# 1981 in paleontology

Paleontology or palaeontology 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 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 1981.

## Plants
### Angiosperms
#### Superrosids - Fabids

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes | Images |
| Palaeocarpinus | Sp nov | Valid | Crane | Ypresian | Reading Formation | UK England | | A betulaceous fruit. Type species P. laciniata | |
| Pseudofagus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Smiley & Huggins | Miocene Langhian | Latah Formation Clarkia Florule | USA Idaho | | A fagaceous genus The type species is P. idahoensis | |

## Arthropoda
### Insects

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Protamblyopone inversa | Gen et sp. nov | jr synonym | Dlussky | Middle Miocene | Chon-Tyz mine | Kyrgyzstan | An Amblyoponin ant. jr synonym of Casaleia inversa | |

## Archosauromorpha
### Dinosaurs

| Taxon | Novelty | Status | Author(s) | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Avimimus portentosus | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid taxon | Kurzanov | Campanian | Djadochta Formation | Mongolia | A very bird-like oviraptorosaur |
| Barsboldia sicinskii | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Maryańska & Osmólska | Maastrichtian | Nemegt Formation | Mongolia | A hadrosaurid of uncertain relations |
| Elmisaurus rarus | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Osmólska | Maastrichtian | Nemegt Formation | Mongolia | An oviraptorosaur |
| Garudimimus brevipes | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Barsbold | Santonian | Bayanshiree Formation | Mongolia | An early ornithomimosaur |
| "Honghesaurus" | | Nomen nudum | Anonymous | | | | Later namedYandusaurus |
| Ingenia yanshini | Gen. et sp. nov. | Preoccupied | Barsbold | Maastrichtian | Baruungoyot Formation | Mongolia | Generic name preoccupied by a nematode Gerlach 1957 and renamed Ajancingenia, but considered a species of Heyuannia |
| Lambeosaurus laticaudus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Morris | Campanian | El Gallo Formation | Mexico | Later given the genus Magnapaulia |
| Muttaburrasaurus langdoni | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Bartholomai & Molnar | Albian | Mackunda Formation | Australia | An iguanodont with a horn-like knob of its Snout. |
| Palaeopteryx thomsoni | Gen. et sp. nov. | Nomen dubium | Jensen | Kimmeridgian | Morrison Formation | Colorado | A coelurosaur |
| Scutellosaurus lawleri | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Colbert | Sinemurian | Kayenta Formation | Arizona | An early thyreophoran |

### Remarks on newly named birds

* Palaeopteryx thomsoni Jensen, 1981. is most probably not a bird but perhaps a small dinosaur, it is best treated as a taxon non avium.
* Plegadis pharangites Olson, 1981. is a new name for Plegadis gracilis Miller et Bowman, 1956, preoccupied by Plegadis gracilis (Lydekker, 1891), described as Milnea gracilis Lydekker, 1891 and transferred to the genus Plegadis Kaup, 1829 by Cheneval, 1984.

### Newly named birds

| Name | Status | Novelty | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Burhinus lucorum | Valid | Sp. nov. | K. Jeffrey Bickart | Early Miocene | Middle Sheep Creek Formation | USA:  Nebraska | A Burhinidae. |
| Enantiornis leali | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Cyril A. Walker | Late Cretaceous | Maastrichtian Lecho Formation | Argentina | An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Alexornithiformes Brodkorb, 1976, Enantiornithidae Nessov et Borkin, 1983, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Eogrus crudus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Evgeny N. Kurochkin | Middle-Late Eocene | Tsagan Kutel | Mongolia | A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Falco medius | Valid | Sp. nov. | A. S. Umanskaya | Late Miocene | MN 11-13 | Soviet Union:  Ukraine | A Falconidae. |
| Gavia paradoxa | Valid | Sp. nov. | A. S. Umanskaya | Late Miocene | MN 11-13 | Soviet Union:  Ukraine | A Gaviidae. |
| Ioriotis gabunii | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich Abesalom K. Vekua | Late Pliocene | Kvabebi | Soviet Union:  Georgia | An Otididae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Mancalla emlongi | Valid | Sp. nov. | Storrs L. Olson | Late Pliocene | Blancan, San Diego Formation | USA:  California | An Alcidae, Mancallinae L. H. Miller, 1946. |
| Microdytes tonnii | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | George G. Simpson | Late Oligocene-Early Miocene | Patagonian | Argentina | A Sphniscidae, this is the type species of the new genus. Microdytes Simpson, 1981 is preoccupied by Microdytes Balfour-Browne, 1949 (Coleoptera), so Storrs L. Olson created the new genus Eretiscus Olson, 1986 to accommodate Microdytes tonnii Simpson, 1981. |
| Pedinorhis stirpsarcana | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Storrs L. Olson Mary C. McKitrick | Pleistocene | Cave deposits | Puerto Rico | A Fringillidae, Emberizinae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Pelecanus cadimurka | Valid | Sp. nov. | Patricia Vickers Rich Gerard F. Van Tets | Pleistocene | Kuttipirra (Katipiri) Waterhole | Australia:  South Australia | A Pelecanidae. |
| Picus peregrinabundus | Valid | Sp. nov. | A. S. Umanskaja | Late Miocene | MN 11-12 | Soviet Union:  Ukraine | A Picidae. |
| Sonogrus gregalis | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Evgeny N. Kurochkin | Late Eocene-Early Oligocene | Ergilin Dzo Formation | Mongolia | A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Uria brodkorbi | Valid | Sp. nov. | Hildegarde Howard | Late Miocene | Sisquoc Formation, Clarendonian | USA:  California | An Alcidae. |
| Urmiornis orientalis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Evgeny N. Kurochkin | Middle Pliocene | | Soviet Union:  Kazakhstan | A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, transferred to the genus Amphipelargus Lydekker, 1891 by both Kurochkin, 1985 and Olson, 1985. |
| Urmiornis ukrainus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Evgeny N. Kurochkin | Late Miocene | Mn 9-10-11 | Soviet Union:  Moldova;  Ukraine;  Russia | A Gruiformes, Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, transferred to the genus Amphipelargus Lydekker, 1891 by both Kurochkin, 1985 and Olson, 1985. |
| Youngornis gracilis | Valid | Gen. nov et Sp. nov. | Yeh Hsiangk’uei | Middle Miocene | Shanwang Formation | China | A Rallidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Zeltornis ginsburgi | Valid | Gen. nov et Sp. nov. | Jean Chr. Balouet | Early Miocene | Late Burdigalian, Djebel Zelten | Libya | An Ardeidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |

## Plesiosaurs

* Carroll, R. C., 1981, Plesiosaur ancestors from the Upper Permian of Madagascar: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, v. 293, p. 315- 383.
| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Kimmerosaurus | Valid | Brown | | Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian | Kimmeridge Clay | UK | A cryptoclidid. | |

## Pterosaurs
### New taxa

| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Location | Images |
| Comodactylus | Valid | Galton | | Germany | |
| Sultanuvaisia | Valid | Nesov | | | |

## Synapsids
### Non-mammalian

| Name | Status | Authors | Discovery year | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| | Valid | | | | | | | |
| | Valid | | | | | | | |