Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science, Vol. 94 (2015) 91 SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEONTOLOGY IN 100 YEARS OF THE SOUTH DAKOTA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Ed Welsh1* and Sally Y. Shelton2 1Badlands National Park Interior, SD 57750; 2South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Rapid City, SD 57701 *Corresponding author email: [email protected] ABSTRACT This report serves to recount major contributions in the field of paleontology, throughout the lifetime of the South Dakota Academy of Science. The Proceed- ings of the South Dakota Academy of Science has provided an invaluable venue for the descriptions and establishments of type specimens, poorly known bio- chronologic faunas, and research that covers many other aspects of paleontology. In several cases, the Proceedings provides the only recorded or citable informa- tion on a fossil site, taxonomic component, stratigraphic occurrence, or other information not provided elsewhere. We chronicle some of the most notable paleontological contributions through the South Dakota Academy of Science, and the major contributors who fully utilized this venue to make a wide variety of information available. There is great value in providing a venue for peer-reviewed research in a more academically relaxed atmosphere, which can be better utilized for citation. Some research may not be deemed significant enough for journals with more perceived prestige, and this hinders the release of potentially valuable information. Qual- ity of research appears to be erroneously gauged by a journal’s impact factor or notoriety rather than the content provided by the contributor. These accounts should not only serve to chronicle contributions, but encourage researchers to service this venue for continued academic productivity and further enrich the academic value of the organization. INTRODUCTION The South Dakota Academy of Science (SDAS) has recently celebrated its centennial. Countless discoveries and contributions within varied scientific disci- plines (mathematics, chemistry, biology, etc.) have been accomplished in the 100 years of the SDAS. Though the mission of the SDAS is to improve the quality of life of South Dakotans, it has also accomplished the goal of providing a pro- ductive atmosphere for academics and students to share their work. All scientific conclusions can be shared regardless of perceived importance. This attitude has 92 Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science, Vol. 94 (2015) often resulted in having important information and records been made available, whereas they might have been rejected elsewhere. The main goal of this study is to review what could be considered the most significant paleontology contributions made through the SDAS. We have cho- sen to focus on papers dealing specifically with fossil remains, excluding papers dwelling entirely on stratigraphy or other geologic emphases on fossil-bearing units. Though there are countless abstracts included in the Proceedings, peer- reviewed papers are the only publications we have considered. We have system- atically searched through the Proceedings which have recently been made avail- able through online open access. This search has narrowed down the field to 72 published contributions, beginning with a singular publication in 1918, a hiatus from 1918 to 1952, with a somewhat steady manuscript submission following. Contributions to paleontology through the SDAS have been somewhat sporadic with pulses of productivity, which is dependent on contributors who recognized the value of the venue. We have chosen to acknowledge tiers of contributions based on information uniquely provided through the SDAS, e.g. the recognition of new species with the designation of holotypes. There are also several instances of exclusive faunal descriptions within a particular geologic unit or geographical area. Various other unique records are included based on new biogeographic, geochronologic, or taxonomic information. Updated taxonomic statuses and information based on the best current knowledge are also included. Finally, we have compiled data on the number of manuscripts published during each of several time intervals. Authors who have made multiple contributions throughout the SDAS timeline are also recognized. Space does not allow us to acknowledge all published works of paleontological contributions, however, we have included citation information for all SDAS contributions in an appendix. Abbreviations—BADL, Badlands National Park, Interior, South Dakota; BCGM, Bob Campbell Geology Museum, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina; FHKM, Fort Hays Kansas State College Natural History Museum, Hays, Kansas; FHSM, Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Hays, Kansas; SDGS, South Dakota Geological Survey, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Vermillion, South Dakota; SDSM, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Museum of Geology, Rapid City, South Dakota; USD, The University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota. Holotypes—There are only two holotype specimens named through the SDAS. Only one of these taxa is currently recognized as valid. Green (1957) described Syllaemus hanifii(SDSM 56139) (Figure 1) from the Turner Sandy Member of the Carlile Shale (Upper-Middle Turonian) at Hanify Ranch, Butte Co., SD. The specimen was located above an invertebrate horizon containing Prionocyclus sp., Scaphites warreni, and Inoceramus dimidius. This would place the specimen within the Inoceramus dimidius Inoceramid Interval Zone, since it is difficult to distinguish its position within theScaphites warreni Ammonite Taxon Range Zone or the overlying Scaphites ferronensis Zone of Cob- ban et al. (2006). This taxon has since been invalidated and synonymized with Apsopelix anglicus (Teller-Marshall and Bardack 1978). Harksen (1966) described the holotype of Pteranodon sternbergi (FHKM 5426; now FHSM VP-339) (Figure 2), which is one of the 4 iconic pterosaur species Figure 1. Figure 1. Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science, Vol. 94 (2015) 93 Figure 1. Left Lateral view of FHKM 5426(now FHSM VP-339) Pteranodon sternbergi (Holo- type). Scale bar is 50 cm. Original image provided by Mike Everhart, Oceans of Kansas Paleon- Figure 2. tology. Figure 2. Figure 2. Dorsal and left lateral views of SDSM 56139, Syllaemus hanifii (Holotype). Scale bar is 5 cm. 94 Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science, Vol. 94 (2015) of the Western Interior Seaway. The specimen was collected from the Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Formation (Upper Coniacian) along the Solo- mon River in Graham County, Kansas by George F. Sternberg in 1952. There was minor taxonomic reassignment and splitting with two subgenera and spe- cies P. (Sternbergia) sternbergi and P. (Occidentalia) eatoni (Miller, 1971). Kellner (2010) reassigned the taxon to a new genus and species, Geosternbergia sternbergi. The current status of these taxonomic additions have been recently synonymized within the revalidated Pteranodon sternbergi (Vila Nova et al. 2014). Based on Harksen’s (1966) comparison to P. longiceps, P. sternbergi represents a markedly larger pterosaur with an estimated 30 foot wingspan. This was the largest known flying vertebrate until the discovery of Quetzalcatlus northropi (Lawson 1975). Faunas—The only vertebrate fauna for the Minnelusa Limestone was de- scribed by Elder (1993), then appended by Cicimurri and Fahrenbach (2002). Elder (1993) discussed the difficulty of correlating the Minnelusa Formation in Elk Creek Canyon, near Piedmont, South Dakota, but did distinguish two shark-bearing marker layers as the “Petrodus I” and “Petrodus II” beds. Her fauna included the elasmobranchs Petrodus occidentalis (=P. patelliformis) (SDSM 26051, SDSM 26052, and SDSM 26053) and Listracanthus hystrix (SDSM 26057 and 26058), the holocephalian? Cranodus (SDSM 26056), and the chi- maeriform Cladodus sp. (SDSM 26054 and SDSM 26055) (Elder 1993). Elder (1993) also identified conodont elements from the Petrodus II bed attributed to Idiognathodus magnificusand I. claviformis, representing a middle Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) age. Cicimurri and Fahrenbach (2002) continued research in the Minnelusa and identified the elasmobranchsPetrodus patelliformis (BCGM 2932, BCGM 2933, BCGM 2950, and BCGM4425) and “Listracanthus histrix” (=L. hystrix) (BCGM 2934 and BCGM 2935) as well as the chimaeriform cf. “Cladodus” sp. Elder’s (1993) specimens of P. occidentalis were reclassified as P. patelliformis in Ciccimuri’s and Farenbach’s (2002) description. These authors had also ap- pended Holmesella quadrata (BCGM 2931, BCGM 4747 and BCGM 4748), Caseodus aff. C. eatoni (BCGM 2942, BCGM 2943, BCGM 2944, BCGM 2945, BCGM 2946, BCGM 2947, BCGM 2948, and BCGM 2949), Edes- tus sp. (BCGM 2938), cf. “Cladodus” sp. (BCGM 2936 and BCGM 2937), and Janassa sp. (BCGM 2939, BCGM 2940, and BCGM 2941) to the fauna (Cicimurri and Fahrenbach 2002). The presence of Idioprioniodus conjunctus, Neognathodus roundyi-dilatus plexus, and Idiognathodus “delicatus” in the Petrodus II bed reiterated the designation of a Middle Pennsylvanian (middle to late Des- moinesian) age based on Rowe and Fox (1997). The only fossils formally described from the Minnekahta Limestone (Permian) through SDAS are stromatolites (Dopheide and Wininger 2010). The stromato- lite structures described appear consistent with modern stromatolite colonies that are currently observed in intertidal to subtidal environments. One particular specimen of stromatolite (SDSM 13987) produced what appears to be preserved