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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 2002.
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sp nov | Valid | Mustoe | McAbee site, Kamloops Group | |||||
Sp nov | Valid | McKown, Stockey, & Schweger | Ch'ijee's Bluff, Bluefish Basin | |||||
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
sp nov | Valid | Poinar & Brown | A species of Hymenaea , producer of Mexican amber | |||||
Trifurcatua flabellata [5] | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Mohr & Rydin | putative monocot | ||||
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sp nov. | Jr synonym | Makarkin, Archibald, Oswald | A drepanepterygine brown lacewing. | |||||
Sp nov | Valid | Dlussky & Rasnitsyn | A dolichoderine ant. | |||||
Sp nov | valid | Dlussky | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | A Dolichoderine ant | ![]() | ||
Sp nov | valid | Dlussky | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | A Dolichoderine ant | ![]() | ||
Sp nov | Valid | Dlussky & Rasnitsyn | A ant of uncertain placement. | |||||
Sp nov | Valid | Dlussky & Rasnitsyn | A ant of uncertain placement. | |||||
Comb nov | Valid | (Nel) | Late Miocene | An inocellid snakefly, | ![]() | |||
Sp nov | valid | Dlussky | Middle Eocene | Baltic amber | A formicine ant | ![]() | ||
Gen et sp nov | Valid | Dlussky & Rasnitsyn | An ant form genus of uncertain placement. | |||||
Gen et 2 sp nov | Valid | Dlussky & Rasnitsyn | An ant form genus of uncertain placement. | |||||
Sp nov | Valid | Dlussky & Rasnitsyn | An aneuretine ant | |||||
Gen et sp nov | Valid | Dlussky & Rasnitsyn | A myrmicine ant form genus. | |||||
Sp nov | Valid | Dlussky & Rasnitsyn | A ponerine ant. | |||||
Gen, 3 sp et 1 comb nov | Valid | Dlussky & Rasnitsyn | A ponerine ant form genus. | |||||
Gen et sp nov | Valid | Dlusskys & Rasnitsyn | A dolichoderine ant form genus | |||||
Gen et sp nov | Valid | Dlussky & Rasnitsyn | A myrmicine ant form genus. | |||||
sp. nov | valid | Makarkin, Archibald, Oswald | first description of fossil Wesmaelius | |||||
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen et comb nov | valid | Bardashev, Weddige, & Ziegler | An eopolygnathid conodont, | |||||
Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list. [13]
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
gen et sp nov | Valid | Fraser, Padian, Walkden, & Davis | late Triassic | A possible chimera | ![]() | |||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Coria & Calvo | Late Cretaceous | An Iguanodont | ![]() | |||
gen et sp nov | Valid | An Abelisaurid | ![]() | |||||
gen nov | Officially named Byronosaurus | |||||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | An ankylosaurid | ||||||
gen et sp nov | Czerkas, Zhang, Li, & Li | Jr synonym of Microraptor | ||||||
gen et sp nov | Zhang, Zhou, Xu, & Wang | jr synonym of Scansoriopteryx | ||||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Xu et al. | ![]() | |||||
gen et sp nov | Hutt | Jr synonym of Eotyrannus | ||||||
Rey | Officially named Huaxiagnathus in 2004 | |||||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Xu, Wang, & Chang | ||||||
gen et sp nov | Valid |
| ![]() | |||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Kellner & Campos | Bauru-type red conglomerate sandstone | An Abelisaurid | ||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Czerkas & Yuan | Possible junior synonym of Epidendrosaurus | |||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Xu et al. | ||||||
Sphaerotholus [28] | Gen. 2 sp. nov | Valid | Williamson & Carr | Late Cretaceous | Kirtland Formation, Hell Creek Formation | ![]() ( | A pachycephalosaurine; originally described with two species, S. goodwini and S. buchholtzae. | ![]() |
Name | Status | Novelty | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid | Gen. et Sp. nov. | A palaelodid | ||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | A strigid owl. | ||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Gen. et Sp. nov. | A gruid crane. | ||||||
?Valid | Sp. nov. | ![]() | ||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | A cimolopterygid | ||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | An apodid swiftlet. | ||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | A gaviid. | ||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | Myrcha et al. | ||||||
Valid | Comb. nov. | (Wiman) | A spheniscid penguin | |||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | An enantiornithelian, | ||||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | An anhingid | ||||||
Valid | Gen et Sp. nov. | Cave deposits | An Accipitridae | |||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | Early-Middle Campanian | An Euenantiornithalean | |||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | A cuculid cuckoo | ||||||
Valid | Gen et Sp. nov. | A jeholornithid | ![]() | |||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | A charadriid | ||||||
jr synonym | Gen et 2 Sp. nov. | A confuciusornithid | ![]() | |||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | Ji et al. | An avialaen | |||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | Subrecent | A larid gull. | |||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | Myrcha et al. | A penguin | |||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | Early Middle Eocene | A sulid | ![]() | ||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | Myrcha et al. | A penguin. | |||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | Dimitreijevich, Gál, & Kessler | Early Miocene | |||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | Early Danian | A possible torotigid | |||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | A sylphornithid | ||||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | An Omvivoropterygidae | ||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | Early Miocene | A possible sea duck. | |||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | A cathartid. Type species P. milneedwardsi | ||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | |||||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | A omnivoropterygid | ![]() | |||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | A trogonid | ||||||
valid | Gen et sp nov. | Ji et al. | An Avialae. Type species S. sinensis | |||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | |||||||
Valid | Gen et sp nov. | A teratorn | ||||||
jr synonym | Sp. nov. | Cave deposits | A teratorn | |||||
Valid | Sp. nov. | Late Pleistocene | A teratorn | |||||
Valid | Gen et Sp nov. | A presbyornithid | ||||||
Valid | Subsp. nov. | Late Pleistocene | A tytonid owl subspecies. | |||||
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gen et sp nov | Valid | Druckenmiller | A polycotylid | ![]() | ||||
Gen et sp nov | Valid | Cruickshank & Fordyce | An aristonectine elasmosaurid | ![]() | ||||
Gen et comb nov | Valid | Gasparini et al. | A cryptoclidid | |||||
In October, a partial Mesadacylus wing was discovered in the Kingsview Quarry of Colorado. [72] This find marks the first time that a Morrison pterosaur has been found at more than one site in the formation. [72]
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
gen et sp nov | Valid | Dalla Vecchia, Wild, & Reitner | Seefelder Beds | |||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Buffetaut, Grigorescu, & Csiki | possibly a jr synonym of Quetzalcoatlus | ![]() | ||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Wang & Zhou | ||||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Varricchio | At first thought to be a bird, but subsequently reinterpreted as a pterosaur, likely a member of Ornithocheiroidea. [74] | |||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Czerkas & Ji | ||||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Kellner & Campos | ![]() | |||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Czerkas & Mickelson | Morrison Formation, Utah |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
" Lakumasaurus " [75] | Gen et sp nov | Jr synonym | Novas et al. | Genus synonymized with Taniwhasaurus in 2007 | ![]() | |||
Sp nov | Valid | Christiansen & Bonde | A large mosasaur | ![]() |
Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
gen nov | Valid | Kammerer & Sidor | Upper Permian | A dinocephalian. Replacement name for Criocephalus Broom, 1928, preoccupied by Criocephalus Mulsant 1839. | ||||
Gen nov | Valid | Maisch | A dicynodont. New genus for "Platycyclops" crassus Broom, 1948. | |||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Maisch | Beaufort Group | A dicynodont. The type species is Kwazulusaurus shakai. | ||||
Lanthanocephalus [80] | gen et sp nov | Preoccupied | Modesto, Rubidge, & Welman | Genus preoccupied by Lanthanocephalus Williams & Starmer, 2000, moved to the replacement Lanthanostegus in 2003 | ||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Tatarinov | Middle Triassic | A cynodont. The type species is Neotrirachodon expectatus. | ||||
gen et sp nov | Valid | Maisch | A gorgonopsian. The type species is Ruhuhucerberus terror. | |||||
gen nov | Valid | Maisch | A gorgonopsian. New genus for "Gorgonognathus" maximus von Huene, 1950. |
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