2010 in paleontology
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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 2010.
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Plants
Angiosperms
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
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Sp nov |
Valid |
Manchester, Xiang, and Xiang |
Oldest member of Cornus subgenus Cornus. |
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sp nov |
Valid |
Calvillo-Canadell, Cevallos-Ferriz & Rico-Arce |
Second Hymenaea sp. from Mexican amber |
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Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
McMurran & Manchester |
Green River Formation |
A fruit of uncertain affinity |
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Gen. nov. |
Valid |
Sender et al. |
Utrillas Formation |
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Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Bravia, Barone Lumagab, & Mickle |
Middle Albian |
Monti Alburni, near Petina |
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Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Shaolin Zheng & Xin Wang |
Middle Jurassic |
An early flowering plant. |
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Gen et sp nov |
Valid |
Xin Wang & Shijun Wang |
Middle Jurassic |
An early flowering plant. |
Molluscs
Main article: List of gastropods described in 2010 § Fossil gastropods |
Newly named bivalves
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen. nov. |
valid |
Sánchez |
Don Braulio Formation |
Replacement name for Emiliania Sánchez, 1999 preoccupied by Emiliania Hay & Mohler, 1967 |
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Erodona doellojuradoi[10] |
Sp. nov. |
valid |
Pérez, Iturerría & Griffin |
An erodonid. |
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Sp. nov. |
valid |
Pérez, Iturerría & Griffin |
A cyrenid. |
Arthropods
Main article: 2010 in arthropod paleontology |
Fishes
Main article: 2010 in paleoichthyology |
Amphibians
Newly named amphibians
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
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Late Viséan |
A colosteid. |
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Valid |
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Gzhelian |
A trematopid genus currently among the oldest known vertebrates with a primarily terrestrial lifestyle. |
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Valid |
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Santonian |
Advanced frog. |
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Valid |
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Middle/Upper Triassic |
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Pelobates fahlbuschi[15] |
Valid |
|
Miocene |
Basal reptiles
Newly named basal reptiles
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Lower Permian |
A basal parareptile. The species is M. mckinzieorum. |
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Valid |
|
Induan (early Triassic) |
The earliest known leptopleuronine procolophonid. | ||||
Valid |
|
Lower Permian |
A basal captorhinid. The species is Reiszorhinus olsoni. |
Ichthyopterygians
Newly named ichthyopterygians
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
A new genus for "Ophthalmosaurus" chirsorum (Russell, 1993). |
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Valid |
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Lower Albian |
The most complete and stratigraphically oldest known ichthyosaur from the Cretaceous of North America. | ||||
Valid |
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Middle Triassic |
A new genus for "Mixosaurus" panxianensis (Jiang, Schmitz, Hao & Sun, 2006). | ||||
Valid |
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Middle Triassic |
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Valid |
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Early Triassic |
A species of a possible ichthyopterygian genus Omphalosaurus. |
Lepidosauromorphs
Newly named plesiosaurs
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Norian |
Wilczek Formation |
A new elasmosaurid |
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Valid |
|
Lower Toarcian |
A pliosaur, a new genus for "Plesiosaurus" victor (Fraas, 1910). |
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Newly named basal lepidosaurs
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Carnian - Norian |
A basal lepidosaur. |
Newly named lizards
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Late Cenomanian |
Skrbina |
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Bavaricordylus molassicus[15] |
Valid |
|
Miocene (late Karpatian) |
A cordylid, a species of Bavaricordylus. |
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Valid |
|
Late Eocene, Ludian (Priabonian) |
Bembridge Limestone Formation |
An anguine lizard. The species is H. parva. |
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Heloderma welcommei[28] |
Valid |
|
Eocene |
An anguimorph lizard. Herman and Van Den Eeckhaut (2010) consider it to be a species of Heloderma (though the authors define the genus Heloderma more broadly than most herpetologists, and explicitly synonymize the glyptosaurine genus Placosaurus with it).[28] |
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Valid |
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Upper Campanian |
A scincomorph lizard. The species is K. grandeprairiensis. |
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Valid |
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Lower Cretaceous |
A scincogekkonomorph lizard. The species is L. acanthocaudata. |
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Valid |
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Early Cretaceous (late Berriasian-early Valanginan) |
A scincogekkonomorph lizard. The species is P. latifrontalis. |
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Tropidophorus bavaricus[15] |
Valid |
|
Miocene (late Karpatian) |
A lygosomine skink, a species of Tropidophorus. |
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Varanus debiei[28] |
Valid |
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Eocene |
Newly named snakes
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Late Miocene |
An alethinophidian snake, a species of Colombophis. |
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Valid |
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Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) |
A nigerophiid snake |
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Valid |
|
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) |
A madtsoiid snake |
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Micronatrix[34] |
Valid |
|
Late Miocene (Clarendonian) |
A natricine colubrid snake. The type species is Micronatrix juliescottae. |
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Valid |
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Maastrichtian |
A madtsoiid snake which preyed on hatchling sauropods. |
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Turtles
Newly named turtles
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Paleocene |
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Valid |
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Campanian |
A taphrosphyini bothremydid | ||||
Valid |
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Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) |
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Valid |
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Danian |
Beryozovaya beds |
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Valid |
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Late Cretaceous |
A nanhsiungchelyid turtle. | ||||
Valid |
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Early Cretaceous |
A macrobaenid turtle. | ||||
Valid |
|
Late Campanian |
A sea turtle. A new genus for "Euclastes" coahuilaensis (Brinkman et al., 2009).[43] | ||||
Valid |
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Miocene |
A sea turtle. | ||||
Valid |
|
Pliocene |
Tatrot Formation |
A species of Pangshura. | |||
Valid |
|
Late Cretaceous |
A trionychid with unclear systematic position, a species of Trionyx sensu lato. |
Archosauromorphs
Newly named basal archosauromorphs
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Ladinian/Carnian |
A basal archosauromorph. |
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Valid |
|
Middle Triassic |
A rhynchosaur. | ||||
Valid |
|
Quebrada de los Fósiles Formation |
The best-known basal archosauriform from South America. | ||||
Valid |
|
Alaunian (early Norian) |
A drepanosaurid that is known from MBSN 25, a partial skeleton (Partial postcranial skeleton). | ||||
Valid |
|
Late Triassic |
A rhynchosaur. A new genus for "Scaphonyx" sulcognathus (Azevedo & Schultz, 1987). | ||||
Valid |
|
Late Triassic |
A venomous archosauriform known only from isolated teeth. | ||||
Valid |
|
Alaunian (early Norian) |
A basal drepanosauromorph that is known from MCSNB 4783, a set of vertebrae and hindlimbs. |
Archosaurs
Main article: 2010 in archosaur paleontology |
Synapsids
Newly named non-mammalian synapsids
Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Lower Triassic |
Hongyanjing Formation |
A eucynodont. The type species is Beishanodon youngi. |
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Valid |
|
Middle Triassic? (Ladinian or Carnian) |
A cynodont. |
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Valid |
|
Early Triassic (Induan) |
A dicynodont. |
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Valid |
|
Carnian - Norian |
A brasilodontid cynodont. |
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Valid |
|
A pylaecephalid dicynodont. The type species is Prosictodon dubei. |
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Valid |
|
Upper Triassic |
A cynodont. The type species is Trucidocynodon riograndensis. |
Mammals
Main article: 2010 in mammal paleontology |
Other animals
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid |
|
Late Cambrian |
Tiñu Formation |
An animal of uncertain phylogenetic placement; it might be a bryozoan[58][59] or an octocoral.[60] The type species is Pywackia baileyi. |
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