1920 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 1920.

Arthropods

Newly named insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Dolichoderus vectensis^[2]	Sp nov	valid	Donisthorpe	Late Eocene	Bembridge Marls	England	A dolichoderine ant	Dolichoderus vectensis
Emplastus emeryi^[2]	Sp nov	jr synonym	Donisthorpe	Late Eocene	Bembridge Marls	England	A dolichoderine ant jr synonym of Emplastus britannicus	Emplastus britannicus ("E. emeryi" holotype)
Dolichoderus gurnetensis^[2]	Sp nov	jr synonym	Donisthorpe	Late Eocene	Bembridge Marls	England	A dolichoderine ant jr synonym of Emplastus gurnetensis	E. gurnetensis queen

Archosauromorphs

Crocodilians

New taxa

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Tomistoma dowsoni^[3]	Sp. nov	Valid	Fourtau	Burdigalian	Moghra Formation	Egypt	A member of the Gavialoidea. It was later placed in a distinct genus, Sutekhsuchus, by Burke et al. in 2024.

Dinosaurs

New taxa

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Aristosaurus^[4]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	van Hoepen	Pliensbachian	Clarens Formation	South Africa	A prosauropod sometimes synonymized with Massospondylus
Dromicosaurus^[5]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Nomen dubium	van Hoepen	Late Triassic-Early Jurassic	Elliot Formation	South Africa	A prosauropod sometimes synonymized with Massospondylus
Elaphrosaurus^[6]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Janensch	Kimmeridgian	Tendaguru Formation	Tanzania	A slender theropod
Eucnemesaurus^[5]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	van Hoepen	Norian	Elliot Formation	South Africa	A prosauropod
Kritosaurus incurvimanus^[7]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Parks	Campanian	Dinosaur Park Formation	Canada Alberta	A species of Kritosaurus
Procheneosaurus^[8]	Gen. nov.?	Jr. synonym	Matthew	Campanian	Dinosaur Park Formation	Canada Alberta	A genus lacking a species name, sometimes considered a nomen nudum. A synonym of Lambeosaurus

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Location	Images
Alopecopsis	Valid	Broom	257 Millions of years ago.	South Africa
Broomisaurus	Valid	Joleaud
Moschorhinus	Valid	Broom	250 Millions of years ago.	South Africa	Moschorhinus
Protacmon	Valid	Watson	245 Millions of years ago.	South Africa

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.
^ ^a ^b ^c Antropov AV, Belokobylskij SA, Compton SG, Dlussky GM, Khalaim AI, KolyadaVA, Kozlov MA, PerfilievaKS, Rasnitsyn AP (2014). "The wasps, bees and ants (Insecta: Vespida=Hymenoptera) from the Insect Limestone (Late Eocene) of the Isle of Wight, UK" (PDF). Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 104 (3–4): 335–446. doi:10.1017/S1755691014000103.
^ Fourtau, R. (1920). "Contribution à l'étude des vertébrés miocènes de l'Egypte". Government Press.
^ Van Hoepen, E.C.N. (1920). "A new dinosaur from the Stormberg Beds". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. Contributions to the knowledge of the reptiles of the Karroo Formation. 7 (2): 77–92.
^ ^a ^b Van Hoepen, E. C. N. (1920). "Further dinosaurian material in the Transvaal Museum". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. Contributions to the knowledge of the reptiles of the Karroo Formation. 7 (2): 93–141.
^ Janensch, W. 1920. Uber Elaphrosaurus bambergi und die Megalosaurier aus den Tendaguru-Schichten Deutsch-Ostafricas. Sitzungsberichte Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde Berlin 8: pp. 225-235.
^ Parks, W.A. (1920). "The osteology of the trachodont dinosaur Kritosaurus incurvimanus". University of Toronto Studies, Geology Series. 11: 1–76.
^ Matthew, W.D. (1920). "Canadian Dinosaurs". Natural History. 20: 536–544.

[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.

[Antropov2014-2] Antropov AV, Belokobylskij SA, Compton SG, Dlussky GM, Khalaim AI, KolyadaVA, Kozlov MA, PerfilievaKS, Rasnitsyn AP (2014). "The wasps, bees and ants (Insecta: Vespida=Hymenoptera) from the Insect Limestone (Late Eocene) of the Isle of Wight, UK" (PDF). Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 104 (3–4): 335–446. doi:10.1017/S1755691014000103.

[3] Fourtau, R. (1920). "Contribution à l'étude des vertébrés miocènes de l'Egypte". Government Press.

[vanhoepen1920-4] Van Hoepen, E.C.N. (1920). "A new dinosaur from the Stormberg Beds". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. Contributions to the knowledge of the reptiles of the Karroo Formation. 7 (2): 77–92.

[vanhoepen1920b-5] Van Hoepen, E. C. N. (1920). "Further dinosaurian material in the Transvaal Museum". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. Contributions to the knowledge of the reptiles of the Karroo Formation. 7 (2): 93–141.

[6] Janensch, W. 1920. Uber Elaphrosaurus bambergi und die Megalosaurier aus den Tendaguru-Schichten Deutsch-Ostafricas. Sitzungsberichte Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde Berlin 8: pp. 225-235.

[parks1920-7] Parks, W.A. (1920). "The osteology of the trachodont dinosaur Kritosaurus incurvimanus". University of Toronto Studies, Geology Series. 11: 1–76.

[matthew1920-8] Matthew, W.D. (1920). "Canadian Dinosaurs". Natural History. 20: 536–544.

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