This list of fossil reptiles described in 2024 is a list of new taxa of fossil reptiles that were described during the year 2024, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to reptile paleontology that occurred in 2024.
Squamates NameNoveltyStatusAuthorsAgeType localityCountryNotesImagesCarinodens acrodonSp. novValidLongrich et al.Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)Ouled Abdoun BasinCryptobicuspidonGen. et sp. novIn pressCarvalho & SantucciEarly Cretaceous (Aptian)Quiricó FormationA member of Polyglyphanodontia. The type species is C. pachysymphysealis. Announced in 2023; the final article version will be published in 2024.ElectroscincusGen. et sp. novValidDaza et al.Cretaceous (Albian/Cenomanian)Burmese amberA skink. The type species is E. zedi.Halisaurus hebaeSp. novIn pressShaker et al.Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)Dakhla FormationA mosasaur belonging to the subfamily Halisaurinae. Announced in 2023; the final article version will be published in 2024.HibernophisGen. et sp. novCroghan et al.Oligocene (Rupelian)White River Formation()A member of Booidea of uncertain affinities. The type species is H. breithaupti.KhinjariaGen. et sp. novIn pressLongrich et al.Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)Ouled Abdoun BasinA mosasaur belonging to the subfamily Plioplatecarpinae. The type species is K. acuta.SegurasaurusGen. et comb. novBerrocal-Casero et al.Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)Tentúgal FormationA member of Pythonomorpha. The type species is "Carentonosaurus" soaresi.TerastiodontosaurusGen. et sp. novValidGeorgalis & Smith in Georgalis et al.Eocene (Ypresian-Lutetian)An amphisbaenian in the family Trogonophidae. The type species is T. marcelosanchezi.VasukiGen. et sp. novValidDatta & BajpaiMiddle Eocene (Lutetian)Naredi FormationA member of Madtsoiidae. The type species is V. indicus.Yaguarasaurus regiomontanusSp. novValidRivera-Sylva et al.Late Cretaceous (Turonian-Coniacian)Agua Nueva FormationA mosasaur belonging to the subfamily Plioplatecarpinae. Announced in 2023; the final article version was published in 2024.
Squamate research A study on the biogeography of squamates throughout their evolutionary history, providing evidence of a localized Pangaean origin (Africa, Australia, Eurasia and Sunda) of the squamate crown group in the Jurassic followed by strong regionalization to Eurasia for subsequent Jurassic lineages, is published by Wilenzik, Barger & Pyron (2024). New lizard assemblage, including fossil material of a pleurodontan iguanian, a teiioid and a possible scincoid, is described from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) Allen Formation (Argentina) by Garberoglio et al. (2024). Revision of the fossil material of Paleocene lizards from the Walbeck fissure filling (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) is published by Čerňanský & Vasilyan (2024), who interpret Camptognathosaurus parisiensis as a junior synonym of Glyptosaurus walbeckensis, resulting in a new combination Camptognathosaurus walbeckensis, tentatively assign C. walbeckensis to the family Lacertidae, and interpret fossils of Parasauromalus paleocenicus as belonging to an indeterminate lacertid. Čerňanský (2024) describes probable fossil material of the European green lizard from the Węże I locality in Poland, providing evidence of large geographic distribution of green lizards in Europe during the Pliocene. Fossil material of the oldest European member of the genus Eremias reported to date is described from the Pleistocene strata from the Taurida cave (Crimea) by Syromyatnikova & Tarasova (2024). An iguanian skull from the Paleogene White River Formation (Wyoming, United States), tentatively assigned to the species Aciprion formosum, is interpreted as the oldest and first definitive stem member of Crotaphytidae by Scarpetta (2024); the author also interprets Polrussia mongoliensis as possible member of the crown group of Pleurodonta, Magnuviator ovimonsensis as a possible stem pleurodontan and Afairiguana avius as a possible anole. De Queiroz et al. (2024) describe a probable juvenile anole specimen from the Dominican amber, and identify it as a trunk anole likely related to extant Anolis distichus. An anole tail, possibly belonging to a specimen of Anolis electrum, is described from the Miocene Mexican amber by De Queiroz et al. (2024). A study on frontals and maxillae of extant agamids from Australia and Papua New Guinea, and on the utility of these bones for identification of agamid taxa in the fossil record, is published by Ramm et al. (2024), who report that the studied bones diagnostic at the generic level and might provide information on the ecology of fossil agamids, but also that the studies relying on these elements would likely underestimate agamid species diversity. Čerňanský et al. (2024) describe glyptosaurid, palaeovaranid and varanid fossils from the earliest Eocene strata from the Dormaal site (Belgium) and transfer ?Placosaurus ragei to the glyptosaurid genus Gaultia, representing the first record of this genus outside North America. Revision of the fossil material and a study on the affinities of Pseudopus pannonicus is published by Loréal, Georgalis & Čerňanský (2024), who interpret the majority of large anguids from the Neogene of Europe as junior synonyms of P. pannonicus. Donato et al. (2024) identify skull remains of a Middle Pleistocene monitor lizard from Naracoorte's Fossil Chamber (Victoria Fossil Cave, Australia) as fossil material of the lace monitor. Garzon et al. (2024) describe an incomplete maxilla from the Turonian to Coniacian Middle Napo Formation of the Napo Group, representing the first finding of a mosasaurid from the Upper Cretaceous strata from Ecuador. Allemand et al. (2024) present reconstructions of brain endocasts of three specimens of Tethysaurus nopcsai, providing evidence of different endocranial organizations in Tethysaurus, Platecarpus and Clidastes, and find no evidence of closer endocranial resemblance of Tethysaurus to monitor lizards than other toxicoferans. Páramo-Fonseca et al. (2024) describe well-preserved chondrocranial elements of a mosasaur specimen from the Coniacian Galembo Formation (Colombia), indicating that chondrocranium of mosasaurs was more reduced than in most lizards, but not as severely as in snakes and amphisbaenians, and that its reduction might have been related to the modification of limbs by adaptation to aquatic life. The oldest fossil material of Platecarpus from Europe reported to date, as well as fossil material of Tylosaurus sp, is described from the Santonian localities in the Sougraigne area (Aude Department, France) by Plasse et al. (2024). Grigoriev, Zverkov & Nikiforov (2024) describe mosasaur remains from the Campanian strata from the Izhberda locality, including the first records of members of the subfamilies Tylosaurinae (including Taniwhasaurus, expanding known geographical range of the genus), Mosasaurinae and Plioplatecarpinae from the Upper Cretaceous strata from the Orenburg Oblast (Russia). Rempert, Martens & Vinkeles Melchers (2024) describe new fossil material of mosasaurs from the Upper Cretaceous strata in Mississippi (United States), providing evidence of the presence of Mosasaurus hoffmannii during the Maastrichtian and of cf. Platecarpus, an unnamed species of Plioplatecarpus from the Demopolis Chalk and probably of Tylosaurus sp. during the Campanian. A study on a skull of a specimen of Plioplatecarpus from the Campanian Bearpaw Shale (Alberta, Canada) preserved with a scleral ring is published by Holmes (2024), who interprets Plioplatecarpus as having a stereoscopic vision and capable of tracking quickly moving objects in light-poor conditions. Sharpe, Powers & Caldwell (2024) consider Xenodens calminechari to be nomen dubium, and interpret its type material as subjected to a forgery. López-Rueda et al. (2024) describe new mosasaur material from the Upper Cretaceous Labor-Tierna and Plaeners formations (Colombia), including the first record of a member of the genus Globidens from northern South America reported to date. Rempert, Martens & Vinkeles Melchers (2024) report the discovery of new mosasaur material from the Maastrichtian Peedee Formation (North Carolina, United States), including fossils of members of species associated with the northern and southern margin of the Mediterranean Tethys (Prognathodon cf. solvayi and Mosasaurus cf. beaugei), extending their known geographical range. Aniny et al. (2024) describe a trunk vertebra of Palaeophis cf. africanus from the Eocene deposits of the El Breij Depression (Western Sahara), expanding known geographical range of the species. Natarajan et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of Pterosphenus schucherti from the Eocene (Bartonian) Harudi Formation (India), and interpret the species P. biswasi and P. schweinfurthi as junior synonyms of P. schucherti. Garberoglio, Gómez & Caldwell (2024) describe fossil material of a large-bodied (estimated to be around 8 meters in total length) snake distinct from Titanoboa from the Paleocene Cerrejón Formation (Colombia) interpreted by the authors as an undetermined palaeophiine. Flores et al. (2024) describe remains of a snake belonging to the genus Lampropeltis from the probable Pleistocene strata from the McFaddin Beach (Texas, United States), providing the first evidence of presence of members of this genus on the Texan coast in the Pleistocene. Villa et al. (2024) describe vertebrae of indeterminate cobras from middle–late Miocene localities in the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia, Spain), providing evidence of presence of cobras in the Iberian Peninsula before the Messinian salinity crisis. The first known snake assemblage from early Clarendonian in North America is reported from the Penny Creek Local Fauna (Ash Hollow Formation; Nebraska, United States) by Jacisin & Lawing (2024), who interpret the studied fossils as indicative of a woodland-prairie environment with a permanent stream or river as a local water source. ElShafie (2024) presents novel methods which can be used to determine body size from isolated lizard bones and applies these methods to a sample of lizard bones from the Paleogene of North America. Ledesma et al. (2024) revise fossil material of late Pleistocene and Holocene lizards from Hall's Cave (Texas, United States), adding five new taxa to the known diversity of the cave fauna, and establish a procedure for making well-supported identifications for North American lizard fossils. Richter et al. (2024) report Late Pleistocene (~15.4 ± 1.14 ka and ~13.2 ± 1.14 ka respectively) fossils identifiable as Phrynosoma Cf. P. douglasii from the Coyote Canyon Mammoth Site, Benton County, Washington. These are the first confirmed Phrynosoma "horned toad" fossils identified from the Pacific Northwest.
Ichthyosauromorphs NameNoveltyStatusAuthorsAgeType localityCountryNotesImagesArgovisaurusGen. et sp. novMiedema et al.Middle Jurassic (Bajocian-Bathonian)Hauptrogenstein FormationAn ichthyosaur closely related to Ophthalmosauria. The type species is A. martafernandezi.IchthyotitanGen. et sp. novValidLomax et al.Late Triassic (Rhaetian)Westbury FormationPossibly a member of the family Shastasauridae. The type species is I. severnensis.Mixosaurus luxiensisSp. novValidFang, Wolniewicz & LiuMiddle Triassic (Anisian)Guanling FormationPlatypterygius elsuntuosoSp. novFonseca, Cabra, & CamachoEarly Cretaceous (Barremian)Paja Formation
Ichthyosauromorph research Liu, Wu & Qiao (2024) describe a new hupehsuchian specimen from the Lower Triassic strata in South China, identified as a new morphotype of Nanchangosaurus and preserving the first known fossil material of palate, zeugopodium and autopodium of Nanchangosaurus. Evidence from experiments with soft robotic models, indicative of a direct correlation between fin shape and the pitch torque generated while swimming in ichthyosauriforms, is presented by Sprumont et al. (2024).