2003 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 2003.

List of years in paleontology (table)
… 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 …
In science 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Art Archaeology Architecture Literature Music Philosophy Science +...
	v t e

Plants

Conifers

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Chamaecyparis eureka[2]	Sp nov	Valid	Kotyk, Basinger, & McIlver	Lutetian	Buchanan Lake Formation, Axel Heiberg Island	Canada  Nunavut	the oldest confirmed species of Chamaecyparis[2]
Tsuga swedaea[3]	Sp nov	Valid	LePage	Lutetian	Buchanan Lake Formation, Axel Heiberg Island	Canada  Nunavut	A hemlock species

Angiosperms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Araripia florifera[4]	Gen et sp	Valid	Mohr & Eklund	lower Cretaceous	Crato Formation	Brazil
Carpinus perryae[5]	Sp nov	Valid	Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr	Eocene Ypresian	Okanagan Highlands Klondike Mountain Formation	USA  Washington	A hornbeam	Carpinus parryae
Corylus johnsonii[5]	Sp nov	Valid	Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr	Eocene Ypresian	Okanagan Highlands Klondike Mountain Formation	USA  Washington	A hazelnut	Corylus johnsonii
Palaeocarpinus barksdaleae[5]	Sp nov	Valid	Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr	Eocene Ypresian	Okanagan Highlands Klondike Mountain Formation	USA  Washington	A betulaceous fruit	Palaeocarpinus barksdaleae
Palaeocarpinus dentatus[5]	Comb nov	Valid	(Penhallow) Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr	Eocene Ypresian	Okanagan Highlands "Stump lake", Coldwater Beds	Canada  British Columbia	A betulaceous fruit; moved from Carpolithes dentatus (1890)
Palaeocarpinus stonebergae[5]	Sp nov	Valid	Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr	Eocene Ypresian	Okanagan Highlands Allenby Formation	Canada  British Columbia	A betulaceous fruit
Pseudosalix[6]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Boucher, Manchester, & Judd	latest Ypresian	Green River Formation	USA  Utah	A willow relative

Gnetophytes

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Cratonia cotyledon[7]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Rydin, Mohr, & Friis	lower Cretaceous	Crato Formation	Brazil	A relative to Welwetschia

Fungi

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Aureofungus[8]	Get et sp nov	Valid	Hibbett et al	Burdigalian	Dominican amber.	Dominican Republic	An agaricalean fungus Type species A. yaniguaensis

Arthropods

Arachnids

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Cornupalpatum[9]	Gen et sp nov	valid	Poinar & Brown	Albian-Cenomanian	Burmese amber	Myanmar	An Ixodid hard tick	Cornupalpatum burmanicum

Insects

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Archimyrmex piatnitzkyi[10]	Comb nov.	vaild	(Viana & Haedo Rossi)	Middle Eocene	Ventana Formation	Brazil	A myrmeciine ant. moved from Ameghinoia piatnitzkyi (1957)	Archimyrmex piatnitzkyi
Archimyrmex smekali[10]	Comb nov.	valid	(Rossi de Garcia)	Middle Eocene	Ventana Formation	Brazil	A myrmeciine ant. moved from Polanskiella smekali (1983)
Brownimeciinae[11]	Subfam. Gen. et Sp. nov	Valid	Bolton	Turonian	New Jersey amber	USA  New Jersey	A stem group ant, type species B. clavata	Brownimecia clavata
Halictus? savenyei[12]	Sp. nov	valid	Engel & Archibald	Ypresian	Coldwater Beds	Canada  British Columbia	first apoid bee fossil described from Canada
Lasioglossum celinae[13]	Sp. nov	Valid	Nel & Petrulevicius	Rupelian	Dauphin	France	A sweat bee	Lasioglossum celinae
Oligoapis[13]	Gen et sp nov	Jr synonym	Nel & Petrulevicius	Aquitanian	Bes-Konak	Turkey	An apine bee, type species O. beskonakensis Moved to Bombus beskonakensis in 2019[14]	Bombus beskonakensis
Palaeopsychops dodgeorum[15]	Sp nov	valid	Makarkin & Archibald	Ypresian	Coldwater Beds	Canada  British Columbia	An ithionid giant lacewing
Paraelectrobombus[13]	Gen et sp nov	Jr synonym	Nel & Petrulevicius	Aquitanian	Bes-Konak	Turkey	Described as an Electrobombini bee type species P. patriciae Moved to Bombus (Paraelectrobombus) patriciae in (2019)	Bombus (Paraelectrobombus) patriciae
Raphidia funerata[16]	sp nov	synonym	Engel	Priabonian	Florissant Formation	USA  Colorado	A snakefly. moved to Florissantoraphidia funerata in 2014
Wesmaelius mathewesi[17]	Sp. nov	valid	Engel & Archibald	Ypresian	Coldwater beds, Princeton Group	Canada ( British Columbia)	A Hemerobiinae lacewing
Xylocopa celineae[13]	Sp nov	valid	Nel & Petrulevicius	Chattian	Camoins-les-Bains	France	A carpenter bee	Xylocopa celineae

Conodont paleozoology

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

Vertebrate paleozoology

Parareptiles

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Bunostegos		Valid	Sidor			Niger	This was one of the largest herbivores of their time	Bunostegos

Non-avian dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.^[18]

Name	Status	Authors	Location	Notes	Images
"Abdallahsaurus"[19]	Nomen nudum.	Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus
"Blancocerosaurus"[20]	Nomen nudum.	Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus
Amazonsaurus[21]	Valid taxon	Carvalho Avilla Salgado	Brazil
Antetonitrus[22]	Valid taxon	Yates Kitching	South Africa
Aviatyrannis[23]	Valid taxon	Rauhut	Portugal
Bainoceratops[24]	Valid taxon	Tereschenko Alifanov	China
Brohisaurus	Valid taxon	Malkani	Pakistan
Colepiocephale[25]	Valid taxon	Sullivan	Canada
"Domeykosaurus"	Nomen nudum	Rubilar-Rogers and Vargas vide: Anonymous on May 29, 2003 Reuters news reports.	Chile
Dromaeosauroides[26]	Valid taxon	Christiansen Bonde	Denmark		Dromaeosauroides
Equijubus[27]	Valid taxon	You Luo Shubin Witmer Tang Z. Tang F.	China
Ferganasaurus[28]	Valid taxon	Alifanov Averianov	Kyrgyzstan
Fukuisaurus[29]	Valid taxon	Kobayashi Azuma	Japan
Gobititan[30]	Valid taxon	You Tang F. Luo	China
Hanssuesia[25]	Valid taxon	Sullivan	Canada ( Alberta)		Hanssuesia
Heyuannia[31]	Valid taxon	Lü	China		Heyuannia
Hongshanosaurus[32]	Valid taxon	You Xu X. Wang X.	China		Hongshanosaurus
Isisaurus[33]	Valid taxon	Jeffrey A. Wilson. Upchurch	India		Isisaurus
"Issasaurus"[19]		Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Dicraeosaurus
Lamaceratops[34]	Valid taxon	Alifanov	China
"Ligomasaurus"[19]		Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus
Lusotitan[35]	Valid taxon	Antunes Mateus	Portugal
Magnirostris[36]	Valid taxon	You Dong Zhiming	China		Magnirostris
Mendozasaurus[37]	Valid taxon	González-Riga (as González Riga)	Argentina
"Mohammadisaurus"[19]	Nomen nudum.	Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Tornieria
"Mtapaiasaurus"[19]	Nomen nudum.	Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus
"Mtotosaurus"[19]	Nomen nudum.	Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Dicraeosaurus
"Nteregosaurus"[19]	Nomen nudum.	Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Janenschia
"Nyororosaurus"[19]		Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Dicraeosaurus
Olorotitan[38]	Valid taxon	Godefroit Bolotsky Alifanov	Russia		Olorotitan Olorotitan
Platyceratops[34]	Valid taxon	Alifanov	Mongolia
Rajasaurus[39]	Valid taxon	Jeffrey A. Wilson. Sereno Srivastava Bhatt Khosla Sahni	India		Rajasaurus
Rinconsaurus[40]	Valid taxon	Calvo González-Riga (as González Riga)	Argentina		Rinconsaurus
"Salimosaurus"[19]	Nomen nudum.	Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus
"Selimanosaurus"[19]	Nomen nudum.	Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Dicraeosaurus
Serendipaceratops[41]	Valid taxon	T. Rich Vickers-Rich	Australia
Shenzhousaurus[42]	Valid taxon	Ji Q. Mark Norell Makovicky Gao K. Ji S. Yuan	China
Shuangmiaosaurus[43]	Valid taxon	You Ji Q. Li J. Li Y. X.	China
Silesaurus[44]	Valid taxon	Dzik	Poland		Silesaurus
Sinornithomimus[45]	Valid taxon	Kobayashi Lü	China		Sinornithomimus
Sphaerotholus[46]	Possible junior synonym of Prenocephale	Williamson Carr
"Wangonisaurus"[19]	Nomen nudum.	Gerhard Maier		Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus
Yixianosaurus[47]	Valid taxon	Xu X. Wang X.	China
Zalmoxes[48]	Valid taxon	Weishampel Jianu Csiki Norman	Romania		Zalmoxes
Zupaysaurus[49]	Valid taxon	Arcucci & Coria	Argentina		Zupaysaurus

Newly named birds

Name	Status	Novelty	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Amanuensis pickfordi [50]	Gen. et sp. nov	valid	Cécile Mourer-Chauviré	Middle Miocene	MN 4	Namibia	A Sagittariidae, relative of the secretarybird. The type species of Amanuensis Mourer-Chauviré, 2003.
Amitabha urbsinterdictensis [51]	Valid	Gen. nov. et Sp. nov.	Bonnie E. Gulas-Wroblewski Anton F.-J. Wroblewski	Middle Eocene	Bridger Formation	USA:  Wyoming	The type species of Amitabha Gulas-Wroblewski & Wroblewski, 2003. Placed in crown Galliformes, but only compared with Phasianidae, not with other Eocene birds from North America.
Anhinga minuta [52]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Herculano M. F. de Alvarenga Edson Guilherme	Late Miocene-Early Pliocene	Huayquerian-Montehermosian, Solimõas Formation	Brazil	An Anhingidae.
Coenocorypha miratropica [53]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Trevor H. Worthy	Holocene	Vitilevu	Fiji	A Scolopacidae.
Diomedea tanakai [54]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Paul G. Davis	Late Early Miocene	Oi Formation	Japan	A Diomedeidae.
Eoeurypyga olsoni [55]	Nomen Nudum	Thesis name.	Ilka Weidig	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA:  Wyoming	A Eurypygidae.
Falco umanskajae [56]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Denis V. Sobolev	Pliocene	MN 16	Ukraine	A Falconidae.
Gallicolumba leonpascoi [57]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Trevor H. Worthy Graham M. Wragg	Late Pleistocene-Holocene	Henderson Island	Pitcairn	A Columbidae.
Hemignathus vorpalis [58]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Helen F. James Storrs L. Olson	Subresent	Hawaii	USA:  Hawaii	A Fringillidae, Carduelinae, Drepanidini.
Macranhinga ranzii [52]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Herculano M. F. de Alvarenga Edson Guilherme	Late Miocene-Early Pliocene	Huayquerian-Montehermosian	Brazil	An Anhingidae.
Milvago carbo [59]	Valid	Sp. nov.	William Suárez Duque Storrs L. Olson	Quaternary, possibly Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene	Las Breas de San Felipe	Cuba	A Falconidae.
Morus peruvianus [60]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Marcelo Stucchi	Pliocene	Pisco Formation	Peru	A Sulidae.
Namibiavis senutae[50]	Gen. et sp. nov	valid	Cécile Mourer-Chauviré	Middle Miocene	MN 4	Namibia	Initially thought to be an Idiornithidae, Cariamiformes but in 2011 reinterpreted as an Opisthocomidae, a relative of the hoatzin.[61] The type species of Namibiavis Mourer-Chauviré, 2003.
Nycticorax olsoni [62]	Valid	Sp. nov.	W. R. P. Bourne N. P. Ashmole K. E. L. Simmons	Subrecent	Ascension Island	Ascension Island	An Ardeidae.
Palaeogrus mainburgensis [63]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Ursula B. Göhlich	Early Middle Miocene (MN 5)	Upper Freshwater Molasse	Germany  Bavaria	A Gruidae.
Parargornis messelensis [64]	Valid	Gen. nov et Sp. nov.	Gerald Mayr	Early Middle Eocene	Messel pit, MP 11	Germany  Hessen	An Apodiformes, Cypselavidae Mourer-Chauviré, 2006.
Shandongornis yinansis [65]	Valid	Gen. nov et Sp. nov.	Hou Lianhai	Pliocene		China	A Phasianidae.
Spheniscus chilensis [66]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Steven D. Emslie Carlos Guerra Correa	Pliocene	Mejillones Formation	Chile	A Spheniscidae.
Spheniscus megaramphus [67]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Marcello Stucchi Mario Urbina Alfredo Giraldo	Late Miocene	Pisco Formation	Peru	A Spheniscidae.
Sula magna [60]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Marcello Stucchi	Late Miocene-Early Pliocene	Pisco Formation	Peru	A Sulidae.
Sula sulita [60]	Valid	Sp. nov.	Marcello Stucchi	Late Miocene-Early Pliocene	Pisco Formation	Peru	A Sulidae.
Wyomingcypselus pohli [55]	Nomen Nudum	Thesis name.	Ilka Weidig	Early Eocene	Green River Formation	USA:  Wyoming	An Apodiformes.

Plesiosaurs

Name Status Authors Notes Terminonatator Valid Sato Thililua Valid Bardet Suberbiola Jalil

Pterosaurs

Name Status Authors Notes Beipiaopterus Valid Lü J.-C. Chaoyangopterus Valid Wang Zhou Harpactognathus Valid Carpenter Unwin et al. Jidapterus Valid Dong, Sun, & Wu, Liaoningopterus Valid Wang X.-L. and Zhou Z.-H Liaoningopteryx Valid Wang X. Zhao Ludodactylus Valid Frey, E., Martill Buchy, M Nurhachius Valid Wang Kellner et al. Phosphatodraco Valid Pereda-Suberbiola N. Bardet et al. Sinopterus Valid Wang, X. Zhou, Z

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Discovery year	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Archaeovenator[68]	Valid	Reisz Dilkes		Upper Carboniferous (Upper Pennsylvanian)	Hamilton Quarry	USA	a pelycosaur
Brasilitherium[69]	Valid	Bonaparte Martinelli Schultz Rupert				Brazil
Brasilodon[69]	Valid	Bonaparte Martinelli Schultz Rupert				Brazil
Bullacephalus[70]	Valid	Rubidge Kitching				South Africa
Colobodectes[71]	Valid	Modesto Rubidge Visser Welman		Upper/Middle Permian (Capitanian)	Abrahamskraal formation	South Africa	an anomodont
Lanthanostegus[72]	Valid	Modesto Rubidge Welman		Middle/Upper Permian (Capitanian)		South Africa	an anomodont; replacement name for Lanthanocephalus Modesto, Rubidge & Welman, 2002, preoccupied by the cnidarian genus Lanthanocephalus Williams & Starmer, 2000[73]
Santacruzodon[74]	Valid	Abdala Ribeiro				Brazil
Xiyukannemeyeria[75]	Valid	Liu Li		Middle Triassic (Anisian)		China	an anomodont; new genus for "Parakannemeyeria" brevirostris

Mammals

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Caracal depereti[76]	Sp nov	Disputed	Morales et al.	Pliocene		Spain	A Caracal. Boscaini et al. (2016) considered this species to be a junior synonym of Lynx issiodorensis.[77]
Guangxicyon[78]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Zhai et al.	Eocene	Nadu Formation	China	An amphicyonid.
Iridodon[79]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Morlo & Gunnell	Bridgerian	Wasatch Formation	United States	A limnocyonid hyaenodont.The type species is I. datzae.
Kogolepithecus[80]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Pickford et al.	Miocene		Uganda	A catarrhine of uncertain affinity. The type species is K. morotoensis.
Yuesthonyx[81]	Gen. et sp. nov.	Valid	Tong, Wang & Fu	Paleocene	Dazhang Formation	China	A tillodont. The type species is Y. tingae.