2001 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 2001.

Plants

Pteridophyta

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Wessiea[2]	gen et sp nov	Valid	Pigg & Rothwell	Langhian (Middle Miocene)	"Ho ho" site, Grande Ronde Basalt.	USA	A fern, type sp W. yakimaensis

Conifers

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Metasequoia foxii[3]	sp nov	Valid	Stockey, Rothwell, & Falder	late Tiffanian	Munce's Hill and Gao mine sites, Paskapoo Formation	Canada

Angiosperms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Trochodendron nastae[4]	sp nov	Valid	Pigg, Wehr, & Ickert-Bond	Ypresian	Tom Thumb Tuff, Klondike Mountain Formation	USA	A Trochodendron species	Trochodendron nastae

Arthropods

Crustaceans

Research

• Guinot and Tavares (2001) reviews the concept of Podotremata and establishes the family Etyidae.^[5]

New taxa

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Archaeopus lunicarina [6]	Sp nov		Schweitzer & Feldmann	Cretaceous Late Campanian - Maastrichtian	Matanuska Formation	US Alaska	A retroplumid crab
Brecanclawu[6]	Gen et sp nov		Schweitzer & Feldmann	Eocene	Twin River Group Hoko River Formation	US Washington	A possible callianassid ghost shrimp The type species is B. rathbunae
Callianopsis? inornatus[6]	Sp nov		Schweitzer & Feldmann	Eocene	Twin River Group Hoko River Formation	US Washington	A callianassid ghost shrimp of uncertain generic affinity.
Ctenocheles hokoensis[6]	Sp nov		Schweitzer & Feldmann	Eocene	Twin River Group Hoko River Formation	US Washington	A possible ctenochelid ghost shrimp
Eucorystes platys[6]	Sp nov		Schweitzer & Feldmann	Cretaceous Albian	Hudspeth Formation	US Oregon	A palaeocorystine frog crab.
Feldmannia[5]	Gen et comb nov	Valid	Guinot & Tavares	Early Cretaceous (Albian)	Paw Paw Formation	USA ( Texas)	An etyid crab, type species is F. wintoni, originally named as Xanthosia wintoni in 1935.
Glyphea micheleae[6]	Sp nov		Schweitzer & Feldmann	Eocene Lutetian	Aldwell Formation?	USA Washington	A glypheid glypheoid lobster species.
Hoploparia tshudy[6]	Sp nov		Schweitzer & Feldmann	Cretaceous late Albian - late Cenomanian	Moonshine Creek Formation	US Alaska	A nephropid lobster sp.
Paguristes hokoensis[6]	Sp nov		Schweitzer & Feldmann	Eocene	Twin River Group Hoko River Formation	US Washington	A Diogenid hermit crab species.
Pagurus malloryi[6]	Sp nov		Schweitzer & Feldmann	Oligocene	Makah Formation Jansen Creek Member	US Washington	A Diogenid hermit crab species.
Palaeastacus trisulcatus[6]	Sp nov		Schweitzer & Feldmann	Cretaceous Cenomanian	Antelope Shale	US California	A erymid glypheoid lobster species.
Palaeopentacheles? starri[6]	Sp nov		Schweitzer & Feldmann	Oligocene	Makah Formation	US Washington	A Polychelid benthic crustacean sp. of uncertain generic affinity.
Secretanella[5]	Gen et comb nov	Valid	Guinot & Tavares	Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)		Madagascar	A crab belonging to Heterotremata, type species is S. arcuata, originally named as Xanthosia arcuata in 1964.

Insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Electromyrmococcus[7]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Williams	Burdigalian (Miocene)	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A Coccoidea scale insect	Electromyrmococcus abductus in the jaws of Acropyga glaesaria
Palaeopsychops[8]	Gen et 4 sp nov	valid	Andersen	Ypresian	Fur Formation	Denmark	An ithionid giant lacewing Type species P. latifasciatus, also includes P. abruptus, P. angustifasciatus, and P. maculatus
Tainosia[9]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Szwedo & Stroiński	Burdigalian (Miocene)	Dominican amber	Dominican Republic	A nogodinid frog hopper

Fishes

Newly named bony fishes

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Achoania[10]	Valid	Zhu Yu Ahlberg	Early Devonian	Xitun Formation	China	The type species is Achoania jarvikii.
Westollrhynchus[11]	Valid	Schultze	Early Devonian	Bear Rock Formation	Canada	A new genus for "Speonesydrion" lehmanni.

Amphibians

Newly named amphibians

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Mesophryne[12]	Valid	Gao Shubin	Late Jurassic	Yixian Formation	China	The type species is Mesophryne beipiaoensis.
Nezpercius[13]	Valid	Blob Carrano Rogers Forster Espinoza	Upper Cretaceous	Judith River Formation	USA	The type species is Nezpercius dodsoni.
Sinerpeton[12]	Valid	Gao Shubin	Late Jurassic	Zhangjiakou Formation	China	The type species is Sinerpeton fengshanensis.

Ichthyosaurs

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Metashastasaurus[14]	Synonymy	Nichollis Manabe	Late Triassic	Pardonet Formation	Canada	A new genus for "Shastasaurus" neoscapularis. A junior synonymy of Callawayia Maisch & Matzke, 2000.

Turtles

Newly named turtles

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Caribemys[15]	Valid	de la Fuente Iturralde-Vinent	Upper Jurassic	Jagua Formation	Cuba	The type species is Caribemys oxfordiensis.
Cearachelys[16]	Valid	Gaffney Campos Hirayama	Early Cretaceous	Santana Formation	Brazil	The type species is Cearachelys placidoi.
Kurmademys[17]	Valid	Gaffney Chatterjee Rudra	Late Cretaceous	Kallamedu Formation	India	The type species is Kurmademys kallamedensis.

Lepidosauromorphs

Newly named basal lepidosauromorphs

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Hypuronector[18]	Valid	Colbert Olsen	Late Triassic	Lockatong Formation	USA	The type species is Hypuronector limnaios.

Newly named plesiosaurs

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Hauffiosaurus[19]	Valid	O'Keefe	Lower Jurassic	Posidonia Shale Formation	Germany	The type species is Hauffiosaurus zanoni.	Hauffiosaurus

Newly named sphenodonts

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Godavarisaurus[20]	Valid	Evans Prasad Manhas	Early Jurassic	Kota Formation	India	The type species is Godavarisaurus latefi.
Rebbanasaurus[20]	Valid	Evans Prasad Manhas	Early Jurassic	Kota Formation	India	The type species is Rebbanasaurus jani.

Archosauromorphs

Newly named basal archosauromorphs

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Yonghesuchus[21]	Valid	Wu Liu Li	Upper Triassic	Tongchuan Formation	China	The type species is Yonghesuchus sangbiensis.

Newly named pseudosuchians

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Mekosuchus sanderi[22]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Willis	Early Miocene	Ringtail Site of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area	Australia	A mekosuchinae crocodilian. It is the youngest known species of Mekosuchus from the Australian mainland.
Pabwehshi[23]	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Wilson, Malkani & Gingerich	Upper Cretaceous	Pab Formation	Pakistan	The type species is Pabwehshi pakistanensis.
Rugosuchus[24]	Gen. et. sp. nov	Valid	Wu, Wu & Russell	Lower Cretaceous	?Nenjiang Formation	China	The type species is Rugosuchus nonganensis.
Stratiotosuchus[25]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Campos et al.	Upper Cretaceous	Adamantina Formation	Brazil	The type species is Stratiotosuchus maxhechti.

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[26]

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Aletopelta[27]	Valid taxon	Ford James Kirkland		Point Loma Formation	USA ( California)	A 20-foot-long (6.1 m) ankylosaurid. Apparently, before being fossilized, the animal's bloated carcass had floated out to sea and formed a miniature reef environment after it sank to the bottom.	Aletopelta Citipati Gobisaurus Hesperosaurus Khaan Masiakasaurus had a unique jaw configuration with projecting teeth. Nothronychus Megapnosaurus Paralititan Rapetosaurus
Bienosaurus[28]	Valid taxon	Dong Zhiming		Lower Lufeng Formation	China	A primitive scelidosaurid known from scant remains.
Cedarpelta[29]	Valid taxon	Kenneth Carpenter James Kirkland et al.[CAL 1]		Cedar Mountain Formation	USA	The most basal known ankylosaurid.
Citipati[30]	Valid taxon	James M. Clark Mark Norell Rinchen Barsbold		Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	A relatively large oviraptorid known to brood its nests.
Draconyx[31]	Valid taxon	Octávio Mateus Antunes		Lourinhã Formation	Portugal	A relative of Camptosaurus.
Eotyrannus[32]	Valid taxon	Hutt Naish et al.[CAL 2]		Wessex Formation	UK	A twenty-foot tyrannosauroid.
Eshanosaurus[33]	Valid taxon	Xu Xing Zhao Xijin James M. Clark		Lower Lufeng Formation	China	A therizinosaur, possibly the earliest known coelurosaur.
Gobisaurus[34]	Valid taxon	Matthew K. Vickaryous Anthony P. Russell et al.[CAL 3]		Ulansuhai Formation	China	An ankylosaurid that resembled Shamosaurus.
"Hanwulosaurus"[35]	Nomen nudum	Anonymous			China	A thirty-foot ankylosaur.
"Heilongjiangosaurus"[36]	Nomen nudum	Li W. Jin J.			China	A hadrosaur, possibly synonymous with Charonosaurus.
Hesperosaurus[37]	Valid taxon	Kenneth Carpenter Miles Cloward		Morrison Formation	USA	A stegosaurid slightly older and more primitive than Stegosaurus, although the genera may be synonymous.
Jiangshanosaurus[38]	Valid taxon	Tang F. Kang et al.[CAL 4]			China	A titanosaur known only from a partial skeleton found near Lixian Village, China.
Jinzhousaurus[39]	Valid taxon	Wang X. Xu Xing		Yixian Formation	China	A hadrosauroid known from a nearly complete skeleton.
Khaan[30]	Valid taxon	James M. Clark Mark Norell Rinchen Barsbold		Djadochta Formation	Mongolia	A fairly typical oviraptorid once misidentified as Ingenia.
"Kittysaurus"	Junior synonym of Eotyrannus	Hargreaves		Wessex Formation	UK
Liaoningosaurus[40]	Valid taxon	Xu Xing Wang X. You		Yixian Formation	China	A bizarre ankylosaur of uncertain classification. Known from the complete specimen of a juvenile 34 cm long, it's the smallest known ankylosaur to date.
Losillasaurus[41]	Valid taxon	Maria Lourdes Casanovas-Cladellas Santafe Sanz		Villar del Arzobispo Formation	Spain	A large turiasaur known from a partial subadult skeleton.
Masiakasaurus[42]	Valid taxon	Sampson Carrano Forster	Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)	Maevarano Formation	Madagascar	A 2-meter (about 6–7 feet) noasaurid with unusual forward-pointing teeth.
Megapnosaurus[43]	Valid taxon	Ivie Slipinski Wegrzynowicz			South Africa Zimbabwe	Replacement name for Syntarsus Raath, 1969 non Fairmaire, 1869; a coelophysid theropod.
Neimongosaurus[44]	Valid taxon	Zhang X. H. Xu Xing et al.[CAL 5]		Iren Dabasu Formation	China	A therizinosaur about 2.3 meters in length.
Nothronychus[45]	Valid taxon	James Kirkland Wolfe	Late Cretaceous (Turonian)	Moreno Hill Formation	USA	A therizinosaur.
Paralititan[46]	Valid taxon	J. B. Smith Lamanna et al.[CAL 6]		Bahariya Formation	Egypt	A titanosaur and of the most massive dinosaurs ever discovered, with an estimated weight of 59 tonnes (65 short tons) and length of around 26 meters (85 ft).
Planicoxa[47]	Valid taxon	DiCroce Kenneth Carpenter		Cedar Mountain Formation	USA	An advanced iguanodontian.
Pukyongosaurus[48]	Valid taxon	Dong Zhiming Paik Kim H. J.		Hasandong Formation	South Korea	A titanosauriform related to Euhelopus.
Quilmesaurus[49]	Valid taxon	Rodolfo Coria		Allen Formation	Argentina	A 5–6 meters (16–20 feet) theropod known from a partial leg.
Rapetosaurus[50]	Valid taxon	Kristina Curry-Rogers Catherine A. Forster	Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)	Maevarano Formation	Madagascar	A 15 metres (49 ft) titanosaur.
Ruehleia[51]	Valid taxon	Peter Galton.		Knollenmergel	Germany	A prosauropod named for Hugo Ruehle von Lilienstern.
Wellnhoferia[52]	Valid non-dinosaurian taxon.	Andrzej Elżanowski		Solnhofen Limestone	Germany	Very similar to Archaeopteryx, which may be its senior synonym.
Venenosaurus[53]	Valid taxon	Tidwell Kenneth Carpenter S. Meyer	Early Cretaceous (early Aptian)	Cedar Mountain Formation (Poison Strip Member)	USA	A relatively small (probably around 10 m (33 ft) long) titanosauriform sauropod, known from an incomplete skeleton of an adult and a juvenile. Its tail vertebrae articulated in a unique fashion that may be of evolutionary significance.
"Yibinosaurus"[54]	Nomen nudum	Ouyang vide: Anonymous			China	An undescribed sauropod.
Yunxianosaurus[55]	Valid taxon	Li	Late Cretaceous		China	A titanosaur sauropod.

Newly named birds

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Aegypius prepyrenaicus [56]	Sp. nov.	Valid ?	Hernández Carrasquilla	Late Pleistocene	Cave depositions	Spain: Aragon	According to Sanchez Marco (2007) it is a Nomen Dubium.
Apsaravis ukhaana [57]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Mark A. Norell Julia A. Clarke	Late Cretaceous	Djadokhta Formation	Mongolia	The type species of the new genus.
Belgirallus minutus [58]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Gerald Mayr Richard Smith	Early Oligocene	MP 21	Belgium: Flemish Brabant	A Rallidae.
Belgirallus oligocaenus [58]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Gerald Mayr Richard Smith	Early Oligocene	MP 21	Belgium: Flemish Brabant	A Rallidae, the type species of the new genus.
Boutersemia belgica [58]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Gerald Mayr Richard Smith	Early Oligocene	MP 21	Belgium: Flemish Brabant	A Glareolidae, the type species of the new genus.
Boutersemia parvula [58]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Gerald Mayr Richard Smith	Early Oligocene	MP 21	Belgium: Flemish Brabant	A Glareolidae.
Calonectris krantzi [59]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson Pamela C. Rasmussen	Early Pliocene	Yorktown Formation	USA: North Carolina	A Procellariidae.
Collocalia buday [60]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Walter E. Boles	Early Miocene	Riversleigh	Australia: Queensland	An Apodidae.
Ducula lakeba [61]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Trevor H. Worthy	Quaternary	Lakeba Island	Fiji	A Columbidae.
Emuarius guljaruba [62]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Walter E. Boles	Late Oligocene	Etadunna Formation	Australia: South Australia	A Dromaiidae.
Eocolius walkeri [63]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Gareth J. Dyke David M. Waterhouse	Early Eocene	MP 8	UK: England	A stem Coliiformes.
Eocrex tagusevae [64]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Andrei V. Panteleyev	Paleogene (Late Eocene-?Early Oligocene)		Tajikistan	A Rallidae.
Falco kurochkini [65]	Sp. nov.	Valid	William Suárez Duque Storrs L. Olson	Quaternary	Cave deposits	Cuba	A Falconidae.
Fluvioviridavis platyrhamphus [66]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Gerald Mayr Michael Daniels	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA: Wyoming	A Podargiformes, Fluvioviridavidae G. Mayr, 2005, the type species of the new genus.
Gavia fortis [59]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson Pamela C. Rasmussen	Early Pliocene	Yorktown Formation	USA: North Carolina	A Gaviidae.
Laputavis robusta [67]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Gareth J. Dyke	Early Eocene	Ypresian, London Clay Formation, MP 8	UK: England	A stem Apodiformes, the genus was originally named Laputa but that name was preoccupied, the type species of the new genus.
Limenavis patagonica[68]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Julia A. Clarke Luis M. Chiappe	Late Cretaceous	Allen Formation	Argentina	An Avialae Gauthier, 1985. The type species of the new genus.
Natunaornis gigoura [61]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Trevor H. Worthy	Holocene	Viti Levu	Fiji	A flightless Columbidae.
Phoebastria rexsularum [59]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson Pamela C. Rasmussen	Early Pliocene	Yorktown Formation	USA: North Carolina	A Diomedeidae.
Pica mourerae [69]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Bartomeu Seguí	Plio-Pleistocene	Majorca, Balearic Islands	Spain: Majorca	A Corvidae.
Podiceps howardae [70]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Robert W. Storer	Early Pliocene	Yorktown Formation	USA: North Carolina	A Podicipedidae, possibly a synonym of Podiceps auritus.
Pseudoseisura cursor [71]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Eduardo P. Tonni Jorge Noriega	Early Pleistocene	Ensenadan	Argentina	A Furnariidae.
Pterodromoides minoricensis [72]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Bartomeu Seguí Josep Quintana Joan J. Fornos Josep A. Alcover	Late Miocene-Pliocene Early Pliocene	Menorca; Yorktown Formation, North America	Spain: Menorca; USA: North Carolina	A Procellariidae.
Rallus recessus [73]	Sp. nov.	Valid	Storrs L. Olson David B. Wingate	Late Pleistocene	Bermuda	Bermuda	A flightless Rallidae.
Wellnhoferia grandis [74]	Gen. nov et Sp. nov.	Valid ?	Andrei Elzanowski	Late Jura	Portlandian Solnhofer Plattenkalk	Germany: Bavaria	A new name for Archaeopteryx lithographica von Meyer, 1861, specimen No 6, the "Solnhofer specimen".
Yanornis martini [75]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Zhou Zhonghe Fucheng Zhang	Early Createcous	Jiufotang Formation	China	An Ornithuromorphae Chiappe, Ji, Ji et Norell, 1999, Yanornithiformes Zhou et Zhang, 2001, Yanornithidae Zhou et Zhang, 2001. The type species of the new genus.
Yixianornis grabaui [75]	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Valid	Zhou Zhonghe Zhang Fucheng	Early Cretaceous	Jiufotang Formation	China	An Ornithuromorphae Chiappe, Ji, Ji et Norell, 1999, Yixianornithiformes Zhou et Zhang, 2006, Yixianornithidae Zhou et Zhang, 2006. The type species of the new genus.

Newly named pterosaurs

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Haopterus[76]	Valid	Wang Lü	Early Cretaceou	Yixian Formation	China	The type species is Haopterus gracilis.
Istiodactylus[77]	Valid	Howse Milner Martill	Early Cretaceous	Vectis Formation	United Kingdom	A new genus for Ornithodesmus latidens.

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Delectosaurus[78]	Valid	Kurkin	Late Permian	Vyazniki Assemblage	Russia	A dicynodont. Two species are described Delectosaurus arefjevi and D. berezhanensis.	Lumkuia
Interpresosaurus[78]	Valid	Kurkin	Late Permian	Vyazniki Assemblage	Russia	A dicynodont. The type species is Interpresosaurus blomi.
Lumkuia[79]	Valid	Hopson Kitching	Middle Triassic	Burgersdorp Formation	South Africa	A cynodont. The type species is Lumkuia fuzzi.
Malasaurus[80]	Valid	Tatarinov	Late Triassic	Vyazniki Assemblage	Russia	A therocephalian. The type species is Malasaurus germanus.
Mitredon[81]	Valid	Shapiro Jenkins	Late Triassic	Fleming Fjord Formation	Greenland	A cynodont. The type species is Mitredon cromptoni.
Prozostrodon[82]	Valid	Bonaparte Barberena	Late Triassic	Santa Maria Formation	Brazil	New genus for "Thrinaxodon" brasiliensis Barberena, Bonaparte & Sá Teixeira, 1987
Riograndia[83]	Valid	Bonaparte Ferigolo Ribeiro	Late Triassic	Caturrita Formation	Brazil	A cynodont. The type species is Riograndia guaibensis.

Mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Abdounodus [84]	Valid	Gheerbrant Sudre	early Eocene	Ouled Abdoun Basin	Morocco	A Mioclaneid condylarth assigned to Bulbulodentata. The type species is Abdounodus hamdii.	Ocepeia
Ocepeia[84]	Valid	Gheerbrant Sudre	early Eocene	Ouled Abdoun Basin	Morocco	A condylarth assigned to Phenacodonta, later assigned to stem-Paenungulata. [85] The type species is Ocepeia daouiensis.