Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils.[1] This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1989.
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Plants
Angiosperms
Nymphaeales
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen et sp nov | valid | Cevallos-Ferriz & Stockey | A permineralized waterlily genus |
Arthropods
Insects
Dipterans
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Empis orapaensis[4] | Sp nov | Waters | A dance fly fly. | |||||
Pseudoacarterus[5] | Gen et sp nov | Waters | A hybotine fly. |
Hemiptera
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Penaphis woollardi[6] | Sp nov | Jarzembowski | A gymnosperm feeding aphid |
Hymenoptera
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen et sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A dolichoderine ant | ||||
Aphaenogaster lapidescens[7] | Sp. nov | jr synonym | Zhang | Miocene | A myrmicine ant | |||
Aphaenogaster paludosa[7] | Sp. nov | jr synonym | Zhang | Miocene | A myrmicine ant genus | |||
Camponotus ambon[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A camponotine formicine ant. | |||
Camponotus ampullosus[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A camponotine formicine ant. | |||
Camponotus curviansatus[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A camponotine formicine ant. | |||
Camponotus gracilis[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A camponotine formicine ant. | |||
Camponotus longus[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A camponotine formicine ant. | |||
Camponotus microthoracus[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A camponotine formicine ant. | |||
Camponotus plenus[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A camponotine formicine ant. | |||
Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A dolichoderine ant. | ||||
Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A dolichoderine ant. | ||||
Gen et sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A dolichoderine ant | ||||
Euponera minutansata[7] | Sp. nov | jr synonym | Zhang | Miocene | ||||
Euponera nubeculata[7] | Sp. nov | jr synonym | Zhang | Miocene | ||||
Formica ceps[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A formicine ant. | |||
Formica linquensis[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A formicine ant. | |||
Formica ovala[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A formicine ant. | |||
Heteromyrmex[7] | Gen et sp. nov | jr homonym | Zhang | Miocene | A myrmicine ant | |||
Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A leptomyrmecine ant. | ||||
Lasius mordicus[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A lasiine ant. | |||
Lasius validus[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A lasiine ant. | |||
Lasius validus[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A lasiine ant. | |||
Leptogenys lacerata[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A ponerine ant. | |||
Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A tapinomine ant. | ||||
Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A tapinomine ant. | ||||
Miosolenopsis[7] | Gen et sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A myrmicine ant genus | |||
Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A amblyoponine ant. | ||||
Shanwangella[7] | Gen et sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A formicine ant genus | |||
Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A tapinomine ant. | ||||
Technomyrmex septentrionalis[7] | Sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A tapinomine ant. | |||
Gen et sp. nov | valid | Zhang | Miocene | A formicine ant genus |
Mecoptera
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fam nov | valid | Willmann | A scorpionfly family, |  |
Conodonts
German paleontologist and stratigrapher Heinz Walter Kozur (1942-2013) described the conodont genus Mesogondolella.
Sauropterygians
Plesiosaurs
| Name | Status | Authors | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Preoccupied | ChatterjeeSmall | preoccupied by the ant genus Turneria Forel, 1895; | ||
Plesiosaur research
- Plesiosaur gastroliths documented.[16]
Archosauriformes
Archosauromorphs
Pseudosuchians
| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revueltosaurus[17] | Valid non-dinosaurian taxon |
| Late Triassic (early-middle Norian) | A suchian. | ||||
Non avian dinosaurs
Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.[18]
| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abrosaurus[19] | Valid taxon |
| A macronarian. |  | ||||
| Asiaceratops[20] | Valid taxon |
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| Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) | ||||
| Atlascopcosaurus[21] | Valid taxon |
| Early Cretaceous (early Albian) | An ornithopod. | ||||
| Bihariosaurus[22] | Valid taxon |
| Early Cretaceous (Berriasian) | Bauxite deposits | An iguanodont | |||
| "Daptosaurus"[23] | Junior synonym of Deinonychus | Brown vide:
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| "Eucentrosaurus"[24] | Junior synonym of Centrosaurus |
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| Leaellynasaura[21] | Valid taxon |
| Early Cretaceous (early Albian) | An ornithopod. |  | |||
| "Tenantosaurus"[24] | Misspelling of Tenontosaurus | Brown vide:
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| Turanoceratops | Valid taxon |
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| Late Cretaceous (Turonian) | A ceratopsid. | |||
Birds
| Name | Status | Novelty | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid | Sp. nov. | Balouet & Olson | Cave deposits | An Accipitridae. | ||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | Balouet & Olson | Cave deposits | An Accipitridae. | ||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | Feduccia & Voorhies | Miocene | An Accipitridae | ||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | A Sturnidae. | ||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | Balouet & Olson | Cave deposits | A Columbidae. | ||||
Valid | Gen et sp. nov. | Hou | Yixibaila Formation | A Ciconiidae | ||||
Euronyctibius [29] | Valid | Gen et sp. nov. | First described as a Nyctibiidae | |||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | Balouet & Olson | Cave deposits | A Columbidae. | ||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | A Megapodiidae. | ||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | Balouet & Olson | Holocene | Cave deposits | A Megapodiidae. | |||
Valid | Gen et sp nov. | Ruiz | Early Cretaceous | A Concornithidae enantiornithine | ||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | Balouet & Olson | Cave deposits | A Rallidae. | ||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | Alcover | Cave deposits | |||||
Quercypodargus [29] | Valid | Sp. nov. | A Podargidae | |||||
Disputed | Sp. nov. | Balouet & Olson | Cave deposits | A rhynochetid kagu. | ||||
Rostratula minator [35] | Valid | Sp. nov. | Olson & Eller | Varswater Formation | ||||
Valid | Gen et sp nov. | Nessov & Yarkov | An Alexornithidae Enantiornithes | |||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | Balouet & Olson | Cave deposits | A Tytonidae. | ||||
Volgavis [36] | Valid | Gen et sp. nov. | Nessov & Yarkov | Late Cretaceous | A limnofregatine fregatid | |||
Youngornis qiluensis [37] | Valid | Sp. nov. | Yeh & Sun | A Rallidae. |
Pterosaurs
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References
- Chatterjee, Sankar and Small, Bryan J.; 1989; New plesiosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of Antarctica; 47 pp. 197–215 in Origins and Evolution of the Antarctic Biota, Geological Society Special Pub., edited by Crame, J.A.
- Sanders F, Manley K, Carpenter K. Gastroliths from the Lower Cretaceous sauropod Cedarosaurus weiskopfae. In: Tanke D.H, Carpenter K, editors. Mesozoic vertebrate life: new research inspired by the paleontology of Philip J. Currie. Indiana University Press; Bloomington, IN: 2001. pp. 166–180.