1868 in paleontology
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 1868.
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Arthropoda
    
    Newly named insects
    
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aphaenogaster berendti[2] | Sp nov | jr synonym |  Stenamma berendti | |||||
| Sp nov | valid | A myrmicine ant. |  | |||||
| Camponotus constrictus[2] | Sp nov | Jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil formicine ant., |  Cataglyphoides constrictus | |
| Camponotus mengei[2] | Sp nov | valid | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil formicine ant. |  Camponotus mengei | |
| Enneamerus[2] | Gen et 2 sp nov | valid | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | A myrmecine ant. 2 species |  Enneamerus reticulatus | |
| Formica flori[2] | Sp nov | valid | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil formicine ant |  Formica flori | |
| Hypoclinea balticus[2] | Sp nov | Jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil Dolichoderine ant, moved to Dolichoderus balticus in 1893 |  | |
| Sp nov | Jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil Dolichoderine ant, jr synonym of Yantaromyrmex constricta |  | ||
| Hypoclinea cornuta[2] | Sp nov | Jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil Dolichoderine ant, moved to Dolichoderus cornutus in 1893 |  | |
| Sp nov | Jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil Dolichoderine ant, |  | ||
| Hypoclinea goepperti[2] | Sp nov | Jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil Dolichoderine ant, |  | |
| Hypoclinea longipennis[2] | Sp nov | Jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil Dolichoderine ant, moved to Dolichoderus longipennis in 1893 |  | |
| Hypoclinea sculpturata[2] | Sp nov | Jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil Dolichoderine ant, moved to Dolichoderus sculpturata in 1893 |  | |
| Hypoclinea tertiaria[2] | Sp nov | Jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil Dolichoderine ant, moved to Dolichoderus tertiaria in 1893 |  | |
| sp nov | jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil Agroecomyrmecine ant, moved to Agroecomyrmex duisburgi in 1910 |  | ||
| Pheidologeton antiquus[2] | sp nov | jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | Fossil myrmicine ant, |  Carebara antiqua | |
| Sp nov | jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | Baltic Amber | A ponerine ant, moved to Pachycondyla succinea in 1995 |  | ||
| Sp nov | Jr synonym | Mayr | Middle Eocene | European amber | Fossil formicine ant, jr synonym of Nylanderia pygmaea |  | ||
| Stigmomyrmex[2] | Gen et sp nov | valid | Mayr | Middle Eocene | European amber | A myrmicin ant. |  Stigmomyrmex venustus | |
Archosauromorphs
    
    Newly named dinosaurs
    
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen et sp nov | ( | Possible subjective synonym of Albertosaurus or Deinodon. |  Aublysodon may be a synonym of Albertosaurus. | |||||
| Gen nov | Leidy | 
 | Possible subjective synonym of Dryptosaurus. | |||||
Plesiosaurs
    
    New taxa
    
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Synapsids
    
    Non-mammalian
    
| Name | Status | Authors | Discovery year | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images | 
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| Valid | Huxley | |||||||
References
    
- 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.
- Wheeler, W. M. (1915). "The ants of the Baltic amber". Schriften der Physikalisch-Okonomischen Gesellschaft zu Konigsberg. 55 (4): 56–59.
- LaPolla, J.S.; Dlussky, G.M. (2010). "Review of fossil Prenolepis genus-group species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 112 (2): 258–273.















