1886 in paleontology

Last updated September 25, 2025

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 1886.

Flowering plants

Superasterids

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Synonymized taxa	Notes	Images
Stewartia kowalewskii ^[2]	Sp nov	Jr synonym	(Casp.) Sadowski & Hofmann	Eocene Priabonian	Baltic Amber	Europe		A Symplocaceous flower species. Moved to Symplocos kowalewskii in 2023).	Symplocos kowalewskii

Ichthyosaurs

New taxa

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Ichthyosaurus cornalianus	Valid	Bassani	Late Triassic (Carnian)	Besano Formation	Italy	Type species of the mixosaurid genus Mixosaurus Baur, 1887.

Archosaurs

Newly named basal archosauromorphs

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes
Tribelesodon	Junior synonym	Bassani		Late Triassic		Italy	Junior synonym of Tanystropheus , a member of Protorosauria.

New pseudosuchian taxa

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Pallimnarchus pollens ^[3]	Nomen dubium	De Vis	Pliocene	Darling Downs	Australia	Pallimnarchus was informally named, but the name acquired widespread use. The syntype material consisted of multiple individuals of different crocodilian species and a later erected lectotype was lost. It was eventually declared a nomen dubium, with much of the material transferred into the genus Paludirex .^[4]	The lectotype of Pallimnarchus, B shows the only parts still known.

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location
Haptodus	Valid	Gaudry	Early Permian	Millery Formation	France
Naosaurus	Invalid	Cope	Early Permian	Red beds	USA

References

↑ Gini-Newman, Garfield; Graham, Elizabeth (2001). Echoes from the past: world history to the 16th century. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ISBN 9780070887398. OCLC 46769716.
↑ Sadowski, E.-M.; Hofmann, C.-C. (2023). "The largest amber-preserved flower revisited". Scientific Reports. 13 (1). 17. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-24549-z . PMC 9837116 . PMID 36635320.
↑ De Vis, C.W. (1886). "On remains of an extinct saurian". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland. 2: 181–191.
↑ Ristevski, J.; Yates, A.M.; Price, G.J.; Molnar, R.E.; Weisbecker, V.; Salisbury, S.W. (2020). "Australia's prehistoric 'swamp king': revision of the Plio-Pleistocene crocodylian genus Pallimnarchus de Vis, 1886". PeerJ. 8 e10466. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10466 . PMC 7759136 . PMID 33391869.

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[1] Gini-Newman, Garfield; Graham, Elizabeth (2001). Echoes from the past: world history to the 16th century. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ISBN 9780070887398. OCLC 46769716.

[2] Sadowski, E.-M.; Hofmann, C.-C. (2023). "The largest amber-preserved flower revisited". Scientific Reports. 13 (1). 17. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-24549-z . PMC 9837116 . PMID 36635320.

[DV86-3] De Vis, C.W. (1886). "On remains of an extinct saurian". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland. 2: 181–191.

[R20-4] Ristevski, J.; Yates, A.M.; Price, G.J.; Molnar, R.E.; Weisbecker, V.; Salisbury, S.W. (2020). "Australia's prehistoric 'swamp king': revision of the Plio-Pleistocene crocodylian genus Pallimnarchus de Vis, 1886". PeerJ. 8 e10466. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10466 . PMC 7759136 . PMID 33391869.

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