1874 in paleontology

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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 1874.

Dinosaurs

Richard Owen publishes a monograph on Wealden and Purbeck reptiles, classifying Scelidosaurus, Iguanodon and Echinodon in the new dinosaur clade Prionodontia.^[2]

New taxa

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes
"Agathaumas milo"^[3]		Nomen nudum	Cope	Maastrichtian	Laramie Formation	Colorado	Name mentioned in passing, described later in 1874
Agathaumas milo^[4]	Sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Cope	Maastrichtian	Laramie Formation	Colorado	Described as a synonym of Hadrosaurus occidentalis
Cionodon arctatus^[3]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Cope	Maastrichtian	Laramie Formation	Colorado	A hadrosaurid. Misspelled as Cinodon in original publication due to proofreader^[4]
Craterosaurus pottonensis	Gen. et sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Seeley	Aptian	Potton Sands	England	A dubious stegosaur
Hadrosaurus mirabilis^[4]	Comb. nov.	Nomen dubium	Cope	Campanian	Judith River Formation	Montana	A new combination for Trachodon mirabilis
Hadrosaurus occidentalis^[4]	Comb. nov.	Nomen dubium	Cope	Maastrichtian	Lance Formation	Wyoming	A new combination for Thespesius occidentalis
Ischyrosaurus	Gen. nov.	Preoccupied	Hulke	Kimmeridgian	Kimmeridge Clay Formation	England	Preoccupied by Edward Drinker Cope, 1869. Later named Ornithopsis manseli
Morinosaurus typus	Gen. et sp. nov	Nomen dubium	Sauvage	Kimmeridgian	Boulogne-sur-Mer	France	A dubious sauropod
"Polyonax mortuarius"^[3]		Nomen nudum	Cope	Maastrichtian	Laramie Formation	Colorado	Name mentioned in passing, described later in 1874
Polyonax mortuarius^[4]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	Cope	Maastrichtian	Laramie Formation	Colorado	A ceratopsid

Ichthyosaurs

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Ophthalmosaurus	Valid	Seeley	Middle Jurassic (Callovian)	Oxford Clay Formation	UK	An ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur.

Plesiosaurs

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Colymbosaurus	Valid	Seeley	Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian)	Kimmeridge Clay	UK	A cryptoclidid, new genus for "Plesiosaurus" megadeirus Seeley, 1869
Eretmosaurus	Valid	Seeley	Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian)	Blue Lias	UK	A member of Microcleididae; new genus for "Plesiosaurus" rugosus Owen, 1840.
Mauisaurus	Valid	Hector	Late Cretaceous (late Campanian-Maastrichtian)	Conway Formation	New Zealand	An elasmosaurid.
Muraenosaurus	Valid	Seeley	Middle Jurassic (Callovian)	Oxford Clay	UK	A cryptoclidid.
Rhomaleosaurus	Valid	Seeley	Early Jurassic (Toarcian)	Whitby Mudstone Formation	UK	A rhomaleosaurid; new genus for "Plesiosaurus" cramptoni Carte and Bailey, 1863

Pterosaurs

Newly named pterosaurs

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Coloborhynchus	Valid	Owen	Early Cretaceous (Valanginian)	Wadhurst Clay Formation	UK	A member of Ornithocheiridae.
Criorhynchus	Jr. synonym	Owen				Jr. synonym of Ornithocheirus.

Squamates

Newly named mosasaurs

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Taniwhasaurus	Valid	Hector	Late Campanian	Conway Formation	New Zealand Japan Antarctica	A tylosaurine mosasaurid.	Taniwhasaurus oweni

References

^ 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.
^ Owen, R. (1874). Monograph on the Fossil Reptilia of the Wealden and Purbeck Formations. Supplement No. V. Dinosauria (Iguanodon). Palaeontographical Society. pp. 1–18.
^ ^a ^b ^c Cope, E.F. (1874). "Report on the stratigraphy and Pliocene vertebrate paleontology of northern Colorado". Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories. 1 (1): 9–22.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Cope, E.F. (1874). "Review of the Vertebrata of the Cretaceous Period found west of the Mississippi River". Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, First Series. 2: 3–48.

[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.

[owen1874-2] Owen, R. (1874). Monograph on the Fossil Reptilia of the Wealden and Purbeck Formations. Supplement No. V. Dinosauria (Iguanodon). Palaeontographical Society. pp. 1–18.

[cope1874-3] Cope, E.F. (1874). "Report on the stratigraphy and Pliocene vertebrate paleontology of northern Colorado". Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories. 1 (1): 9–22.

[cope1874b-4] Cope, E.F. (1874). "Review of the Vertebrata of the Cretaceous Period found west of the Mississippi River". Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, First Series. 2: 3–48.

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