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 1955.
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Plants
editPteridophyta
edit| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Comb nov |
Valid |
A waterfern, moved from Azollophyllum primaevum Penhallow, 1890 |
 |
Arthropods
editCrustaceans
edit| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sp nov |
Jr. synonym |
Remy and Avnimelech |
Late Cretaceous (Campanian) |
Dinosaurs
edit- Massospondylus gastroliths are documented.[5]
Newly named dinosaurs
editData courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[6]
| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majungasaurus[7] | Valid taxon | René Lavocat | Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) | Maevarano Formation |  Madagascar
|
A majungasaurine abelisaurid. |  |
| Tarbosaurus[8] | Valid taxon | Evgeny Maleev | Late Cretaceous (late Campanian-early Maastrichtian) | Nemegt Formation |
 Mongolia  China
|
An Asian Tyrannosaurus-looking tyrannosaurid. |  |
Synapsids
editTheriodonts
edit| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sauroctonus | Valid | Bystrow | Late Permian | Semen Formation Teekloof Formation |
 Russia
|
A gorgonopsian. |  |
| Scalenodon | Valid | Crompton and Parrington | Middle Triassic | Manda Formation |  Tanzania
|
A traversodontid cynodont. |
Mammals
editEutherians
editCetaceans
edit| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lophocetus pappus | Now renamed Miminiacetus. | Kellogg | Middle Miocene (Langhian) | ||||
| Pelodelphis | Valid | Kellogg | Middle Miocene (Langhian) | Calvert Formation | *  US ( Maryland)
|
An odontocete of uncertain position. | |
| Tretosphys | Valid | Kellogg | Middle Miocene (Langhian) | Calvert Formation |  Czech Republic US ( Maryland,  New Jersey,  North Carolina and  Virginia)
|
An odontocete of uncertain position; new genus for "Delphinapterus" gabbi Cope (1868). |
Other Animals
edit| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickinsonia spriggi[9] | Synonym of Dickinsonia costata | Harrington & Moore | Ediacaran |  Australia
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References
edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ Arnold, C.A. (1955). "A Tertiary Azolla from British Columbia" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of. Paleontology, University of Michigan. 12 (4): 37–45.
- ^ Remy, Jean Marcel; Avnimelech, M. (1955-01-01). "Eryon yehoachi nov. sp. et Cenomanocarcinus cf. vanstraeleni Stenzel, crustaces decapodes du Cretace superieur de l'etat d'Israel". Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France. S6-V (4–6): 311–314. doi:10.2113/gssgfbull.S6-V.4-6.311. ISSN 1777-5817.
- ^ Hof, Cees H.J. (1998). "Late Cretaceous stomatopods (Crustacea, Malacostraca) from Israel and Jordan". Contributions to Zoology. 67 (4): 257–266. doi:10.1163/18759866-06704003. ISSN 1383-4517.
- ^ Bond (1955). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167.
- ^ Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ Lavocat, R. 1955. Sur une portion de mandibule de thérepode provenant de Crétace supérieur de Madagascar. Bull. Musee Natl. d’Histoire Nat. (ser. 2) 27: pp. 256-259.
- ^ Maleev, E. A. (1955). "Гигантских плотоядных динозавров Монголии" [Gigantic carnivorous dinosaurs of Mongolia]. Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR. 104: 634–637.
- ^ Harrington, N.J.; Moore, R.C. (1955). "Kansas Pennsylvanian and other jellyfishes". Bull. Kansas Geol. Surv. 114 (5): 153–163.
- Bond, G. 1955. A note on dinosaur remains from the Forest Sandstone (Upper Karoo). Occasional Papers of the National Museum of Rhodesia 2: 795–800.
- 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.