclops

Valid

Boonstra

References

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  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. ^ a b c d e f g Berry, E.W. (1932). "A Miocene flora from Grand Coulee, Washington". Shorter contributions to general geology, 1931 (Report). Professional Paper. United States Geological Survey. pp. 31–42. doi:10.3133/pp170C. 170-C.
  3. ^ Chaney, R.; Axelrod, D. (1959). Miocene Floras of the Columbia Plateau: Part II. Systematic Considerations, by Ralph W. Chaney and Daniel I. Axelrod. Carnegie Institution of Washington. pp. 1–226.Miocene Floras of the Columbia Plateau at the HathiTrust Digital Library
  4. ^ Eyde, R.H. (1997). "Fossil record and ecology of Nyssa (Cornaceae)". The Botanical Review. 63 (2): 97–123. Bibcode:1997BotRv..63...97E. doi:10.1007/BF02935928.
  5. ^ Brown, R.W. (1946). "Alterations in some fossil and living floras". Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences. 36 (10): 344–355.
  6. ^ Carpenter, F. M.; Cockerell, T. D. A.; Kennedy, C. H.; Snyder, T. E.; Wickham, H. F. (1931). "Insects from the Miocene (Latah) of Washington IV. Isoptera". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 24 (2): 317.
  7. ^ Emerson, A.E. (1971). "Tertiary fossil species of the Rhinotermitidae (Isoptera), phylogeny of genera, and reciprocal phylogeny of associated Flagellata (Protozoa) and the Staphylinidae (Coleoptera)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 146 (3): 243–304. hdl:2246/1093.
  8. ^ a b Carpenter, F. M.; Cockerell, T. D. A.; Kennedy, C. H.; Snyder, T. E.; Wickham, H. F. (1931). "Insects from the Miocene (Latah) of Washington V. Coleoptera". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 24 (2): 317–318.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b Carpenter, F. M.; Cockerell, T. D. A.; Kennedy, C. H.; Snyder, T. E.; Wickham, H. F. (1931). "Insects from the Miocene (Latah) of Washington II. Hymenoptera and Hemiptera". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 24 (2): 309–312. doi:10.1093/aesa/24.2.309.
  11. ^ Carpenter, F. M.; Cockerell, T. D. A.; Kennedy, C. H.; Snyder, T. E.; Wickham, H. F. (1931). "Insects from the Miocene (Latah) of Washington II. Hymenoptera and Hemiptera". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 24 (2): 313–316.
  12. ^ a b Carpenter, F. M.; Cockerell, T. D. A.; Kennedy, C. H.; Snyder, T. E.; Wickham, H. F. (1931). "Insects from the Miocene (Latah) of Washington II. Hymenoptera and Hemiptera". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 24 (2): 319–322. doi:10.1093/aesa/24.2.319.
  13. ^ Gunnell, F. (1931). "Conodonts from the Fort Scott Limestone of Missouri". Journal of Paleontology. 5 (3): 244–252. JSTOR 1297961.
  14. ^ Branson, E.B.; Mehl, M.G. (1931). "Fishes of the Jefferson Formation of Utah". The Journal of Geology. 39 (6): 509–531. Bibcode:1931JG.....39..509B. doi:10.1086/623876. JSTOR 30080820.
  15. ^ Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  16. ^ Huene, F. 1931. Die fossilien Faehrten in Rhaet von Ischigualasto in Nordwest Argentinien. Paleob. 4 (2) Viena.
  17. ^ Simpson (1937). "An ancient eusuchian crocodile from Patagonia". American Museum Novitates (965): 1–20.
  18. ^ Stromer, E. 1931. Vertebrate animal remainders of the Baharije stage (lowest Cenoman). 10. A skeleton remainder of Carcharodontosaurus Nov. towards. Abh. Bavarian Akad. Wissensch. Math. natutwiss. Abbott. 9: pp. 1 23.
  19. ^ Riabinin, A.N. 1931. Two dinosaurian vertebrae from the Lower Cretaceous of Transcaspian Steppes. Zapiski Russkogo Min. Obshchestva (ser. 2) 60: pp. 110-113.
  20. ^ Dasgupta, H.C. 1931. On a new theropod dinosaur (Orthogoniosaurus matleyi, n. gen. et. n. sp.) from the Lameta beds of Jubbulpore. J. Asiatic Soc. Bengal. 26: pp. 367-369.
  21. ^ Parks, W.A. 1931. A new genus and two new species of trachodont dinosaurs from the Belly River Formation of Alberta. Univ. Toronto Stud. (Geol. Ser.) 31: pp. 1-11.
  22. ^ Dodson, Peter (1975). "Taxonomic implications of relative growth in lambeosaurine dinosaurs". Systematic Zoology. 24 (1): 37–54. doi:10.2307/2412696. JSTOR 2412696.