1989 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 1989.

Plants

Angiosperms

Nymphaeales

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Synonymized taxa	Notes	Images
Allenbya[2]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Cevallos-Ferriz & Stockey	Eocene Ypresian	Eocene Okanagan Highlands Princeton Chert	Canada British Columbia		A permineralized waterlily genus The type species is A. collinsonae Not to be confused with the odonate Allenbya from the Allenby Formation.[3]

Arthropods

Insects

Dipterans

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Empis orapaensis[4]	Sp nov		Waters	Cretaceous Turonian	Orapa Formation	Botswana	A dance fly fly.
Pseudoacarterus[5]	Gen et sp nov		Waters	Cretaceous Turonian	Orapa Formation	Botswana	A hybotine fly. The type species is P. orapaensis

Hemiptera

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Penaphis woollardi[6]	Sp nov		Jarzembowski	Cretaceous Hauterivian	Weald Clay	England	A gymnosperm feeding aphid

Hymenoptera

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Alloiomma[7]	Gen et sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A dolichoderine ant The type species is A. changweiensis
Aphaenogaster lapidescens[7]	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A myrmicine ant Moved to Paraphaenogaster lapidescens (2014)[8]
Aphaenogaster paludosa[7]	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A myrmicine ant genus Moved to Paraphaenogaster paludosa (2014)[8]
Camponotus ambon[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A camponotine formicine ant.
Camponotus ampullosus[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A camponotine formicine ant.
Camponotus curviansatus[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A camponotine formicine ant.
Camponotus gracilis[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A camponotine formicine ant.
Camponotus longus[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A camponotine formicine ant.
Camponotus microthoracus[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A camponotine formicine ant.
Camponotus plenus[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A camponotine formicine ant.
Dolichoderus evolans[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A dolichoderine ant.
Dolichoderus lacinius[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A dolichoderine ant.
Elaphrodites[7]	Gen et sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A dolichoderine ant The type species is E. scutulatus Also includes E. mutatus
Euponera minutansata[7]	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A ponerine ant. Moved to Pachycondyla minutansata (2014)[9]
Euponera nubeculata[7]	Sp. nov	jr synonym	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A ponerine ant. Moved to Pachycondyla nubeculata (2014)[9]
Formica ceps[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A formicine ant.
Formica linquensis[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A formicine ant.
Formica ovala[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A formicine ant.
Heteromyrmex[7]	Gen et sp. nov	jr homonym	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A myrmicine ant The type species is H. atopogaster Jr homonym of Heteromyrmex Wheeler (1920) Renamed Zhangidris (2003)[10]
Iridomyrmex shandongicus[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A leptomyrmecine ant. Heterick and Shattuck (2011) considered unidentifiable.[11]
Lasius mordicus[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A lasiine ant.
Lasius validus[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A lasiine ant.
Lasius validus[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A lasiine ant.
Leptogenys lacerata[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A ponerine ant.
Liometopum eremicum[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A tapinomine ant.
Liometopum potamophilum[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A tapinomine ant.
Miosolenopsis[7]	Gen et sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A myrmicine ant genus The type species is M. fossilis
Myopopone sinensis[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A amblyoponine ant.
Shanwangella[7]	Gen et sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A formicine ant genus The type species is S. palaeoptera Considered a jr synonym of Camponotus (2000)[12] Resurrected as valid (2022)[13]
Tapinoma baculum[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A tapinomine ant.
Technomyrmex septentrionalis[7]	Sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A tapinomine ant.
Tylolasius[7]	Gen et sp. nov	valid	Zhang	Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A formicine ant genus The type species is T. inflatus Deemed a jr synonym of Lasius (2001)[14]

Mecoptera

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Holcorpidae[15]	Fam nov	valid	Willmann	Eocene Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA Colorado	A scorpionfly family, The type genus is Holcorpa The type species is H. maculosa	Holcorpa maculosa

Conodonts

German paleontologist and stratigrapher Heinz Walter Kozur (1942-2013) described the conodont genus Mesogondolella.

Sauropterygians

Plesiosaurs

Name	Status	Authors		Notes
Turneria	Preoccupied	Chatterjee Small		preoccupied by the ant genus Turneria Forel, 1895; renamed Morturneria(1994)

Plesiosaur research

• Plesiosaur gastroliths documented.^[16]

Archosauriformes

Archosauromorphs

Pseudosuchians

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Revueltosaurus[17]	Valid non-dinosaurian taxon	Hunt		Late Triassic (early-middle Norian)	Bull Canyon Formation Petrified Forest Member	United States	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	Ouyang		Middle Jurassic (Bathonian-Callovian)	Xiashaximiao Formation	China	A macronarian.	Abrosaurus
Asiaceratops[20]	Valid taxon	Lev A. Nesov and Kaznyshkina vide: Lev A. Nesov Kaznyshkina	Cherepanov	Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)	Khodzhakul Formation	Uzbekistan	A leptoceratopsid.
Atlascopcosaurus[21]	Valid taxon	Thomas H. Rich	Patricia Vickers-Rich	Early Cretaceous (early Albian)	Eumeralla Formation	Australia	An ornithopod.
Bihariosaurus[22]	Valid taxon	Marinescu		Early Cretaceous (Berriasian)	Bauxite deposits	Romania	An iguanodont
"Daptosaurus"[23]	Junior synonym of Deinonychus	Brown vide: Chure	McIntosh
"Eucentrosaurus"[24]	Junior synonym of Centrosaurus	Chure	McIntosh
Leaellynasaura[21]	Valid taxon	Thomas H. Rich	Patricia Vickers-Rich	Early Cretaceous (early Albian)	Eumeralla Formation	Australia	An ornithopod.	Leaellynasaura
"Tenantosaurus"[24]	Misspelling of Tenontosaurus	Brown vide: Chure	McIntosh
Turanoceratops	Valid taxon	Lev A. Nesov and Kaznyshkina vide: Lev A. Nesov Kaznyshkina	Cherepanov	Late Cretaceous (Turonian)	Bissekty Formation	Uzbekistan	A ceratopsid.

Birds

Name	Status	Novelty	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Accipiter efficax [25]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Balouet & Olson	Holocene	Cave deposits	New Caledonia	An Accipitridae.
Accipiter quartus [25]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Balouet & Olson	Holocene	Cave deposits	New Caledonia	An Accipitridae.
Apatosagittarius [26]	Valid	Gen et Sp nov.	Feduccia & Voorhies	Miocene Late Clarendonian	Ash Hollow Formation	USA Nebraska	An Accipitridae The type species is A. terrenus
Aplonis diluvialis [27]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Steadman	Holocene	Huahine, Society Islands	French Polynesia	A Sturnidae.
Caloenas canacorum [25]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Balouet & Olson	Holocene	Cave deposits	New Caledonia	A Columbidae.
Eociconia [28]	Valid	Gen et sp. nov.	Hou	Middle Eocene	Yixibaila Formation	China	A Ciconiidae The type species is E. sangequanensis
Euronyctibius [29]	Valid	Gen et sp. nov.	Mourer-Chauviré	Eocene Late Eocene	Quercy Phosphorites Formation	France	First described as a Nyctibiidae transferred to Steatornithidae in 2013,[30] The type species is E. kurochkini
Gallicolumba longitarsus [25]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Balouet & Olson	Holocene	Cave deposits	New Caledonia	A Columbidae.
Megapodius alimentum [31]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Steadman	Holocene	Lifuka	Tonga	A Megapodiidae.
Megapodius molistructor [25]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Balouet & Olson	Holocene 1750 ± 70 YBP (Years Before Present)	Cave deposits	New Caledonia	A Megapodiidae.
Noguerornis [32]	Valid	Gen et sp nov.	Ruiz	Early Cretaceous Late Berriasian-Early Valanginian		Spain Catalonia	A Concornithidae enantiornithine The type species is N. gonzalezi.
Porphyrio kukwiedei [25]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Balouet & Olson	Holocene	Cave deposits	New Caledonia	A Rallidae.
Puffinus nestori [33]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Alcover	Late Pliocene	Cave deposits	Spain Ibiza	A Procellariidae.
Quercypodargus [29]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Mourer-Chauviré	Eocene Late Eocene	Quercy Phosphorites Formation	France	A Podargidae The type species is Q. olsoni.
Rhynochetos orarius [25]	Disputed	Sp. nov.	Balouet & Olson	Holocene	Cave deposits	New Caledonia	A rhynochetid kagu. Theuerkauf & Gula (2018) considered this a jr synonym of the extant R. jubatus.[34]
Rostratula minator [35]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Olson & Eller	Pliocene	Varswater Formation	South Africa	A Rostratulidae.
Sazavis [36]	Valid	Gen et sp nov.	Nessov & Yarkov	Late Cretaceous Coniacian	Bissekty Formation	Uzbekistan	An Alexornithidae Enantiornithes The type species is S. prisca
Tyto letocarti [25]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Balouet & Olson	Holocene	Cave deposits	New Caledonia	A Tytonidae.
Volgavis [36]	Valid	Gen et sp. nov.	Nessov & Yarkov	Late Cretaceous Latest Maastrichtian		Russia	A limnofregatine fregatid The type species is V. marina
Youngornis qiluensis [37]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Yeh & Sun	Middle Miocene	Shanwang Formation	China	A Rallidae.

Pterosaurs

Name Status Authors Notes Bogolubovia Valid Nesov A. A. Yarkov Mesadactylus Valid Jensen Padian Tapejara Valid Kellner