1986 in paleontology

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 1986.

Plants

Pinophytes

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type Strata	Location	Notes	Images
Abies milleri[2]	sp nov	Valid	Schorn & Wehr	Eocene Ypresian	Eocene Okanagan Highlands Klondike Mountain Formation	USA	One of the oldest fir species	Abies milleri

Angiosperms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type Strata	Location	Notes	Images
Macginicarpa[3]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA Oregon	A platanaceous infructescence genus. Type species M. glabra.
Macginistemon	Gen et comb nov	valid	(MacGinitie) Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA Oregon	A platanaceous stamen species. Moved from Calycites mikanoides 1941.
Macginitiea angustiloba[3]	Comb nov	valid	(Lesquereux) Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA Oregon	A platanaceous species. Moved from Aralia angustiloba 1878.
Platananthus[3]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Manchester	Middle Eocene	Clarno Formation	USA Oregon	A platanaceous staminate inflorescence genus. Type species P. synandrus.

Newly described insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type Strata	Location	Notes	Images
Stenolestes fischeri[4]	Sp nov	Valid	Nel	Chattian		France	A Sieblosiid damselfly.	Stenolestes fischeri

Molluscs

Bivalves

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type Strata	Location	Notes	Images
Buluniella[5]	gen et sp nov	nomen dubium	Jermak	Early Cambrian	"northern Siberia"	Russia	possible jr synonym of Pojetaia
Jellia[5]	gen et sp nov	junior synonym	Li & Zhou	Early Cambrian	Henan province	China	jr synonym of Pojetaia runnegari

Fish

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type Strata	Location	Notes	Images
Dwykaselachus[6]	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Oelofsen	Permian	Prince Albert Formation (Ecca Group)	South Africa	A member of Symmoriida.[7] The type species is D. oosthuizeni.

Dinosaurs

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[8]

Name	Status	Authors		Location	Notes	Images
Avaceratops[9]	Valid taxon	Dodson		USA ( Montana)		Avaceratops
Baryonyx[10]	Valid taxon	Alan J. Charig	Angela C. Milner	Spain England		Baryonyx
Conchoraptor[11]	Valid taxon	Rinchen Barsbold		Mongolia
Frenguellisaurus	Jr. synonym of Herrerasaurus	Fernando Novas		Argentina
Lapparentosaurus[12]	Valid taxon	Jose Bonaparte		Madagascar
Siamosaurus[13]	Valid taxon	Eric Buffetaut	Ingavat	Thailand		Siamosaurus
Xenotarsosaurus[14]	Valid taxon	Martinez Gimenez	Rodriguez Bochatey	Argentina

Newly named birds

Name	Status	Novelty	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Asiavis [15]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Nessov	Middle Eocene		Uzbekistan	A Cygninae,[16] type species A. phosphatica
Bubo insularis[17]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Mourer-Chauviré & Weesie	Late Pleistocene		France: Corsica; Italy: Sardinia	A Strigidae.
Eopuffinus[15]	Valid	Gen. et Sp. nov.	Nessov	Late Paleocene		Kazakhstan	A Procellariidae, type species E. kazachstanensis
Eurolimnornis[18]	Valid	Gen. et Sp. nov.	Kessler & Jurcsák	Early Cretaceous		Romania	A Eurolimnornithidae, type species is E. corneti.
Gallirallus ripleyi[19]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Steadman	Holocene	Mangaia	Cook Islands	A Rallidae.
Ichthyornis maltshevskyi [15]	jr synonym	Sp. nov.	Nessov	Coniacian	Bissekty Formation	Uzbekistan	Described as an Ichthyornithidae, transferred to Lenesornis maltshevskyi in Kurochkin, 1996.[20]
Nanantius [21]	Valid	Gen. et Sp. nov.	Molnar	Albian	Toolebuc Formation	Australia: Queensland	A Gobipteryginae Alexornithid, type species N. eos
Palaeocursornis [18]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Kessler & Jurcsák	Early Cretaceous		Romania	A Eurolimnornithidae, type genus P. biharicus
Pliogyps charon [22]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Becker	Late Miocene	Alachua Formation	USA: Florida	A Cathartidae.
Porzana rua [19]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Steadman	Holocene	Mangaia	Cook Islands	A Rallidae.

Plesiosaurs

New taxa

Name Status Authors Location Notes Images Tuarangisaurus Valid Wiffen Moisley Angola New Zealand A Plesiosaur from New Zealand Tuarangisaurus

Pterosaurs

• Fossil jaw fragments containing multicusped teeth were found in Dockum Group rocks in western Texas.^[23] One fragment, apparently from a lower jaw, contained two teeth, each with five cusps.^[23] Another fragment, from an upper jaw, also contained several multi-cusped teeth.^[23] These finds are very similar to the pterosaur genus Eudimorphodon and may be attributable to this genus, although without better fossil remains it is impossible to be sure.^[23]

New taxa

Name Status Authors Notes Phobetor Junior Synonym Bakhurina Synonym of Noripterus.

Synapsids

Mammals

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type Strata	Location	Notes	Images
Hulitherium tomasetti[24]		Valid	Tomasetti & Plane	Pleistocene		Papua New Guinea	A Diprotodont Metatherian.
Rostriamynodon grangeri[25]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Wall & Manning	Early late Eocene	Irdin Manha Formation	China	An amynodontid