In science: 1977; 1978; 1979; 1980; 1981; 1982; 1983

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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 1980.

Bryophytes

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Location	Notes
Hypnites jovetasti^[2]	Comb nov	Valid	(Kuc) Miller	Ypresian	Allenby Formation	Canada British Columbia	An amblystegiaceous moss moved from Palaeohypnum jovet-asti 1974^[3]
Hypnites steerei^[2]	Comb nov	Valid	(Kuc) Miller	Ypresian	Allenby Formation	Canada British Columbia	An amblystegiaceous moss moved from Palaeohypnum steerei 1974^[3]
Plagiopodopsis eocenicus^[2]	Comb nov	Valid	(Kuc) Miller	Ypresian	Allenby Formation	Canada British Columbia	A bartramiaceous moss moved from Muscites eocenicus 1972^[4]

Arthropods

Insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Anochetus corayi^[5]	Sp nov	Valid	Baroni Urbani	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A ponerin ant	Anochetus corayi
Trachymyrmex primaevus^[6]	Sp nov	Valid	Baroni Urbani	Burdigalian	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A Myrmicin ant	Trachymyrmex primaevus

Molluscs

Newly named bivalves

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Pojetaia^[7]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Jell	Early Cambrian	Parara Limestone	Australia	early Cambrian bivalve, type species P. runnegari

Archosauromorphs

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[8]

Note: the name Lancangosaurus^[9] is mistakenly treated as a nomen nudum synonymous with Datousaurus (because Dong et al. 1983 believed it to be conspecific with Datousaurus). However, it is actually an early spelling variant of another nomen nudum, Lancangjiangosaurus.

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Callovosaurus^[10]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Galton	Callovian	Oxford Clay Formation	England	A dryosaurid, That its name means Reptile of Callovian.
Dracopelta^[11]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Galton	Kimmeridgian		Portugal	A Primitive ankylosaurian
Erlikosaurus^[12]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Perle	Cenomanian-Santonian	Bayan Shireh Formation	Mongolia	A therizinosaurid	Erlikosaurus
Kakuru^[13]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Molnar & Pledge	Aptian	Marree Formation	Australia	A Theropoda of uncertain phylogenetic classification.
Minmi^[14]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Molnar	Aptian	Bungil Formation	Australia	An Australian ankylosaurid	Minmi
Noasaurus^[15]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Bonaparte & Powell	Campanian-Maastrichtian	Lecho Formation	Argentina	A Noasaurid	Noasaurus
Saltasaurus^[15]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Bonaparte & Powell	Campanian-Maastrichtian	Lecho Formation	Argentina	A Saltasaurid, a Sauropod with Ankylosaur-like armor	Saltasaurus
Zephyrosaurus^[16]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Sues	Aptian-Albian	Cloverly Formation	USA ( Montana Maryland Virginia	A thescelosaurid

Newly named birds

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Alectoris baryosefi^[17]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Eitan Tchernov	Pleistocene	MQ 1b	Israel	A Phasianidae.
Anser thompsoni^[18]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Larry D. Martin Robert M. Mengel	Late Pliocene	Blancan Broadwater Formation	USA: Nebraska	An Anatidae.
Apopempsis africanus^[19]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Miocene	Songhor	Kenya	A Musophagidae, transferred to the genus Veflintornis Kashin, 1976, Apopempsis Brodkorb, 1971 preoccupied by Apopempsis Schenkling, 1903.
Archaeotrogon hoffstetteri^[20]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Cécile Mourer-Chauviré	Eocene or Oligocene	Phosphorites du Quercy MP 16-28	France	An Apodiformes, Archaeotrogonidae Mourer-Chauviré, 1980.
Ardea howardae^[21]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Pierce Brodkorb	Late Pliocene	Shungura Formation, 1.94 My BP	Ethiopia	An Ardeidae.
Argentavis magnificens^[22]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Kenneth E. Campbell, jr. Eduado P. Tonni	Late Miocene	Salinas Grandes de Hidalgo	Argentina	A Teratornithidae Miller, 1909, this is the type species of the new genus.	Argentavis
Burhinus aquilonaris^[23]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Alan Feduccia	Pleistocene	Sanborn Formation	USA: Kansas	A Burhinidae.
Ciconia minor^[19]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Miocene	Rusinga Island	Kenya	A Ciconiidae.
Crex zazhigini^[24]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Early Pliocene	MN 14-15	Mongolia	A Rallidae, transferred to the genus Pastushkinia Zelenkov, 2013 as its type species.^[25]
Eostrix vincenti^[26]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Colin J. O. Harrison	Early Eocene	Ypresian, MP 7-10	UK: England	A Strigiformes, Strigida, Protostrigidae Wetmore, 1933.
Gallinula gigantea^[17]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Eitan Tchernov	Pleistocene		Israel	A Rallidae.
Juncitarsus gracillimus^[27]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson Alan Feduccia	Early Middle Eocene	Bridger Formation	USA: Wyoming	A Phoenicopteriformes Fürbringer, 1888, Juncitarsidae Peters, 1987, this is the type species of the new genus.
Larus dolnicensis^[28]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Petr Švec	Early Miocene	MN 4b	Czechoslovakia	Described as a Laridae, transferred to the Glareolidae, genus Mioglareola Ballmann, 1979 by Mlíkovský, 2000.^[29]
Linquornis gigantis^[30]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Yeh Hsiang-k'uei	Middle Miocene	Shanwang Series	China	A Phasianidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Milvus pygmeus^[17]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Eitan Tchernov	Pleistocene		Israel	An Accipitridae.
Neophrontops ricardoensis^[31]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Patricia Vickers Rich	Middle Miocene	Late Claredonian	USA; California	An Accipitridae.
Palaeoaramides tugarinovi^[24]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Miocene-Middle Pliocene	Chirgis Nuur series	Mongolia	A Rallidae.
Rallus risillus^[24]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Evgeny N. Kurochkin	Miocene-Middle Pliocene	Chirgis Nuur series	Mongolia	A Rallidae, transferred to the genus Porzana by Kurochkin, 1985.^[32]
Sinanas diatomas^[30]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Yeh Hsiang-k'uei	Middle Miocene	Shanwang bed sw2	China	An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus.
Sylviornis neocaledoniae^[33]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	François Poplin	Holocene	Cave deposits	New Caledonia	Described as a Ratitae, transferred to the Craciformes, Megapodiidae and placed in its own family Sylviornithidae^[34] by Mourer-Chauviré & Balouet, 2005, this is the type species of the new genus.
Tonsala hildegardae^[35]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson	Late Oligocene	Pysht Formation	USA: Washington	A Pelecaniformes, Plotopteridae Howard, 1969, this is the type species of the new genus.
Tyto balearica^[36]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Cécile Mourer-Chauviré Josep A. Alcover Salvador Moya Juan Pons	Late Miocene-Pleistocene	MN 12-MN 18, MQ 2A-C	Spain; Italy; France; Majorca; Sardinia	A Tytonidae.
Zhongyuanus xichuanensis^[37]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Hou Lainhai	Early Eocene	Yuhuangding Group	China	A Gastornithidae Fürbringer, 1888, transferred to the genus Gastornis Hébert, 1855 by Buffetaut, 2013.,^[38] this is the type species of the new genus.

Pterosauria

Newly named pterosaurs

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Santanadactylus^[39]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	de Buisonjé	Aptian	Santana Formation	Brazil	A Pterodactyloid

Lepidosauromorphs

Plesiosaurs

Plesiosaur gastroliths documented.^[40]

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Location	Notes
Bishanopliosaurus	Valid	Dong		172 million years	China

References

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^ ^a ^b Kuc, M. (1974). "Fossil mosses from the bisaccate zone of the mid-Eocene Allenby Formation, British Columbia". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 11 (3): 409–421. Bibcode:1974CaJES..11..409K. doi:10.1139/e74-037.
^ Kuc, M. (1972). "Muscites eocenicus sp. nov.—a fossil moss from the Allenby Formation (middle Eocene), British Columbia". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 9 (5): 600–602. Bibcode:1972CaJES...9..600K. doi:10.1139/e72-049.
^ Baroni Urbani, C. (1980). "Anochetus corayi n. sp., the first fossil Odontomachiti ant. (Amber Collection Stuttgart: Hymenoptera, Formicidae. II: Odontomachiti)". Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie). 55: 1–6.
^ Baroni Urbani, C. (1980). "First description of fossil gardening ants (Amber collection Stuttgart and Natural History Museum Basel; Hymenoptera: Formicidae. I: Attini)". Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie). 54: 1–13.
^ Elicki, O.; Gürsu, S. (2009). "First record of Pojetaia runnegari Jell, 1980 and Fordilla Barrande, 1881 from the Middle East (Taurus Mountains, Turkey) and critical review of Cambrian bivalves" (PDF). Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 83 (2): 267–291. doi:10.1007/s12542-009-0021-9. S2CID 49380913. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
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^ Sues, H.-D. 1980. Anatomy and relationships of a new hypsilophodontid dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of North America. Palaeontographica. Abt. (A) 169: pp. 51-72.
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^ Larry D. Martin; Robert M. Mengel (1980). "A New Goose from the Late Pliocene of Nebraska with Notes on Variability and Proportions in Some Recent Geese" (PDF). Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring Hildegarde Howard, Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles County, Contributions in Science. 330: 75–85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-06. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
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^ Pierce Brodkorb (1980). "A New Fossil Heron (Aves: Ardeidae) from the Omo Basin of Ethiopia, with Remarks on the Position of Some Other Species Assigned to the Ardeidae" (PDF). Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring Hildegarde Howard, Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles County, Contributions in Science. 330: 87–92. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-06. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
^ Kenneth E. Campbell, jr; Eduado P. Tonni (1980). "A New Genus of Teratorn from the Huayquerian of Argentina (Aves: Teratornithidae)" (PDF). Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring Hildegarde Howard, Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles County, Contributions in Science. 330: 59–68. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-06. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
^ Alan Feduccia (1980). "A Thick-Knee (Aves: Burhinidae) from the Pleistocene of North America and Its Bearing on Ice Age climates" (PDF). Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring Hildegarde Howard, Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles County, Contributions in Science. 330: 115–118. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-06. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
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^ Storrs L. Olson; Alan Feduccia (1980). "Relationships and Evolution of Flamingos (Aves: Phoenicopteridae)" (PDF). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 316 (316): 1–84. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.316.
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