# 1980 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 1980.

## Bryophytes

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

## Arthropods
### Insects

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Anochetus corayi | Sp nov | Valid | Baroni Urbani | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A ponerin ant | Anochetus corayi |
| Trachymyrmex primaevus | 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 | 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.
Note: the name Lancangosaurus 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 | Gen et sp nov | valid | Galton | Callovian | Oxford Clay Formation | England | A dryosaurid, That its name means Reptile of Callovian. | |
| Dracopelta | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Galton | Kimmeridgian | | Portugal | A Primitive ankylosaurian | |
| Erlikosaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Perle | Cenomanian-Santonian | Bayan Shireh Formation | Mongolia | A therizinosaurid | Erlikosaurus |
| Kakuru | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Molnar & Pledge | Aptian | Marree Formation | Australia | A Theropoda of uncertain phylogenetic classification. | |
| Minmi | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Molnar | Aptian | Bungil Formation | Australia | An Australian ankylosaurid | Minmi |
| Noasaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Bonaparte & Powell | Campanian-Maastrichtian | Lecho Formation | Argentina | A Noasaurid | Noasaurus |
| Saltasaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Bonaparte & Powell | Campanian-Maastrichtian | Lecho Formation | Argentina | A Saltasaurid, a Sauropod with Ankylosaur-like armor | Saltasaurus |
| Zephyrosaurus | 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 | Sp. nov. | Valid | Eitan Tchernov | Pleistocene | MQ 1b | Israel | A Phasianidae. | |
| Anser thompsoni | Sp. nov. | Valid | Larry D. Martin Robert M. Mengel | Late Pliocene | Blancan Broadwater Formation | USA:  Nebraska | An Anatidae. | |
| Apopempsis africanus | 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 | Sp. nov. | Valid | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Eocene or Oligocene | Phosphorites du Quercy MP 16-28 | France | An Apodiformes, Archaeotrogonidae Mourer-Chauviré, 1980. | |
| Ardea howardae | Sp. nov. | Valid | Pierce Brodkorb | Late Pliocene | Shungura Formation, 1.94 My BP | Ethiopia | An Ardeidae. | |
| Argentavis magnificens | 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 | Sp. nov. | Valid | Alan Feduccia | Pleistocene | Sanborn Formation | USA:  Kansas | A Burhinidae. | |
| Ciconia minor | Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison | Early Miocene | Rusinga Island | Kenya | A Ciconiidae. | |
| Crex zazhigini | 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. | |
| Eostrix vincenti | Sp. nov. | Valid | Colin J. O. Harrison | Early Eocene | Ypresian, MP 7-10 | UK:  England | A Strigiformes, Strigida, Protostrigidae Wetmore, 1933. | |
| Gallinula gigantea | Sp. nov. | Valid | Eitan Tchernov | Pleistocene | | Israel | A Rallidae. | |
| Juncitarsus gracillimus | 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 | 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. | |
| Linquornis gigantis | 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 | Sp. nov. | Valid | Eitan Tchernov | Pleistocene | | Israel | An Accipitridae. | |
| Neophrontops ricardoensis | Sp. nov. | Valid | Patricia Vickers Rich | Middle Miocene | Late Claredonian | USA;  California | An Accipitridae. | |
| Palaeoaramides tugarinovi | Sp. nov. | Valid | Evgeny N. Kurochkin | Miocene-Middle Pliocene | Chirgis Nuur series | Mongolia | A Rallidae. | |
| Rallus risillus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Evgeny N. Kurochkin | Miocene-Middle Pliocene | Chirgis Nuur series | Mongolia | A Rallidae, transferred to the genus Porzana by Kurochkin, 1985. | |
| Sinanas diatomas | 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 | 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 by Mourer-Chauviré & Balouet, 2005, this is the type species of the new genus. | |
| Tonsala hildegardae | 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 | 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 | 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., this is the type species of the new genus. | |

## Pterosauria
### Newly named pterosaurs

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

## Lepidosauromorphs
### Plesiosaurs

* Plesiosaur gastroliths documented.
| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Age | Location | Notes |
| Bishanopliosaurus | Valid | Dong | | 172 million years | China | |