1972 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 1972.

List of years in paleontology (table)
… 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 …
In science 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975
Art Archaeology Architecture Literature Music Philosophy Science +...

Mollusca

New bivalves

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Concavodonta[2]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Babin & Melou	Ordovician		Europe	New genus for Nucula ponderata.

Archosauromorphs

Newly named archosauromorphs

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Azendohsaurus[3]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Dutuit	Late Triassic	Argana Formation	Morocco	A herbivorous archosauromorph.

Newly named pseudosuchians

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Gracilisuchus[4]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Romer	Late Triassic	Chañares Formation	Argentina		Gracilisuchus

Newly named dinosauriforms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Lewisuchus[5]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Romer	Middle Triassic (Ladinian)	Chañares Formation	Argentina	A silesaurid.

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[6]

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Archaeornithomimus[7]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Russell	Late Cretaceous	Iren Dabasu Formation	China	An ornithomimid.	Archaeornithomimus asiaticus
Dromiceiomimus[7]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Russell	Maastrichtian	Horseshoe Canyon Formation	Canada	An ornithomimid, possibly a synonym of Ornithomimus.	Dromiceiomimus
Gallimimus[8]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Osmólska, Roniewicz Barsbold	Late Cretaceous	Nemegt Formation	Mongolia	An ornithomimid.	Gallimimus
"Thotobolosaurus"[9]		Nomen nudum	Ellenberger	Late Triassic		Lesotho	Formally named Kholumolumo in 2020.
Vulcanodon[10]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Raath	Early Jurassic	Batoka Formation	Zimbabwe	A sauropod.

Newly named birds

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Anserobranta tarabukini [11]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin I. M. Ganya	Late Miocene	MN 9	Soviet Union:  Moldova	An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Aptenodytes ridgeni [12]	Sp. nov.	Valid	George G. Simpson	Late Pliocene	Waititaran	New Zealand	A Spheniscidae.
Apus submelba [13]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Middle Pleistocene	MQ 2A	Hungary	An Apodidae.
Ardeagrandis arborea [11]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin I. M. Ganya	Late Miocene	MN 9	Soviet Union:  Moldova	An Ardeidae.
Eostrix martinellii [14]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Larry D. Martin Craig Call Black	Early Eocene	Wind River Formation	USA:  Wyoming	A Strigiformes, Protostrigidae Wetmore, 1933.
Mergus connectens [13]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Early Pleistocene	MQ 1b	Czech Republic;  Romania	An Anatidae.
Miocitta galbreathi [15]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Pierce Brodkorb	Late Miocene	Kenmesaw Local Fauna	USA:  Colorado	A Corvidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Otis kalmani [13]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Early Pleistocene	MQ 1a	Romania	An Otididae.
Paraptenodytes brodkorbi [16]	Sp. nov.	Synonym of Paraptenodytes robustus (Ameghino, 1895).	George G. Simpson	Early Miocene	Patagonian Formation	Argentina	A Spheniscidae, placed in synonymy with Paraptenodytes robustus (Ameghino, 1895) by Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche, 2005,[17] but Sara Bertelli, Norberto P. Giannini & Daniel T. Ksepka, 2006 disagree with her and say it needs another genus.[18]
Phalacrocorax lautus [11]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin I. M. Ganya	Late Miocene		Soviet Union:  Moldova	A Phalacrocoracidae.
Probalearica moldavica [11]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin I. M. Ganya	Late Miocene	MN 9	Soviet Union:  Moldova	A Gruidae, transferred to the genus Grus by Jíří Mlíkovský, 2002.[19]
Protocitta ajax [15]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Pierce Brodkorb	Late Pliocene	Blancan	USA:  Texas;  Kansas	A Corvidae, sometimes placed in the genus Calocitta G. R. Gray, 1841.
Pygoscelis tyreei [12]	Sp. nov.	Valid	George G. Simpson	Late Pliocene	Waititaran	New Zealand	A Spheniscidae.
Rustaviornis georgicus [20]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich G. K. Meladze	Late Miocene Sarmantian	Hipparion Fauna	Soviet Union:  Georgia	A Phasianidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Strix collongensis [21]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Peter Ballmann	Middle Miocene	Mn 5	France	A Strigidae, transferred to and made the type species of the new genus Alasio by Jirí Mlíkovský, 1998.[22]
Surnia capeki [23]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Dénes Jánossy	Early Pleistocene	MQ 1b	Czech Republic	A Strigidae.
Tertiariaporphyrula lungi [11]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin I. M. Ganya	Late Miocene	MN 9-11	Soviet Union:  Moldova	A Rallidae, transferred to the genus Palaeoaramides Lambrecht, 1933 by Storrs L. Olson, 1977.[24] Subsequently, made the type species of a separate genus Mioporphyrula by Zelenkov (2015).[25]
Tyto noeli [26]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Oscar Arredondo	Late Pleistocene	Cave deposits	Cuba	A Tytonidae.
Tyto riveroi [27]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Oscar Arredondo	Pleistocene	Cave deposits	Cuba	A Tytonidae.

Synapsids

Newly named therapsids

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Regisaurus[28]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Mendrez	Early Triassic		South Africa	A regisaurid therocephalian.	Regisaurus jacobi.

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. Sánchez, T.M. (1999). "New Late Ordovician (Early Caradoc) Bivalves from the Sierra de Villicum (Argentine Precordillera)". Journal of Paleontology. 73 (1): 66–76. doi:10.1017/S0022336000027554. JSTOR 1306745.
3. Dutuit, J.M. 1972. Decouverte d'un dinosaure ornthischien dans le Trias supericur de l'Atlas occidental marocain. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris D275: pp. 2841-2844.
4. Romer, A.S. (1972). "The Chañares (Argentina) Triassic reptile fauna. An early ornithosuchid pseudosuchian, Gracilisuchus stipanicicorum, gen. et sp. nov". Breviora. 389: 1–24.
5. Romer, A.S. 1972. The Chanares (Argentina) Triassic Reptile Fauna. XIV. Lewisuchus admixtus, gen. et sp. nov., a further Thecodont from the Chanares Beds. Breviora 390: pp. 1-13.
6. Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Retrieved 2008-08-07.
7. Russell, D.A. 1972. Ostrich dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Western Canada. Can. J. Earth Sci. 9: pp. 375-402.
8. Osmolska, H., E. Roniewicz, and R. Barsbold. 1972. A new dinosaur Gallimimus bullatus, n. gen. n. sp. (Ornithomimidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. Palaeontol. Polonica 27: pp. 103-143.
9. Ellenberger, P. 1972. Contribution a la classification des pistes de vertebres du Trias: les types du Stormberg d’Afrique du Sud (I). Palaeovertebrata Memories Extraord(1972): pp. 1-152.
10. Raath, M.A. 1972. Fossil vertebrate studies in Rhodesia: a new dinosaur (Reptilia: Saurischia) from near the Trias-Jurassic Boundary. Arnoldia Rhodesia. 5 (30): 1-37.
11. Evgeny N. Kurochkin & I. M. Ganya (1972). "[Birds of the Middle Sarmatian of Moldavia.]". Pozvonochnye Neogena I Plestocena Moldavii. Kishinev: Shtiintsa: 45–70.
12. George G. Simpson (1972). "Pliocene Penguins from North Canterburry, New Zealand". Records of the Canterburry Museum. 9: 159–182.
13. Dénes Jánossy (1972). "Die Mittelpleistozäne Vogelfauna der Stránská Skála". Anthropos, Studia Musei Moraviae, Brno (N.S.). 20: 35–64.
14. Larry D. Martin & Craig C. Black (1972). "A New Owl from the Eocene of Wyoming" (PDF). Auk. 89 (4): 887–888. doi:10.2307/4084122. JSTOR 4084122.
15. Pierce Brodkorb (1972). "Neogene Fossil Jays from the Great Plains" (PDF). Condor. 74 (3): 347–349. doi:10.2307/1366596. JSTOR 1366596.
16. George G. Simpson (1972). "Conspectus of Patagonian Fossil Penguins" (PDF). American Museum Novitates. 2488: 1–37.
17. Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche (2005). "Systematic revision of Arthrodytes Ameghino, 1905 (Aves, Spheniscidae) and its assignment to the Paraptenodytinae". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte. 2005 (7): 404–414. doi:10.1127/njgpm/2005/2005/404.
18. Sara Bertelli, Norberto P. Giannini & Daniel T. Ksepka (2006). "Redescription and Phylogenetic Position of the Early Miocene Penguin Paraptenodytes antarcticus from Patagonia" (PDF). American Museum Novitates. 3525: 1–36. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2006)3525[1:rappot]2.0.co;2.
19. Jíří Mlíkovský (2002). "Cenozoic Birds of the World Part 1: Europe" (PDF). Praha Ninox Press. 2002: 1–407. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2014-10-15.
20. Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich & G. K. Meladze (1972). "Rustaviornis georgicus gen. et sp. n., a New Fossil Bird from the Hipparion Fauna of Georgia". Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia. 17: 373–388.
21. Peter Ballmann (1972). "Les Oiseaux Miocènes de Vieux-Collonges" (PDF). Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie de la Faculté des Sciences de Lyon. 50: 93–101.
22. Jirí Mlíkovský (1998). "Two New Owls (Aves: Strigidae) from the Early Miocene of the Czech Republic, with Comments on the Fossil History of the Subfamily Striginae" (PDF). Buteo. 10: 5–21.
23. Dénes Jánossy (1972). "Die Mittelpleistozäne Vogelfauna der Stránská Skála" (PDF). Anthropos, Studia Musei Moraviae, Brno (N.S.). 20: 35–64.
24. Storrs L. Olson (1977). "A Synopsis of the Fossil Rallidae" (PDF). In: Rails of the World: A Monograph of the Family Rallidae by S.D. Ripley: 509–525.
25. Nikita V. Zelenkov and Evgeny N. Kurochkin (2015). "КЛАСС AVES". In E.N. Kurochkin; A.V. Lopatin; N.V. Zelenkov (eds.). Ископаемые позвоночные России и сопредельных стран. Ископаемые рептилии и птицы. Часть 3 / Fossil vertebrates of Russia and adjacent countries. Fossil Reptiles and Birds. Part 3. GEOS. pp. 86–290. ISBN 978-5-89118-699-6.
26. Oscar Arredondo (1972). "Nueva Especie de Ave Fósil (Strigiformes: Tytonidae) del Pleistoceno Superior de Cuba" (PDF). Boletin de la Sociedad Venezolana Ciencias Naturales. 29: 415–431.
27. Oscar Arredondo (1972). "Especie Nueva de Lechuza Gigante (Strigiformes: Tytonidae) del Pleistoceno Cubano" (PDF). Boletin de la Sociedad Venezolana Ciencias Naturales. 30: 129–140.
28. C. H. Mendrez. 1972. On the skull of Regisaurus jacobi, a new genus and species of Bauriamorpha Watson and Romer 1956 (=Scaloposauria Boonstra 1953), from the Lystrosaurus-zone of South Africa.