Arthropods
Cephalopods Three new species of extinct Octopoda discovered in 2009. The species – Keuppia hyperbolaris, Keuppia levante, and Styletoctopus annae – lived about 95 million years ago, and bear a strong resemblance to modern octopuses, suggesting that the Octopoda order has remained relatively unchanged for tens of millions of years. The fossils included evidence of arms, muscles, rows of suckers, ink, and internal gills. The discovery was made by a team led by Dirk Fuchs of the Freie University, which is located at Berlin, Germany.Rare fossil octopuses found, NBC News, March 18, 2009 The fossils were found at Hakel and Hadjoula, Lebanon., Palaeontology, Volume 52, Issue 1, Pages 65-81 Various new ammonoid taxa were named, including Ivoites.
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesKeuppiaGen et sp novValidFuchs, Bracchi, & Weis Upper Cenomanian Styletoctopusgen et sp novValidFuchs, Bracchi, & WeisUpper Cenomanian Ivoitesgen novValidDe Baets, Klug, & KornLower Emsian
Cartilaginous fish Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesGansuselacheGen. et sp. novValidWang et al.Late PermianFangshankou FormationA member of Hybodontoidea. Genus includes new species G. tungshengi.PapilionichthysGen. et sp. novValid Grogan LundCarboniferous (Serpukhovian)Bear Gulch LimestoneA member of Iniopterygidae. The type species is P. stahlae.RainerichthysGen. et sp. novValid Grogan LundCarboniferous (Serpukhovian)Bear Gulch LimestoneA member of Iniopterygidae. The type species is R. zangerli.
Bony fish Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesAphanius yerevanicusValid Vasilyan Reichenbacher CarnevaleLate Miocene A pupfish, a species of Aphanius.CarpathoserranoidesValid ProkofievOligocene A member of Percoidei. The type species is C. brnoensis; genus also includes C. polonicus.CaucasoserranoidesValid ProkofievOligocene A member of Percoidei. The type species is C. morozkiensis.EophryneValid Carnevale PietschEocene (late Ypresian) Monte Bolca locality A frogfish. The type species is Eophryne barbutii.GogosardinaValid Choo Long TrinajsticLate DevonianGogo Formation An early ray-finned fish. Genus includes new species G. coatesi.HeddleichthysValid SnittingFamennian (Late Devonian) Dura Den Formation HendrixellaValid Bannikov CarnevaleEocene (late Ypresian) Monte Bolca locality A member of Percoidei of uncertain phylogenetic placement. The type species is Hendrixella grandei.LanglieriaValid Clément Snitting AhlbergFamennian (Late Devonian) Evieux Formation OligoserranoidesValid ProkofievOligoceneAbkhazia A member of Percoidei. The type species is "Smerdis" budensis Heckel (1856); genus also includes "Serranus" comparabilis Daniltshenko (1960).RidewoodichthysValid TaverneEarly Paleocene An arowana; a new genus for "Brychaetus" caheni Taverne (1969). UngarniaValid ProkofievOligocene A member of Percoidei. The type species is "Serranus" transsylvanicus Bohm (1942).
Amphibians
Newly named amphibians
Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesBaphetes orientalis Valid Milner Milner WalshLate CarboniferousCratia Valid Báez Moura GómezLower CretaceousCrato FormationPossible stem neobatrachianEurycephalella Valid Báez Moura GómezLower CretaceousCrato FormationA hyloidNannaroter Valid Anderson Scott ReiszEarly PermianThe smallest known ostodolepid microsaurNesovtriton Valid SkutschasTuronianBissekty FormationA cryptobranchoid salamanderRegalerpeton Valid Zhang Wang Jones EvansEarly CretaceousHuajiying FormationA cryptobranchoid salamanderSpinarerpeton Valid KlembaraEarly PermianBoskovice FurrowA discosauriscid seymouriamorph
Basal reptiles
Newly named basal reptiles
Name Status Authors Discovery year Age Unit Location Notes ImagesAustralothyrisValid Modesto Scott ReiszMiddle PermianTapinocephalus Assemblage ZoneA basal parareptileProcolina.Valid Borsuk−Białynicka Lubkaearly Late OlenekianCzatkowice 1A procolophonine procolophonid
Turtles
Newly named turtles
Name Status Authors Discovery year Age Unit Location Notes ImagesAngolachelysValid Mateus Jacobs et al.Mateus, Jacobs, Polcyn, Schulp, Vineyard, Neto, Antunes.Turonian (Late Cretaceous)AurorachelysValid Vandermark Tarduno et al.Vandermark, Tarduno, Brinkman, Cottrell, Mason.Late CretaceousStrand Fiord FormationBasilochelysTong, H.; Claude, J.; Naksri, W.; Suteethorn, V.; Buffetaut, E.; Khansubha, S.; Wongko, K. & Yuangdetkla, P. (2009). "Basilochelys macrobios n. gen. and n. sp., a large cryptodiran turtle from the Phu Kradung Formation (latest Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous) of the Khorat Plateau, NE Thailand". In: Buffetaut, E.; Cuny, G.; Le Loeuff, J. & Suteethorn, V. (eds.). Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic Ecosystems in SE Asia. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 315: 229-243.Valid Tong Claude et al.Tong, Claude, Naksri, Suteethorn, Buffetaut, Khansubba, Wongko, Yuandetkla.Late Jurassic/Lower CretaceousPhu Kradung FormationCedrobaenaValid Lyson JoycePaleocene Fort Union FormationNew genus for "Plesiobaena" putorius Gaffney, 1972Chelonoidis alburyorumValid Franz FranzHoloceneA tortoise.ChinlechelysValid Joyce et al.Late Triassic (Norian)Bull Canyon FormationA basal member of Testudinata. The type species is C. tenertesta. The genus Chinlechelys was considered to be a junior synonym of the genus Proganochelys by Joyce (2017), though the author maintained C. tenertesta as a distinct species within the latter genus.DerrisemysJunior synonym HutchisonEarly PaleoceneJunior synonym of Hutchemys.Eileanchelys.Valid Anquetin Barrett et al.Anquetin, Barrett, Jones, Moore-Fay, Evans.Middle JurassicKilmaluag FormationHutchemysValid Joyce Revan Lyson DanilovPaleoceneFort Union Formation Tullock FormationA plastomenine softshell turtlesKinkonychelysValid Gaffney Krause ZalmoutLate CretaceousMaevarano FormationPalatobaena cohenValid Lyson JoyceMaastrichtian Hell Creek FormationA baenidPeckemysValid Lyson JoyceLate CretaceousHell Creek FormationA baenidPlastomenoidesJunior synonym HutchisonEarly PaleoceneJunior synonym of Hutchemys.
Archosauromorphs
Basal archosauromorphs Newly named basal archosauromorphs Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesCzatkowiellaValid Borsuk−Białynicka Evansearliest Late OlenekianCzatkowice 1A long−necked archosauromorph
Archosaurs
Lepidosauromorphs
Basal lepidosauromorphs Newly named basal lepidosauromorphs Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesPamelinaValid EvansEarly OlenekianCzatkowice 1A basal kuehneosauridSophinetaValid Evans Borsuk−Białynickaearliest Late OlenekianCzatkowice 1A basal lepidosauromorph
Plesiosaurs
In 2009, in Svalbard, Norway a new pliosaur was found by Jorn Hurum. It currently is codenamed as "Predator X."
Newly named plesiosaurs Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesGallardosaurusValid GaspariniLate Jurassic (Oxfordian)Jagua Formation Nichollssaura Valid Druckenmiller RussellEarly Cretaceous (Albian)Clearwater FormationReplacement name for Nichollsia Druckenmiller & Russell, 2008, preoccupied by an isopod genus Nichollsia Chopra & Tiwari, 1950RarosaurusDisputed KaddumiLate Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)A member of Polycotylidae. The type species is R. singularis.
Squamates Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesCarinodens minalmamarSp. novValidSchulp, Bardet & BouyaLate Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)A mosasaur.TitanoboaGen. et sp. novValidHead et al.Paleocene Cerrejón FormationIn February, the fossils of 28 individual T. cerrejonensis (Titanoboas) were announced to have been found in the coal mines of Cerrejón, La Guajira, Colombia.
Synapsids
Non-mammalian
Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesProtuberumValid Reichel Schultz SoaresMiddle Triassic (Ladinian)Santa Maria FormationRaranimusValid Liu Rubidge LiMiddle Permian (Roadian)Xidagou FormationYuanotheriumValid Hu Meng ClarkLate Jurassic (Oxfordian)Shishugou Formation
Mammals
Plants
Angiosperms Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesEucalyptolaurusgen et sp novValidCoiffard et al.uppermost Albian-lowermost Cenomanian Charente-Maritimes
Relevant research in other sciences
Evolutionary biology A study is published that proposes that females from certain taxa use ornaments as a criterion for mate choice because other dimorphic structures, like biological "weaponry" could be used to coerce or force them to mate. A study concludes that biotic factors have more pronounced local and short term evolutionary impacts than abiotic factors, which in turn have a more pronounced effect through time and on biodiversity as a whole.
Extinction A study noting the effects of the KT mass extinction on Earth's modern biota is published.
Geology
Ichnology
Paleobiogeography
Paleoecology
Footnotes
Complete author list As science becomes more collaborative, papers with large numbers of authors are becoming more common. To prevent the deformation of the tables, these footnotes list the contributors to papers that erect new genera and have many authors.
References