1851 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 1851.

Arthropods[edit]

Insects[edit]

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Toxorhina brevipalpa^[2]	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Loew	Middle Eocene	Baltic amber	Europe	A Limoniid cranefly, jr syn of Elephantomyia brevipalpa	Elephantomyia brevipalpa
Toxorhina longirostris^[2]	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Loew	Middle Eocene	Baltic amber	Europe	A Limoniid cranefly, jr syn of Elephantomyia longirostris	Elephantomyia longirostris
Toxorhina pulchella^[2]	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Loew	Middle Eocene	Baltic amber	Europe	A Limoniid cranefly, jr syn of Elephantomyia pulchella	Elephantomyia pulchella

Archosauromorphs[edit]

Newly named phytosaurs[edit]

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Clepsysaurus^[3]	Gen et sp nov	Nomen dubium	Lea	Late Triassic (Norian)	Passaic Formation	United States	Dubious genus phytosaur.

Plesiosaurs[edit]

Newly named plesiosaurs[edit]

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Cimoliasaurus	Valid	Leidy		Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)	Navesink Formation	United States	An elasmosaurid.
Discosaurus	Valid	Leidy		Late Cretaceous		United States	A dubious elasmosaurid.

References[edit]

^ 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 Kania, I (2015). "Subfamily Limoniinae Speiser, 1909 (Diptera, Limoniidae) from Baltic Amber (Eocene): The Genus Elephantomyia Osten Sacken, 1860". PLOS ONE. 10 (2): 1–25. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1017434K. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117434. PMC 4338262. PMID 25706127.
^ Lea, I. 1851. Remarks on the bones of a fossil reptilian quadruped. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 5: pp. 171-172.

[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.

[Kania2015-2] Kania, I (2015). "Subfamily Limoniinae Speiser, 1909 (Diptera, Limoniidae) from Baltic Amber (Eocene): The Genus Elephantomyia Osten Sacken, 1860". PLOS ONE. 10 (2): 1–25. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1017434K. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117434. PMC 4338262. PMID 25706127.

[3] Lea, I. 1851. Remarks on the bones of a fossil reptilian quadruped. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 5: pp. 171-172.

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