2017 in paleontology

Flora

Cnidarians

Research Ou et al. (2017) consider early Cambrian species Galeaplumosus abilus and Chengjiangopenna wangii to be junior synonyms of Xianguangia sinica, interpret fossils attributed to members of these species as parts of the same organism and consider X. sinica to be likely stem-cnidarian. Pseudooides prima is interpreted as a cnidarian and a senior synonym of Hexaconularia sichuanensis by Duan et al. (2017). Fossilized cnidarian medusae are described from the Cambrian Zabriskie Quartzite (California, United States) by Sappenfield, Tarhan & Droser (2017), representing the oldest macrofossil evidence of cnidarian medusae from the Phanerozoic reported so far. A study on the morphology of phosphatic tubes of Sphenothallus from the Early Ordovician Fenxiang Formation (China), as well as the Silurian and Early Devonian of Podolia (Ukraine), and its implications for the evolution of symmetry in the body plan of cnidarians is published by Dzik, Baliński & Sun (2017). A study on the succession of coral assemblages through the Ordovician–Silurian transition in South China is published by Wang et al. (2017). A study on the extant and fossil stony corals, intending to determine whether fossil corals lived in symbiosis with photosynthesizing dinoflagellates, is published by Tornabene et al. (2017).

New taxa Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesAcanthophyllum filiformeSp. novValidCoen-AubertDevonian (Givetian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Ptenophyllidae.Acanthophyllum sougyiSp. novValidCoen-AubertDevonian (Givetian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Ptenophyllidae.Agetolites angullongensisSp. novValidZhen, Wang & PercivalLate OrdovicianAngullong FormationA tabulate coral.Aulohelia carbonicaSp. novValidNiko & FujikawaCarboniferous (Viséan)Akiyoshi Limestone GroupA tabulate coral.Bothrophyllum gorbachevensisSp. novValidFedorowskiCarboniferous (Bashkirian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Bothrophyllidae.Bothrophyllum kalmyussiSp. novValidFedorowskiCarboniferous (Bashkirian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Bothrophyllidae.Cambroctoconus kooriSp. novValidPeelCambrian Stage 4 or Stage 5Henson Gletscher FormationA possible member of Octocorallia.Charactophyllum mauritanicumSp. novValidCoen-AubertDevonian (Givetian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Disphyllidae.Charactophyllum soraufiSp. novValidCoen-AubertDevonian (Givetian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Disphyllidae.DianqianophyllumGen. et sp. novValidLiao & MaDevonian (Givetian)A rugose coral. Genus includes new species D. bianqingense.Dibunophylloides columnatusSp. novValidFedorowskiCarboniferous (Bashkirian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Aulophyllidae.Dibunophylloides paulusSp. novValidFedorowskiCarboniferous (Bashkirian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Aulophyllidae.Dibunophylloides similisSp. novValidFedorowskiCarboniferous (Bashkirian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Aulophyllidae.Dibunophyllum mediumSp. novValidFedorowskiCarboniferous (Bashkirian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Aulophyllidae.Enniskillenia multiseptataSp. novValidBamber & Rodríguez in Bamber et al.Carboniferous (Mississippian)A rugose coral.FungiaphylliaGen. et sp. novValidMelnikova & RoniewiczEarly Jurassic (Hettangian/Sinemurian–Pliensbachian)A stony coral belonging to the family Latomeandridae. The type species is Fungiaphyllia communis.GillismiliaNom. novValidLathuilière, Charbonnier & PacaudEarly Jurassic (Pliensbachian)A coral; a replacement name for Palaeocyathus Alloiteau (1956).Guembelastraea dronoviSp. novValidMelnikova & RoniewiczEarly Jurassic (Hettangian/Sinemurian)A stony coral belonging to the family Tropiastraeidae, a species of Guembelastraea.Lithostrotion termieriSp. novValidRodríguez & Somerville in Rodríguez, Somerville & SaidCarboniferous (Viséan)Azrou-Khenifra BasinA rugose coral belonging to the family Lithostrotionidae.Macgeea tourneuriSp. novValidCoen-AubertDevonian (Givetian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Phillipsastreidae.NinaGen. et 3 sp. et comb. novJunior homonymFedorowskiCarboniferous (Serpukhovian and Bashkirian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Bothrophyllidae. The type species is N. donetsiana; genus also includes new species N. dibimitaria and N. magna, as well as "Bothrophyllum" berestovensis Vassilyuk (1960). The generic name is preoccupied by Nina Horsfield (1829).Oppelismilia spectabilisSp. novValidMelnikova & RoniewiczEarly Jurassic (Hettangian/Sinemurian)A stony coral belonging to the family Oppelismiliidae, a species of Oppelismilia.Parepismilia dolichostomaSp. novValidMelnikova & RoniewiczEarly Jurassic (Hettangian–early Sinemurian)A stony coral belonging to the family Parepismiliidae, a species of Parepismilia.Parepismilia dronoviSp. novValidMelnikova & RoniewiczEarly Jurassic (Hettangian/Sinemurian)A stony coral belonging to the family Parepismiliidae, a species of Parepismilia.PeriplacotrochusGen. et comb. et sp. novValidCairnsLate Eocene to middle MioceneA flabellid coral. Genus includes P. deltoideus (Duncan, 1864), P. corniculatus (Dennant, 1899), P. elongatus (Duncan, 1864), P. pueblensis (Dennant, 1903), P. inflectus (Dennant, 1903) and P. magnus (Dennant, 1904), as well as new species P. cudmorei.Petrophyllia niimiensisSp. novValidNiko, Suzuki & TaguchiMioceneBihoku GroupA stony coral.Protomichelinia funafusensisSp. novValidNikoEarly PermianFunafuseyama LimestoneA tabulate coral belonging to the order Favositida and the family Micheliniidae.QinscyphusGen. et sp. novValidLiu et al.Cambrian (Fortunian)Kuanchuanpu FormationA probable crown jellyfish belonging to the family Olivooidae. The type species is Q. necopinus.Rozkowskia lentaSp. novValidFedorowskiCarboniferous (Bashkirian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Aulophyllidae.Scoliopora hosakaiSp. novValidNiko, Ibaraki & TazawaMiddle DevonianA tabulate coral belonging to the order Favositida and the family Alveolitidae.SinasterGen. et sp. novValidWang et al.Early CambrianKuanchuanpu FormationA member of Medusozoa belonging to the family Olivooidae. The type species is S. petalon.Stephanophyllia plattenwaldensisSp. novValidBaron-SzaboEarly Cretaceous (late Aptian to Albian)Garschella FormationA stony coral belonging to the family Micrabaciidae.SterictopathesGen. et sp. novValidBaliński & SunOrdovician (early Floian)Fenxiang Formation Honghuayuan FormationA black coral related to Sinopathes reptans. The type species is S. radicatus.VoragoaxumGen. et sp. novValidFedorowskiCarboniferous (Bashkirian)A rugose coral belonging to the family Aulophyllidae. The type species is V. cavum.Zaphrentites etheringtonensisSp. novValidBamber & Rodríguez in Bamber et al.Carboniferous (Mississippian)A rugose coral.Zaphrentites lerandiSp. novValidBamber & Rodríguez in Bamber et al.Carboniferous (Mississippian)A rugose coral.

Arthropods

Bryozoans

Research Epizoic bryozoans are reported on fossil crabs from the Miocene Mishan Formation (Iran) by Key et al. (2017).

New taxa