1886 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 1886.

Plants

Superasterids

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Synonymized taxa	Notes	Images
Patzea johniana^[2]	Comb nov	jr synonym	(Göppert & Berendt) Conwentz	Eocene Lutetian-Priabonian	Baltic Amber	Europe Baltic Sea Coast	Patzea gentoides Casp. (1872)^[3]	Identified as a loranthaceous mistletoe relative. First named as Ephedrites johnianus (1845)^[4] Moved from Ephedra johniana (1853)^[5] Moved to Arceuthobium johnianum (2017).^[6]
Patzea mengeana^[2]	Comb nov	jr synonym	(Göppert) Conwentz	Eocene Lutetian-Priabonian	Baltic Amber	Europe Baltic Sea Coast		Identified as a loranthaceous mistletoe relative. Moved from Ephedra mengeana (1883)^[7] Moved to Arceuthobium mengeanum (2017).^[6]

Angiosperms

Superasterids

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Synonymized taxa	Notes	Images
Stewartia kowalewskii^[8]	Sp nov	Jr synonym	(Casp.) Sadowski & Hofmann	Eocene Priabonian	Baltic Amber	Europe		A Symplocaceous flower species. Moved to Symplocos kowalewskii in 2023).

Ichthyosaurs

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Ichthyosaurus cornalianus	Valid	Bassani	Late Triassic (Carnian)	Besano Formation	Italy	Type species of the mixosaurid genus Mixosaurus Baur, 1887.

Archosaurs

Newly named basal archosauromorphs

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Tribelesodon	Junior synonym	Bassani		Late Triassic		Italy	Junior synonym of Tanystropheus, a member of Protorosauria.

New pseudosuchian taxa

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Pallimnarchus pollens^[9]	Nomen dubium	De Vis	Pliocene	Darling Downs	Australia	Pallimnarchus was informally named, but the name acquired widespread use. The syntype material consisted of multiple individuals of different crocodilian species and a later erected lectotype was lost. It was eventually declared a nomen dubium, with much of the material transferred into the genus Paludirex.^[10]

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Haptodus	Valid	Gaudry	Early Permian	Millery Formation	France
Naosaurus	Invalid	Cope	Early Permian	Red beds	USA

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 Conwentz, H.W. (1886). "Die Angiospermen des Bernsteins". In Göppert, J.H.R.; Menge, F.A. (eds.). Die Flora des Bernsteins und ihre Beziehungen zur Flora der Tertiärformation und der Gegenwart. Vol. 2. Commission-Verla von Wilhelm Engelmann, Danzing. pp. 1–140.
^ Caspary, J.X.R. (1872). "Einige in Bernstein eingeschlossene fossile Zweige einer untergegangenen Gnetaceen-Gattung". Schriften der Königlichen Physikalisch-Ökonomischen Gesellschaft zu Königsberg. 13 (2): 20–21.
^ Göppert, J.H.R.; Berendt, G.C. (1845), "Der Bernstein und die in ihm befindlichen Pflanzenreste der Vorwelt", Nicolaische Buchhandlung, vol. 1(1), Berlin, pp. 1–125, doi:10.5962/bhl.title.66910, hdl:2027/coo1.ark:/13960/t03z00r64
^ Göppert, J.H.R. (1853), "Über die Bernsteinflora", Bericht über die zur Bekanntmachung geeigneten Verhandlungen der Königlich Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1853, Berlin: 450–476
^ ^a ^b Sadowski, E. M.; Seyfullah, L. J.; Wilson, C. A.; Calvin, C. L.; Schmidt, A. R. (2017). "Diverse early dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium), ecological keystones of the Eocene Baltic amber biota". American Journal of Botany. 104 (5): 694–718.
^ Göppert, J.H.R. (1883). "Von den Bernstein-Coniferen, insbesondere auch in ihren Beziehungen zu den Coniferen der Gegenwart". In Göppert, J.H.R.; Menge, F.A. (eds.). Die Flora des Bernsteins und ihre Beziehungen zur Flora der Tertiärformation und der Gegenwart (in German). Vol. 1. Commission-Verla von Wilhelm Engelmann, Danzing. pp. 1–63.
^ Sadowski, E.-M.; Hofmann, C.-C. (2023). "The largest amber-preserved flower revisited". Scientific Reports. 13 (1). 17. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-24549-z. PMC 9837116. PMID 36635320.
^ De Vis, C.W. (1886). "On remains of an extinct saurian". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland. 2: 181–191.
^ Ristevski, J.; Yates, A.M.; Price, G.J.; Molnar, R.E.; Weisbecker, V.; Salisbury, S.W. (2020). "Australia's prehistoric 'swamp king': revision of the Plio-Pleistocene crocodylian genus Pallimnarchus de Vis, 1886". PeerJ. 8 e10466. doi:10.7717/peerj.10466. PMC 7759136. PMID 33391869.

[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.

[Conwentz1886-2] Conwentz, H.W. (1886). "Die Angiospermen des Bernsteins". In Göppert, J.H.R.; Menge, F.A. (eds.). Die Flora des Bernsteins und ihre Beziehungen zur Flora der Tertiärformation und der Gegenwart. Vol. 2. Commission-Verla von Wilhelm Engelmann, Danzing. pp. 1–140.

[Caspary1872-3] Caspary, J.X.R. (1872). "Einige in Bernstein eingeschlossene fossile Zweige einer untergegangenen Gnetaceen-Gattung". Schriften der Königlichen Physikalisch-Ökonomischen Gesellschaft zu Königsberg. 13 (2): 20–21.

[Amber1845-4] Göppert, J.H.R.; Berendt, G.C. (1845), "Der Bernstein und die in ihm befindlichen Pflanzenreste der Vorwelt", Nicolaische Buchhandlung, vol. 1(1), Berlin, pp. 1–125, doi:10.5962/bhl.title.66910, hdl:2027/coo1.ark:/13960/t03z00r64

[Amber1853-5] Göppert, J.H.R. (1853), "Über die Bernsteinflora", Bericht über die zur Bekanntmachung geeigneten Verhandlungen der Königlich Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 1853, Berlin: 450–476

[Sadowski2017-6] Sadowski, E. M.; Seyfullah, L. J.; Wilson, C. A.; Calvin, C. L.; Schmidt, A. R. (2017). "Diverse early dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium), ecological keystones of the Eocene Baltic amber biota". American Journal of Botany. 104 (5): 694–718.

[Amber1883-7] Göppert, J.H.R. (1883). "Von den Bernstein-Coniferen, insbesondere auch in ihren Beziehungen zu den Coniferen der Gegenwart". In Göppert, J.H.R.; Menge, F.A. (eds.). Die Flora des Bernsteins und ihre Beziehungen zur Flora der Tertiärformation und der Gegenwart (in German). Vol. 1. Commission-Verla von Wilhelm Engelmann, Danzing. pp. 1–63.

[8] Sadowski, E.-M.; Hofmann, C.-C. (2023). "The largest amber-preserved flower revisited". Scientific Reports. 13 (1). 17. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-24549-z. PMC 9837116. PMID 36635320.

[DV86-9] De Vis, C.W. (1886). "On remains of an extinct saurian". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland. 2: 181–191.

[R20-10] Ristevski, J.; Yates, A.M.; Price, G.J.; Molnar, R.E.; Weisbecker, V.; Salisbury, S.W. (2020). "Australia's prehistoric 'swamp king': revision of the Plio-Pleistocene crocodylian genus Pallimnarchus de Vis, 1886". PeerJ. 8 e10466. doi:10.7717/peerj.10466. PMC 7759136. PMID 33391869.

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