# 1978 in paleontology

Paleontology, palaeontology or palæontology (from Greek: paleo, "ancient"; ontos, "being"; and logos, "knowledge") is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised faeces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because mankind has 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 in the year 1978.

## Expeditions, field work, and fossil discoveries

* A paleoanthropological team led by Mary Leakey found 3.5 million year old human footprints.
* Baby hadrosaurs were discovered in the Two Medicine Formation.

## Cnidarians

Maurits Lindström, described the earliest known octocoral in Sweden shifting the first known appearance from the Cretaceous to the Ordovician.

## Arthropods
### Newly named crustaceans

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
| Aenigmacaris | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Schram & Horner | Serpukhovian | Bear Gulch Limestone | United States Montana | An aeschronectid, type species is A. cornigerum | Aenigmacaris |
| Bairdops beargulchensis | Sp nov | Valid | Schram & Horner | Serpukhovian | Bear Gulch Limestone | United States Montana | An early mantis shrimp | |
| Dithyrocaris rolfei | Sp nov | Valid | Schram & Horner | Serpukhovian | Bear Gulch Limestone | United States Montana | A phyllocarid | |
| Perimecturus rapax | Sp nov | Valid | Schram & Horner | Serpukhovian | Bear Gulch Limestone | United States Montana | An early mantis shrimp | Perimecturus rapax |
| Sairocaris centurion | Sp nov | Valid | Schram & Horner | Serpukhovian | Bear Gulch Limestone | United States Montana | A sairocaridid | |

## Fish
### Newly named Ray-finned fish

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
| Eohiodon woodruffi | Sp nov | jr synonym | Wilson | Ypresian | Klondike Mountain Formation | United States Washington | A mooneye, Moved to Hiodon woodruffi in 2008 | Hiodon woodruffi |

## Dinosaurs
### Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
| "Amtosaurus" | Gen nov | Nomen dubium. | Kurzanov | | Tumanova | | | |
| "Coloradia" | Gen et sp nov | jr homonym | Bonaparte | | | | Preoccupied by Blake 1863. Renamed Coloradisaurus. | |
| Lesothosaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Galton | Early Jurassic | | Lesotho | Possible junior synonym of Fabrosaurus. | Lesothosaurus |
| Micropachycephalosaurus | Gen nov | Valid | Dong | | | China | A pachycephalosaur. | Micropachycephalosaurus |
| Ohmdenosaurus | | Valid | Wild | | | Germany | | |
| "Roccosaurus" | | Nomen nudum. | van Heerden vide: Anderson & Cruickshank | | | | Junior synonym of Melanorosaurus. | |
| Saurornitholestes | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Sues | Campanian | Judith River Formation | Canada ( Alberta | A North Polar Dromaeosaur. | Saurornitholestes |
| Yangchuanosaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Zhiming, Chang, Li, & Zhou | | | China | A carnosaur | Yangchuanosaurus |

### General research

* Peter M. Galton published a paper on Fabrosauridae, including redescribing Fabrosaurus, Echinodon and Nanosaurus along with naming Lesothosaurus.

## Birds

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Aldabranas cabri | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Late Pleistocene | Aldabra Atoll | Seychelles | An Anatidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Anser eldaricus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Nikolaj I. Burchak-Abramovich D. V. Gadzyev | Pliocene | Late Sarmantian | Soviet Union (Now Azerbaijan) | An Anatidae. |
| Apus baranensis | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Late Pliocene | MN 16a; MN 17 | Hungary  Bulgaria | An Apodidae. |
| Chaetura baconica | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Late Miocene | MN 11-12 | Hungary | An Apodidae. |
| "Gallus" europaeus | Sp. nov. | Valid ? | Colin J. O. Harrison | Middle Pleistocene | MQ 2A | UK | A Phasianidae.The taxonomic status of this species should be reevaluated. There is no evidence, that it belongs to the genus Gallus Brisson. |
| Gavia brodkorbi | Sp. nov. | Valid | Hildegarde Howard | Late Miocene | Monterey Formation | USA ( California) | A Gaviidae. |
| Mergus miscellus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Rafael Alvarez Storrs L. Olson | Late Miocene | Calvert Formation | USA( Virginia and Maryland) | An Anatidae. |
| "Milvus" brachypterus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Early Pleistocene | MQ 1b | Hungary | An Apodidae Incertae Sedis. |
| Morus magnus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Hildegarde Howard | Late Miocene | Monterey Formation | USA ( California) | A Sulidae. |
| Phalacrocorax anatolicus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Middle Miocene | Helvetian | Turkey | A Phalacrocoracidae, transferred to the genus Nectornis Cheneval, 1984 by Mlíkovský, 1998. |
| Pterodroma kurodai | Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Pleistocene | Aldabra Atoll | Seychelles | A Procellariidae. |
| Puffinus barnesi | Sp. nov. | Valid | Hildegarde Howard | Late Miocene | Monterey Formation | USA ( California) | A Procellariidae. |
| Recurvirostra sanctaneboulae | Sp. nov. | Valid | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Late Eocene | MP 18 | France | A Recurvirostridae, most unlikely it is a Recurvirostra or even a Recurvirostridae. |
| Surnia robusta | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dénes Jánossy | Late Pliocene; Early Pleistocene | MN 16, MN 18; MQ 1b | Hungary | A Strigidae. |

## Pterosaurs

| Name | Status | Authors | Location | Notes |
| Geosternbergia | Valid | Miller | USA ( South Dakota) | Geosternbergia |
| Peteinosaurus | Valid | Wild | Italy | |
| Campylognathoides Indicus | Nomen Dubium | | India | |

## Popular culture

* Dinosaur Planet by Anne McAffrey was published. This novel was about a planet called Ireta that was populated by dinosaurs transplanted there by aliens attempting to preserve Earth's Mesozoic biosphere. Paleontologist William A. S. Sarjeant has praised the intelligent pterosaurs descended from Quetzalcoatlus in the novel as plausible.