# 1984 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 1984.

## Angiosperms

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Hooleya lata | Sp nov | Valid | Wing | Eocene | Clarno Formation | USA Oregon | A Platycaryeae fruit morphospecies. |
| Platycarya bognorensis | Comb nov | valid | (Chandler) Wing & Hickey | Eocene | London Clay | UK England | Moved from Pterocaryopsis bognorensis (1961) Pterocaryopsis elliptica (1978) synonymized in. |
| Platycarya castaneopsis | Comb nov | valid | (Lesquereux) Wing & Hickey | Ypresian | Green River Formation | USA Colorado | Moved from Quercus castaneopsis (1883) |
| Platycarya manchesterii | Sp nov | valid | Wing & Hickey | Eocene | Clarno Formation | USA Oregon | A Platycarya fruit morphospecies. |

## Arthropods
### Arachnids

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Selenops beynai | Sp nov | Valid | Schawaller | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A selenopid wall spider | Selenops beynai |

### Newly named crustaceans

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Gorgonophontes | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Schram | Kasimovian | Swope Formation Dennis Formation Oread Formation | US ( Nebraska Iowa) | A mantis shrimp, type species is G. peleron | Gorgonophontes |
| Peachocaris acanthouraea | Sp nov | Valid | Schram | Upper Pennsylvanian | Swope Formation | US ( Nebraska Iowa) | A lophogastrid | |
| Pseudarmadillo cristatus | Sp nov | Valid | Schmalfuss | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A delatorreid isopod | |
| Pseudarmadillo tuberculatus | Sp nov | Valid | Schmalfuss | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A delatorreid isopod | |

### Newly named eurypterids

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Mycterops whitei | Sp nov | Valid | Schram | Kasimovian | Swope Formation | US ( Nebraska Iowa) | A mycteroptid | |

## Conodont paleozoology

Willi Ziegler and Charles A. Sandberg described the conodont genus Alternognathus.

## Archosauromorphs
### Newly named archosauromorphs

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Technosaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Chatterjee | Norian | Bull Canyon Formation | USA ( Texas) | Originally described as a fabrosaurid; now Archosauriformes incertae sedis | |

### Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Chuandongocoelurus | | Valid | He | Middle Jurassic | Lower Shaximiao Formation | China | A tetanuran theropod | |
| Datousaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Dong & Tang | Middle Jurassic | Lower Shaximiao Formation | China | A Mamenchisaurid sauropod | Datousaurus |
| Harpymimus | Fam., gen et sp nov | Valid | Barsbold & Perle | Hauterivian to Barremian | Shinekhudug Formation | Mongolia | An ornithomimosaurian | Harpymimus |
| Kaijiangosaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | He | Middle Jurassic | Xiashaximiao Formation | China | A tetanuran theropod | |
| Liliensternus | Gen nov | Valid | Welles | Norian | Trossingen Formation | Germany | A coelophysoid | Liliensternus |
| Longosaurus | Gen nov | Jr. synonym of Coelophysis. | Welles | | | | | |
| Xuanhanosaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Dong | Middle Jurassic | Lower Shaximiao Formation | China | A megalosauroid. Before it was believed that this animal was a quadruped, but now it is known that this was a biped. | |

### Newly named birds

| Name | Status | Novelty | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Anser thraceiensis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich Ivan M. Nikolov | Late Miocene or Early Pliocene | MN 11-15 | Bulgaria | An Anatidae. |
| Archaeopteryx recurva | Disputed | Sp. nov. | Michael E. Howgate | Late Jura | Portlandian | Germany:  Bavaria | An Archaeopterygidae, the 5th specimen, this species becomes the type species of the new genus Jurapteryx Howgate, 1985. |
| Bubo leakeyae | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Pierce Brodkorb Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Holocene | Olduvai Gorge | Tanzania | A Strigidae. |
| Cursoricoccyx geraldinae | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Larry D. Martin Robert M. Mengel | Early Miocene | Pawnee Creek Formation | :  USA Colorado | A Cuculiformes, Neomorphidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Cygnopterus alphonsi | Valid | Sp. nov. | Jacques Cheneval | Early Miocene | MN 2a | France | An Anatidae. |
| Dromaius baudinianus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Shane A. Parker | Holocene | Kangeroo Island | Australia:  South Australia | A Dromaiidae. |
| Eocypselus vincenti | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Colin J. O. Harrison | Early Eocene | MP 8 | UK:  England | An Apodiformes, Eocypselidae Harrison, 1984, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Fulmarus miocaenus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Hildegarde Howard | Middle Miocene | Round Mountain Silt, Barstovian | USA:  California | A Procellariidae. |
| Gansus yumenensis | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Hou Lianhai Liu Zhicheng | Early Cretaceous | Xiagou Formation | China | An Ornithuromorphae Chiappe, Ji, Ji et Norell, 1999, Gansuiformes Hou et Liu, 1984, Gansuidae Hou et Liu, 1984, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Gavia moldavica | Valid | Sp. nov. | Jenö Kessler | Late Miocene; Early Pliocene | MN 9? | Romania  Moldova  USA:  Florida | A Gaviidae. |
| Kizylkumavis cretacea | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Lev A. Nessov | Late Cretaceous | Late Turonian-Coniacian | Soviet Union:  Uzbekistan | An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Alexornithiformes, Brodkorb, 1976, Alexornithidae Brodkorb, 1976, Alexornithinae Brodkorb, 1976, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Larus udabnensis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich E. G. Gabashvili | Late Miocene | | Soviet Union:  Georgia | A Laridae. |
| Mioaegypius gui | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Hou LianHai | Middle Miocene | Xiacaowan Formation | China | An Accipitridae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Otus guildayi | Valid | Sp. nov. | Pierce Brodkorb Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Pleistocene | Cave deposits | USA:  Maryland | A Strigidae. |
| Parahesperornis alexi | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Larry D. Martin | Late Cretaceous | Niobrara Chalk Formation | USA:  Kansas | A Hesperornithiformes Fürbringer, 1888, Hesperornithidae Marsh, 1872, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Parvirallus bassetti | Valid | Sp. nov. | Colin J. O. Harrison | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | UK:  England | A Rallidae. |
| Parvirallus gassoni | Valid | Sp. nov. | Colin J. O. Harrison | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | UK:  England | A Rallidae. |
| Parvirallus medius | Valid | Sp. nov. | Colin J. O. Harrison | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | UK:  England | A Rallidae. |
| Pediorallus hookeri | Valid | Sp. nov. | Colin J. O. Harrison | Early Eocene | Ypresian, London Clay B MP 8-9 | UK:  England | Described as a Rallidae, transferred to the genus Lithornis Owen, 1840 by Houde, 1988, a Palaeognathae, Lithornithiformes Houde, 1988, Lithornithidae Houde, 1988. |
| Pediorallus nasi | Valid | Sp. nov. | Colin J. O. Harrison | Early Eocene | Ypresian, London Clay A MP 8 | UK:  England | Described as a Rallidae, transferred to the genus Lithornis Owen, 1840 by Houde, 1988, a Palaeognathae, Lithornithiformes Houde, 1988, Lithornithidae Houde, 1988. |
| Phalacrocorax owrei | Valid | Sp. nov. | Pierce Brodkorb Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Pleistocene | Douglas Leakey Korongo | Tanzania | A Phalacrocoracidae. |
| Phalacrocorax serdicensis | Valid ? | Sp. nov. | Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich Ivan M. Nikolov | Late Miocene | MN 11-13 | Bulgaria | A Phalacrocoracidae, possibly a synonym of Phalacrocorax aristotelis. |
| Phasianus yanshansis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Huang Wanpo Hou Lianhai | Holocene | Cave deposits | China | A Phasianidae. |
| Podiceps miocenicus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Jenö Kessler | Late Miocene | MN 9 | Romania  Moldova | A Podicipedidae. |
| Scaniacypselus wardi | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Colin J. O. Harrison | Early Eocene | MP 8 | Denmark | An Apodidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Scopus xenopus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Storrs L. Olson | Early Pliocene | Varswater Formation | South Africa | A Scopidae |
| Stintonornis mitchelli | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Colin J. O. Harrison | Early Eocene | MP 8-9 | UK:  England | Described as a Falconidae, placed in Aves Incertae Sedis by Mlíkovský, 2002. |
| Zhyraornis kashkarovi | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Lev A. Nessov | Late Cretaceous | Coniacian, Bissekty Formation | Soviet Union:  Uzbekistan | An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Alexornithiformes, Brodkorb, 1976, Alexornithidae Brodkorb, 1976, Zhyraornithinae Nessov, 1984, this is the type species of the new genus. |

### Pterosaurs

| Name | Status | Authors | Location | Notes |
| Azhdarcho | Valid | Nesov | Spain  Tajikistan  Uzbekistan | the Type Genus of Azhdarchidae. |
| Brasileodactylus | Valid | Kellner | Brazil | |
| Rhamphinion | Valid | Padian | USA ( Arizona) | |