Plants
Cycadophytes Cycadophyte research Hopkins and Johnson briefly report the first occurrence of cycad leaves from the Eocene Okanagan Highlands Klondike Mountain Formation which will later be identified to the family Zamiaceae.
Angiosperms Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesEucommia jeffersonensisSp novvalidCall & DilcherLate EoceneJohn Day FormationSpecies of Eucommia.Eucommia rolandiiSp novvalidCall & DilcherMiddle EoceneTalahatta FormationSpecies of Eucommia. Also identified from the Coldwater Beds, British Columbia
Fungi
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesArchaeomarasmiusGen et sp novValidHibbett, Grimaldi, & DonoghueCretaceousTuronianNew Jersey amber.A tricholomataceous fungiProtomycenaGen et sp novValidHibbett, Grimaldi, & DonoghueMioceneBurdigalianDominican amberA mycenaceous fungi
Paleomycological research LePage et al briefly describe the first instance of ectomycorrhizae in the fossil record, based on specimens from the Eocene Okanagan Highlands Princeton chert site. The fungi are associated with Pinus roots and were considered similar to the modern fungal genera Rhizopogon and Suillus
Arthropoda
Insects
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesBaikuris caseiSp. novValidGrimaldi, Agosti, & CarpenterTuronianNew Jersey amberAn ant of uncertain subfamily placement. First identified as a sphecomyrmine ant Boyeria europaeaComb novvalid(Nel, Arillo, & Martínez-Delclòs)MessinianAn Aeshnid dragonfly.Brownimecia clavataGen et sp. novValidGrimaldi, Agosti, & CarpenterTuronianNew Jersey amberA stem group ant, type species B. clavataCtenobethylus goeppertiComb novvalid (Mayr, 1868)Middle EoceneBaltic amberFossil Dolichoderine ant, moved from Liometopum goepperti Senior synonym of Ctenobethylus succinalisMakarkinia adamsiGen et comb novjr synonymMartins-NetoAptianCrato FormationA Kalligrammatid lacewing, new genus for Panfilovia adamsiMakarkiniinaeSubfam novjr synonymMartins-NetoAptianCrato Formationlacewing subfamily, syn of Kalligrammatidae
Plesiosaurs
Newly Named Plesiosaurs Currently Valid Plesiosaur Genera Named in 1997 Name Status AuthorsLocation Images Augustasaurus Valid taxon Sander Rieppel Bucher () Libonectes Valid taxon Welles (as Elasmosaurus morgani in 1949) Carpenter (as Libonectes morgani in 1997) () Maresaurus Valid taxon Gasparini
Archosauromorphs
Pseudosuchians NameNoveltyStatusAuthorsAgeType localityCountryNotesImages"Baru" huberiSp. novWillisLate OligoceneWhite Hunter Site of the Riversleigh WHAA mekosuchine crocodilian. Although named as a species of Baru, later research considers it to be a distinct genus.Baru wickeniSp. novValidWillisLate OligoceneWhite Hunter Site of the Riversleigh WHAA mekosuchine crocodilian. It was established based on new material from the Riversleigh as well as material previously assigned to Baru darrowi. Mekosuchus whitehunterensisSp. novValidWillisLate OligoceneWhite Hunter Site of the Riversleigh WHAA mekosuchine crocodilian. The first species of Mekosuchus to have been named from continental Australia.Pallimnarchus gracilisSp. novValidWillis & MolnarLate PleistoceneTerrace Site of the Riversleigh WHAA mekosuchine crocodilian and species of Pallimnarchus, described as having been more gracile than Pallimnarchus pollens. The species is valid, but now placed in the genus Paludirex.Quinkana meboldiSp. novValidWillisLate OligoceneWhite Hunter Site of the Riversleigh WHAA mekosuchine crocodilian. It was a smaller species of the genus Quinkana.
General pseudosuchian research A review of Australasian fossil crocodilians is published by Willis (1997).
Pterosaurs
Newly Named Pterosaurs Currently Valid Pterosaur Genera Named in 1997 Name Status AuthorsLocation Images Eosipterus Valid taxon Ji Ji
Non-avian dinosauromorphs Paleontologist Karen Chin received a coprolite that was excavated during 1995 from strata dating back to the Maastrichtian in Saskatchewan, Canada. The specimen was about 17 inches (44 cm) long and contained fragments of bone. Due to its size, contents and age, the coprolite was believed to have been the remains of Tyrannosaurus rex feces. This discovery was announced in a 1998 paper published in the journal Nature. A Saharan expedition under the leadership of Paul Sereno yielded fruit when a team member stumbled on the bones and skull of Nigersaurus taqueti. During this and a subsequent 1999 expedition about 80% of the animal's skeleton were discovered. Later in the year of the second expedition, a formal description of the animal was published. French paleontologist Philippe Taquet reported the finding of fossilized theropod embryos preserved in Portuguese dinosaur eggs. These eggs were from the Jurassic period dating to about 140 million years ago, nearly twice as old as any previously recovered dinosaur embryos, which had only been known from about 70 million years ago in Late Cretaceous strata. Psittacosaurus gastroliths documented.Xu (1997). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167. Panoplosaurus gastroliths documented.Carpenter (1997). Sanders, Manley, and Carpenter (2001), "Table 12.1" page 167.
Newly named non-avian dinosauromorphs Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
Name Status AuthorsLocation Notes Images ArchaeoceratopsDong, Z.M. and Y. Azuma. 1997. On a primitive neoceratopsian from the Early Cretaceous. In: Sino-Japanese Slik Road Dinosaur Expedition (Z.M. Dong, ed.). China Ocean Press, Beijing: pp. 68-89. Valid taxon Dong ZhimingAzuma GojirasaurusCarpenter, K. 1997. A giant coelophysoid (Ceratosauria) theropod from the Upper Triassic of New Mexico, USA. Neües Jahrbuch fur Geologie und Palaontologie, Abhandlungen, 205 (2): pp. 189-208. Valid taxon Kenneth Carpenter() HudiesaurusDong, Z.-M. 1997. A Gigantic Sauropod (Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum gen. et. sp. nov.) from the Turpan Basin, China. In: Sino-Japanese Silk Road Dinosaur Expedition (Z.-M. Dong, ed.). China Ocean Press: pp. 102-110. Valid taxon Dong Zhiming ProtarchaeopteryxJi, Q. and S. Ji. 1997. A Chinese archaeopterygian, Protarchaeopteryx gen. nov. Geological Science and Technology (Di Zhi Ke Ji) 238 (1997): pp. 38-41. Valid taxon Ji Q.Ji S. RincheniaBarsbold, 1997 vide Osmolska, H., P.J. Currie, and B. Barsbold. 2004. Oviraptorosauria, Chapter Eight: Holtz, T. R., Jr (2004) Tyrannosauroidea; Chapter Five. In: The Dinosauria (2nd edition, D.B. Weishampel, P. Dodson, and H. Osmolska, eds.). California University Press: pp. 165-183. Valid taxon Rinchen Barsbold vide: Halszka Osmólska Phillip CurrieRinchen Barsbold SiluosaurusDong, Z.-M. 1997. A small ornithopod from Mazongshan area, Gansu Province, China. In: Sino-Japanese Silk Road Dinosaur Expedition (Z.-M. Dong, ed.). China Ocean Press, Beijing: pp. 24–26. Nomen dubium. Dong Zhiming Unenlagia Valid taxon NovasPuerta
Birds
Newly named birds Name Status Novelty Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesAramus paludigrus Sp. nov. ValidD. Tab RasmussenMioceneHonda GroupAn Aramidae.Athene angelis Sp. nov. ValidCécile Mourer-Chauviré
Michelle Salotti
Elizabeth Pereira
Yves Quinif
Jean-Yves Courtois
Jean-Noël Dubois
Jean-Claude La MilzaMiddle PleistoceneCorsica:A Strigidae.Cathayornis caudatusSp. nov. ValidHou LianhaiEarly CretaceousValanginian,
Jiufotang FormationA member of Enantiornithes Walker, 1981. Originally described as a species of Cathayornis; subsequently made the type species of a separate genus Houornis.Chauvireria balcanica Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. ValidZlatozar N. BoevLate PlioceneMN 17A Phasianidae.Confuciusornis chuonzhous Sp. nov. Valid ?Hou LianhaiEarly CretaceousLower Yixian FormationA Confuciusornithidae Hou, Zhou, Gu et Zhang, 1995, possibly a synonym of Confuciusornis sanctus L. H. Hou, Zhou, Gu et Zhang, 1995.Confuciusornis suniae Sp. nov. Valid ?Hou LianhaiEarly CretaceousLower Yixian FormationA Confuciusornithidae Hou, Zhou, Gu et Zhang, 1995, possibly a synonym of Confuciusornis sanctus L. H. Hou, Zhou, Gu et Zhang, 1995.Cuspirostrisornis houi Gen. nov et Sp. nov. ValidHou LianhaiEarly CretaceousValanginian,
Jiufotang FormationAn Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Cuspirostrisornithidae Hou, 1997, this is the type species of the new genus.Eutreptodactylus itaboraiensis Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. ValidRobert F. Baird
Patricia Vickers RichLate PaleoceneSao Jose de ItaboraiDescribed in the Cuculidae, transferred to the Gracilitarsidae Mayr, 2001 by Mayr.Galbula hylochoreutes Sp. nov. ValidD. Tab RasmussenMioceneLa Victoria FormationA Galbulidae.Heliadornis paratethydicus Sp. nov. ValidJirí MlíkovskýLate PlioceneMN 15-16A Phaethontidae.Largirostrornis sexdentoris Gen. nov et Sp. nov. ValidHou LianhaiEarly CretaceousValanginian, Jiufotang FormationAn Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Cuspirostrisornithidae Hou, 1997, this is the type species of the new genus.Liaoningornis longidigitris Gen. nov et Sp. nov. ValidHou LianhaiEarly CretaceousYixian FormationAn Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Liaoningornithiformes L. H. Hou, 1997, Liaoningornithidae Hou, 1997, this is the type species of the new genus.Longchengornis sanyanensis Gen. nov et Sp. nov. ValidHou LianhaiEarly CretaceousValanginian,
Jiufotang FormationAn Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Cuspirostrisornithidae Hou, 1997, this is the type species of the new genus.Pasquiaornis hardiei Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. ValidTim T. Tokaryk
Stephen L. Cumbaa
John E. StorerEarly CretaceousCenomanian,
Ashville Formation:An Hesperornithiformes Fürbringer, 1888, Baptornithidae American Ornithologists’ Union, 1910, this is the type of the new genus.Pasquiaornis tankei Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. ValidTim T. Tokaryk
Stephen L. Cumbaa
John E. StorerEarly CretaceousCenomanian,
Ashville Formation:An Hesperornithiformes Fürbringer, 1888, Baptornithidae American Ornithologists’ Union, 1910.Pleistorallus flemingi Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. ValidTrevor H. WorthyPleistoceneWanganui SubdivisionA Rallidae.Rhynchopsitta phillipsi Sp. nov. ValidAmadeo M. ReaLate PleistoceneCave DepositsA Psittacidae.Rupelrallus saxoniensis Gen. nov et Sp. nov. ValidKarlheinz FischerMiddle OligoceneMP 23-24:A Gruiformes, Parvigruidae G. Mayr, 2005.Songlingornis linghensis Gen. nov et Sp. nov. ValidHou LianhaiEarly CretaceousValanginian,
Jiufotang FormationAn Ornithuromorphae Chiappe, Ji, Ji et Norell, 1999, Songlingornithidae Hou, 1997, this is the type species of the new genus.Vanellus madagascariensis Sp. nov. ValidSteven M. GoodmanHoloceneMadagascarA Charadriidae.Urmiornis brodkorbi Sp. nov. ValidAleksandr A. KarkhuEarly MioceneLower Tarkhanian-Burdigalian?An Eogruidae Wetmore, 1934, perhaps should be transferred to the genus Amphipelargus Lydekker, 1891.
Synapsids
Eutherians Name Status Authors Discovery year Age Unit Location Notes ImagesGranastrapotherium snorkiJohnson, Steven C. & Madden, Richard H. 1997. Uruguaytheriinae Astrapotheres of Tropical South America. Chapter 22 in Vertebrate Paleontology in the Neotropics. The Miocene Fauna of La Venta, Colombia. Edited by Richard F. Kay, Richard H. Madden, Richard L. Cifelli, and John J. Flynn. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington and London.ValidJohnson Madden1997Middle MioceneLa Victoria Formation Villavieja FormationAn astrapotherianXenastrapotherium aequatorialisValidJohnson Madden1997Early MioceneBiblián FormationAn astrapotherian, a species of XenastrapotheriumXenastrapotherium chaparralensisValidJohnson Madden1997Late Oligocene - Early MioceneTuné FormationAn astrapotherian, a species of Xenastrapotherium
Humans Genetecist Michael Hammer reported findings that demonstrate that after the initial "out of Africa" radiation of modern humans at about 100,000 years ago, some humans eventually returned to Africa between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago.
Exopaleontology Richard B. Hoover of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center photographs what he believes to be microfossils in the martian Murchison meteorite.
References