This list records new taxa of fossil fish that were announced or described in 2026. Other peer-reviewed publications on discoveries related to fish paleontology which occurred in that year are also detailed here.
Jawless vertebrates Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Country Notes ImagesAsioaspisGen. et sp. novValidZhang et al.Devonian (Lochkovian)Xishancun FormationA member of Galeaspida belonging to the group Polybranchiaspiformes. The type species is A. brachyotus.BataspisGen. et sp. novValidMeng et al.Devonian (Lochkovian)Xishancun FormationA member of Galeaspida belonging to the family Tridensaspidae. The type species is B. crux.PlatyrhakisGen. et comb. novValidEl Fassi El Fehri et al.Devonian (Lochkovian)Lower Old Red SandstoneA member of Zenaspidida of uncertain affinities. The type species is "Cephalaspis" traquairi Stensiö (1932).RochtargeGen. et comb. novValidEl Fassi El Fehri et al.Devonian (Lochkovian)Lower Old Red SandstoneA member of Osteostraci of uncertain affinities. The type species is "Cephalaspis" watsoni Stensiö (1932); genus also includes "Cephalaspis" spinifer Stensiö (1932) and "Cephalaspis" cwmmillensis White & Toombs (1983).SaigheadaspisGen. et comb. novValidEl Fassi El Fehri et al.Devonian (Lochkovian)Lower Old Red SandstoneA member of Osteostraci of uncertain affinities. The type species is "Cephalaspis" websteri Stensiö (1932).Traquairosteus priusSp. novValidGlinskiy & Bolshiyanov in Glinskiy et al.Devonian (Givetian)()A member of the family Psammosteidae.XihaiaspisGen. et sp. novValidZhang et al.Silurian (Telychian)Qingshui FormationA member of Galeaspida belonging to the family Dayongaspidae. The type species is X. wuningensis.YmersaspisGen. et comb. novValidEl Fassi El Fehri et al.Devonian (Lochkovian)Lower Old Red SandstoneA member of Osteostraci of uncertain affinities. The type species is "Eucephalaspis" agassizi Lankester (1870).
Jawless vertebrate research Evidence of presence of a pair of lateral eyes and pineal/parapineal organs likely functioning as camera-type eyes capable of image formation is reported in 6 specimens of Haikouichthys and 4 specimens of indeterminate myllokunmingids by Lei et al. (2026). Evidence from the study of eyes of Gilpichthys greenei, Myxinikela siroka and Squirmarius testai, indicative of gradual reduction and loss of complexity of hagfish eyes throughout the Paleozoic that likely happened before hagfish colonization of the continental slope, is presented by McCoy et al. (2026). Schnetz et al. (2026) present a revised reconstruction of the oral apparatus of Athenaegis chattertoni. Reeves et al. (2026) provide new information on the anatomy of Jamoytius and Lasanius, including evidence of vertebrate biomineralization in both taxa and evidence of presence of complex camera-eye vertebrate eyes in Jamoytius. A study on the anatomy and affinities of Tyriaspis whitei is published by Li & Blom (2026).
Placoderms Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Country Notes ImagesCuanyuGen. et sp. novWen et al.Devonian (Lochkovian)Xitun FormationA member of the family Actinolepidae. The type species is C. liui.PanjiangosteusGen. et sp. novValidXue et al.Devonian (Pragian)Posongchong FormationAn antarctaspid placoderm. The type species is P. eurycephala.YipetalichthysGen. et sp. novPan et al.Devonian (Eifelian)Shangshuanghe FormationA quasipetalichthyid placoderm. The type species is Y. maxiongensis.
Placoderm research He et al. (2026) provide new information on the anatomy of Entelognathus primordialis and Qilinyu rostrata, revising earlier descriptions of their opercular morphologies. Redescription of the anatomy and a study on the affinities of Bothriolepis yunnanensis is published by Yan et al. (2026). A study on the mandible biomechanical performance and dental complexity in eight eubrachythoracid placoderms from the Devonian Gogo Formation (Australia), providing evidence of different adaptations to feeding on hard objects in the studied taxa (interpreted as likely linked to the relative size of prey to predator), is published by Mitchell et al. (2026).
Cartilaginous fishes Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Country Notes ImagesCurvorudentisGen. et comb. novValidBegat et al.Middle and Late Jurassic (Callovian to Kimmeridgian)A member of Galeomorphii of uncertain affinities. The type species is "Synechodus" prorogatus Kriwet (2003).Echinochimaera curvaSp. novItanoCarboniferous (Viséan)St. Louis Formation()EoscylliumGen. et comb. novValidDelsateJurassic (Toarcian-Kimmeridgian)A carpet shark, probably a member of the family Hemiscylliidae. The type species is "Heterodontus" duffini Thies (1983).Galeorhinus semiserratusSp. novValidCicimurri, Ebersole & BowmanEocene (Priabonian)Tupelo Bay Formation()A species of Galeorhinus.GeorgaelloNom. novValidGreenfieldLate JurassicA replacement name for Aellopos Münster (1836)Listracanthus shaoyangensisSp. novFang et al.Permian (Wuchiapingian)Longtan FormationLonchidion minimorsusSp. novKeeble et al.Late TriassicChinle Formation()LonchidionoidesGen. et sp. novValidVullo et al.Cretaceous (Barremian–Cenomanian)Tiout FormationA member of Hybodontiformes belonging to the family Lonchidiidae. The type species is L. trifurcatum.MagwayodusGen. et sp. novAdnet et al.Eocene (Priabonian)Yaw FormationA requiem shark. The type species is M. boboi.Palaeobrachaelurus vanessaeSp. novValidDelsateJurassic (Toarcian-Bajocian)A member of the family Brachaeluridae.Parvodus gracilianiSp. novRibeiro & FrançaLate JurassicAliança FormationA member of Hybodontiformes belonging to the family Lonchidiidae.Polyacrodus microdonSp. novWen et al.Early TriassicLuolou FormationA member of Hybodontiformes.ThiesoscylliumGen. et 2 sp. novValidDelsateJurassic (Toarcian-Bajocian)A carpet shark, probably a member of the family Hemiscylliidae. The type species is T. underwoodi; genus also includes T. felteni.TuyuriaGen. et sp. novLebedev in Lebedev et al.Carboniferous (Viséan)()A member of Edestoidea. Genus includes new species T. insolita.
Cartilaginous fish research Kang et al. (2026) describe a new morphotype of ischnacanthid acanthodian jawbone from the Silurian strata from Estonia with a combinations of teeth covered with a white dental tissue and oral denticles without such tissue, reconstruct the growth series of the studied morphotype, report evidence of incomplete orthodentine mineralization in the white teeth (unlike in the denticles), and interpret these findings as evidence of possibilities of evolution of novel hard tissues through changes of their developmental processes. A new assemblage of cartilaginous fish fossils, including the oldest record of Glikmanius occidentalis reported to date, is described from the Carboniferous (Bashkirian) Pottsville Formation (Alabama, United States) by Egli (2026). Maisey (2026) describes the internal morphology of the holotype braincase of Tamiobatis vetustus, and considers the species to be founded upon the type specimen inadequate for definitive diagnosis. A study on the morphology, histology and growth pattern of fin spines of Wellerodus priscus is published by Flament et al. (2026). Bhat et al. (2026) describe a partially preserved Meckel's cartilage of a possible member of Eugeneodontiformes from the Permian strata of the Zewan Formation, representing the first finding of non-dental fossil material of a Permian cartilaginous fish in Kashmir. Duffin & Schweigert (2026) report the first discovery of fossil material of Chimaeropsis paradoxa from the Kimmeridgian strata of the Nusplingen Limestone (Germany). Manzanares et al. (2026) report evidence of preservation of whitlockite in dental plates of chimaeras from the Paleocene and Eocene strata in the United Kingdom. New fossil material of Phoebodus saidselachus, providing new information on the anatomy of members of this species, is described from the Devonian (Famennian) strata from eastern Anti-Atlas (Morocco) by Klug et al. (2026) . Velin et al. (2026) report the discovery of calcified cartilage from the Upper Triassic Chinle and Tecovas formations (Arizona and Texas, United States), interpreted as likely coming from xenacanthiform or hybodontiform sharks. Zhao et al. (2026) describe teeth of members of four euselachian taxa from the Ladinian-Carnian strata of the Falang Formation (Guizhou and Yunnan, China) with three-dimensional preservation of dental microstructure, confirming that that the assemblage including the studied teeth was dominated by non-durophagous sharks. The oldest fossil material of a hybodontiform shark from Mexico reported to date is described from the Permian (Wordian) strata of the Las Delicias Formation by Cantalice et al. (2026). A tooth of an indeterminate hybodontiform representing the first confirmed fossil material of a cartilaginous fish from the Reifling Basin is described from the Carnian strata from the Scheiblingbach Lagerstätte (Austria) by Stumpf, Lukeneder & Winkler (2026). Evidence of differences in the structure of enameloid of Priohybodus arambourgi and modern sharks (in spite of similarities in external morphology of their teeth) is presented by Silva, Gallo & Eltink (2026). Trikolidi, Golubev & Novikov (2026) describe teeth of members of the genus Strophodus from the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian and Hauterivian) strata from Crimea, expanding known geographical range of the genus. New fossil material of distobatid, hybodontid and lonchidiid hybodontiform sharks is described from the Cenomanian Alcântara Formation (Brazil) by Neves et al. (2026), providing evidence of biogeographic links between Cretaceous shark assemblages from South America and Africa. Gardiner et al. (2026) reconstruct changes of neoselachian diversity patterns throughout the last 145 million years, reporting evidence of a long-term diversity increase during the Cretaceous, approximately 10% decline in diversity during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, mid-Eocene diversity peak and gradual decline afterwards. Lopyrev, Popov & Ward (2026) argue that exclusion of the genus Eychlaodus from the family Orthacodontidae proposed by Villalobos-Segura et al. (2025) was based on erroneous interpretation of its morphology, and retain Eychlaodus as a valid genus for "Oxyrhina" lundgreni Davis (1890). Evidence of complexity of microstructure of enameloid in teeth and in denticles covering the elongated rostra of members of Sclerorhynchoidei, present in members of the group with diverse morphologies, is presented by Chateauneuf-Gautier & Guinot (2026). Türtscher, Jambura & Kriwet (2026) describe the skeletal anatomy of Myledaphus bipartitus, and recover it as a member of Rhinopristiformes. Redescription and a study on the affinities of Bavariscyllium tischlingeri is published by Stumpf et al. (2026). The youngest confirmed fossil material of Megascyliorhinus miocaenicus reported to date is described from the Pliocene (Piacenzian) strata from Castelfiorentino (Italy) by Collareta et al. (2026). A new assemblage of lamniform shark fossils, including possibly the youngest record of Scapanorhynchus cf. raphiodon reported to date, is described from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) strata of the Duwi Formation (Egypt) by Yassin et al. (2026). The first confirmed record of teeth of Ptychodus whipplei from South America is reported from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian–Maastrichtian) Itamaracá Formation (Brazil) by Assumpção et al. (2026). Santos Granzotti, Modesto Alves & Bampi (2026) revise the affinities of confirmed and purported fossil members of Alopiidae on the basis of the study of their dental characters. Baptista et al. (2026) report the discovery of a tooth of Otodus megalodon at the Rio Grande Rise, providing evidence of presence of the species in southern Atlantic Ocean during the early–middle Miocene.