2009 in paleontology

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Important taxa described (but not necessarily validly named) in 2009

Paleontology, palaeontology or [palæontology (from Greek: paleo, "ancient"; ontos, "being"; and logos, "knowledge") 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 mankind has 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 2009.

Arthropods

Cephalopods

Three new species of extinct Octopoda discovered in 2009. The species – Keuppia hyperbolaris, Keuppia levante, and Styletoctopus annae – lived about 95 million years ago, and bear a strong resemblance to modern octopuses, suggesting that the Octopoda order has remained relatively unchanged for tens of millions of years. The fossils included evidence of arms, muscles, rows of suckers, ink, and internal gills. The discovery was made by a team led by Dirk Fuchs of the Freie University, which is located at Berlin, Germany.^[2] The fossils were found at Hakel and Hadjoula, Lebanon.^[3] Various new ammonoid taxa were named, including Ivoites.

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Keuppia[4]	Gen et sp nov	Valid	Fuchs, Bracchi, & Weis	Upper Cenomanian		Lebanon		Keuppia levante
Styletoctopus[4]	gen et sp nov	Valid	Fuchs, Bracchi, & Weis	Upper Cenomanian		Lebanon
Ivoites[5]	gen nov	Valid	De Baets, Klug, & Korn	Lower Emsian		Germany

Bony fish

Newly named Tetrapodomoprhs
Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Aphanius yerevanicus[6]	Valid	Vasilyan Reichenbacher Carnevale	Late Miocene		Armenia	A pupfish, a species of Aphanius.
Eophryne[7]	Valid	Carnevale Pietsch	Eocene (late Ypresian)	Monte Bolca locality	Italy	A frogfish. The type species is Eophryne barbutii.
Heddleichthys[8]	Valid	Snitting	Famennian (Late Devonian)	Dura Den Formation	Scotland
Hendrixella[9]	Valid	Bannikov Carnevale	Eocene (late Ypresian)	Monte Bolca locality	Italy	A member of Percoidei of uncertain phylogenetic placement. The type species is Hendrixella grandei.
Langlieria[10]	Valid	Clément Snitting Ahlberg	Famennian (Late Devonian)	Evieux Formation	Belgium

• Shimada, K.; Everhart, M.J. (2009). "First record of Anomoeodus (Osteichthyes: Pycnodontiformes) from the Upper Cretaceous Niobrara Chalk of western Kansas". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 112 (1/2): 98–102. doi:10.1660/062.112.0212.

A new species of late Maastrichtian bony fish (Ichthyodectiformes: Saurocephalus) from Jordan, Saurocephalus longicorpus described by Kaddumi (2009)

A new species of late Maastrichtian bony fish (Aulopiformes: Enchodontidae) from Jordan, Enchodus harranaensis described by Kaddumi (2009)

Reference: Kaddumi, H. F. 2009. Fossils of the Harrana Fauna and the Adjacent Areas. Publications of the Etrnal Rive Museum of Natural History, Amman. 324 pp.

Amphibians

Newly named amphibians

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Cratia[11]	Valid	Báez Moura Gómez	Lower Cretaceous	Crato Formation	Brazil	Possible stem neobatrachian
Eurycephalella[11]	Valid	Báez Moura Gómez	Lower Cretaceous	Crato Formation	Brazil	A hyloid
Nannaroter[12]	Valid	Anderson Scott Reisz	Early Permian		USA	The smallest known ostodolepid microsaur
Nesovtriton[13]	Valid	Skutschas	Turonian	Bissekty Formation	Uzbekistan	A cryptobranchoid salamander
Regalerpeton[14]	Valid	Zhang Wang Jones Evans	Early Cretaceous	Huajiying Formation	China	A cryptobranchoid salamander
Spinarerpeton[15]	Valid	Klembara	Early Permian	Boskovice Furrow	Czech Republic	A discosauriscid seymouriamorph

Basal reptiles

Newly named basal reptiles

Name	Status	Authors	Discovery year	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Australothyris[16]	Valid	Modesto Scott Reisz		Middle Permian	Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone	South Africa	A basal parareptile
Procolina[17]	Valid	Borsuk−Białynicka Lubka		early Late Olenekian	Czatkowice 1	Poland	A procolophonine procolophonid

Turtles

Newly named basal turtles

Name	Status	Authors	Discovery year	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Angolachelys[18]	Valid	Mateus Jacobs et al.[CAL 1]		Turonian (Late Cretaceous)		Angola
Aurorachelys[19]	Valid	Vandermark Tarduno et al.[CAL 2]		Late Cretaceous	Strand Fiord Formation	Canada
Basilochelys[20]	Valid	Tong Claude et al.[CAL 3]		Late Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous	Phu Kradung Formation	Thailand
Cedrobaena[21]	Valid	Lyson Joyce		Paleocene	Fort Union Formation	USA	New genus for "Plesiobaena" putorius Gaffney, 1972
Derrisemys[22]	Junior synonym	Hutchison		Early Paleocene		USA	Junior synonym of Hutchemys.[23]
Eileanchelys[24]	Valid	Anquetin Barrett et al.[CAL 4]		Middle Jurassic	Kilmaluag Formation	Scotland
Hutchemys[25]	Valid	Joyce Revan Lyson Danilov		Paleocene	Fort Union Formation Tullock Formation	USA	A plastomenine softshell turtles
Kinkonychelys[26]	Valid	Gaffney Krause Zalmout		Late Cretaceous	Maevarano Formation	Madagascar
Palatobaena cohen[27]	Valid	Lyson Joyce		Maastrichtian	Hell Creek Formation	USA	A baenid
Peckemys[21]	Valid	Lyson Joyce		Late Cretaceous	Hell Creek Formation	USA	A baenid
Plastomenoides[22]	Junior synonym	Hutchison		Early Paleocene		USA	Junior synonym of Hutchemys.[23]

Archosauromorphs

Basal archosauromorphs

Newly named basal archosauromorphs
Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Czatkowiella[28]	Valid	Borsuk−Białynicka Evans	earliest Late Olenekian	Czatkowice 1	Poland	A long−necked archosauromorph

Archosaurs

Lepidosauromorphs

Basal lepidosauromorphs

Newly named basal lepidosauromorphs
Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Pamelina[29]	Valid	Evans	Early Olenekian	Czatkowice 1	Poland	A basal kuehneosaurid
Sophineta[30]	Valid	Evans Borsuk−Białynicka	earliest Late Olenekian	Czatkowice 1	Poland	A basal lepidosauromorph

Plesiosaurs

• In 2009, in Svalbard, Norway a new pliosaur was found by Jorn Hurum. It currently is codenamed as "Predator X."
• O'Keefe, F. R.; Street, H. P. (2009). "Osteology of the cryptocleidoid plesiosaur Tatenectes laramiensis, with comments on the taxonomic status of the Cimoliasauridae". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29 (1): 48–57. doi:10.1671/039.029.0118.

Newly named plesiosaurs
Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Gallardosaurus[31]	Valid	Gasparini	Late Jurassic (Oxfordian)	Jagua Formation	Cuba
Nichollssaura[32]	Valid	Druckenmiller Russell	Early Cretaceous (Albian)	Clearwater Formation	Canada	Replacement name for Nichollsia Druckenmiller & Russell, 2008, preoccupied by an isopod genus Nichollsia Chopra & Tiwari, 1950	Nichollssaura.

Squamates

Newly named squamates
Name	Status	Authors		Notes	Images
Titanoboa[33]	Valid	Head Bloch Hastings Bourque	Cadena Herrera Polly Jaramillo	In February, the fossils of 28 individual T. cerrejonensis (Titanoboas) were announced to have been found in the coal mines of Cerrejón, La Guajira, Colombia.[34]

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Protuberum[35]	Valid	Reichel Schultz Soares	Middle Triassic (Ladinian)	Santa Maria Formation	Brazil
Raranimus[36]	Valid	Liu Rubidge Li	Middle Permian (Roadian)	Xidagou Formation	China		Raranimus dasahankouensis
Yuanotherium[37]	Valid	Hu Meng Clark	Late Jurassic (Oxfordian)	Shishugou Formation	China

Mammals

Plants

Angiosperms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Eucalyptolaurus[38]	gen et sp nov	Valid	Coiffard et al.	uppermost Albian-lowermost Cenomanian	Charente-Maritimes	France

Relevant research in other sciences

Evolutionary biology

• A study is published that proposes that females from certain taxa use ornaments as a criterion for mate choice because other dimorphic structures, like biological "weaponry" could be used to coerce or force them to mate.^[39]
• A study concludes that biotic factors have more pronounced local and short term evolutionary impacts than abiotic factors, which in turn have a more pronounced effect through time and on biodiversity as a whole.^[40]

Extinction

A study noting the effects of the KT mass extinction on Earth's modern biota is published.^[41]

Geology

• Zhang, H.; Wei, Z.-L.; Liu, X.-M.; Li, D. (2009). "Constraints on the age of the Tuchengzi Formation by LA-ICP-MS dating in northern Hebei-western Liaoning, China". Science China Earth Sciences 52 (4): 461–470. doi:10.1007/s11430-009-0052-9.

Ichnology

• Bedatou, E., Melchor, R.N., and Genise, J.F. 2009. Complex palaeosol ichnofabrics from Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous volcaniclastic successions of central Patagonia, Argentina. Sedimentary Geology. doi:10.1016/j.sedgeo.2009.04.005

Paleobiogeography

• Pereda-Suberbiola, X. 2009. Biogeographical affinities of Late Cretaceous

continental tetrapods of Europe: a review. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 180(1):57-71. doi:10.2113/gssgfbull.180.1.57.

Paleoecology

• Nicolas, M., and Rubidge, B.S. 2009. Changes in Permo-Triassic terrestrial tetrapod ecological representation in the Beaufort Group (Karoo Supergroup) of South Africa. Lethaia. doi:10.1111/j.1502-3931.2009.00171.x.

Footnotes

Complete author list

As science becomes more collaborative, papers with large numbers of authors are becoming more common. To prevent the deformation of the tables, these footnotes list the contributors to papers that erect new genera and have many authors.

1. Mateus, Jacobs, Polcyn, Schulp, Vineyard, Neto, Antunes.
2. Vandermark, Tarduno, Brinkman, Cottrell, Mason.
3. Tong, Claude, Naksri, Suteethorn, Buffetaut, Khansubba, Wongko, Yuandetkla.
4. Anquetin, Barrett, Jones, Moore-Fay, Evans.

References

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. Rare fossil octopuses found, MSNBC, March 18, 2009
3. New Octopus from the late Cretaceous of Hakel and Hadjoula, Lebanon, Palaeontology, Volume 52, Issue 1, Pages 65-81
4. Fuchs, D.; Bracchi, G.; Weis, R. (2009). "New Octopods (Cephalopoda: Coleoidea) from the Late Cretaceous (Upper Cenomanian) of Hakel and Hadjoula, Lebanon". Palaeontology 52 (1): 65–81. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2008.00828.x. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
5. De Baets, K.; Klug, C.; Korn, D. (2009). "Anetoceratinae (Ammonoidea, Early Devonian) from the Eifel and Harz Mountains (Germany), with a revision of their genera". Palaeontology 252 (3): 361–376. doi:10.1127/0077-7749/2009/0252-0361. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
6. Davit Vasilyan, Bettina Reichenbacher and Giorgio Carnevale (2009). "A new fossil Aphanius species from the Upper Miocene of Armenia (Eastern Paratethys)". Paläontologische Zeitschrift 83 (4): 511–519. doi:10.1007/s12542-009-0034-4.
7. Giorgio Carnevale and Theodore W. Pietsch (2009). "An Eocene frogfish from Monte Bolca, Italy: the earliest known skeletal record for the family". Palaeontology 52 (4): 745–752. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00874.x.
8. Snitting, D. (2009). "Heddleichthys- a new tristichopterid genus from the Dura Den Formation, Midland Valley, Scotland (Famennian, Late Devonian)". Acta Zoologica 90: 273. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.2008.00376.x.
9. Alexandre F. Bannikov and Giorgio Carnevale (2009). "A new percoid fish from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy: Hendrixella grandei gen. & sp. nov.". Swiss Journal of Geosciences 102 (3): 481–488. doi:10.1007/s00015-009-1331-3.
10. Clément, G; Snitting, D; Ahlberg, PE (July 2009). "A new Tristichopterid (Sarcopterygii, Tetrapodomorpha) from the Evieux Formation (Upper Devonian) of Belgium". Palaeontology 52 (4): 823–836. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00876.x.
11. Báez, Ana M.; Moura, Geraldo J.B.; Gómez, Raúl O. (2009). "Anurans from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of northeastern Brazil: implications for the early divergence of neobatrachians". Cretaceous Research 30 (4): 829–846. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2009.01.002.
12. Anderson, J.S.; Scott, D.; and Reisz, R.R. (2009). "Nannaroter mckinziei, a new ostodolepid 'microsaur' (Tetrapoda, Lepospondyli, Recumbirostra) from the Early Permian of Richards Spur (Ft. Sill), Oklahoma". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29 (2): 379–388. doi:10.1671/039.029.0222.
13. Skutschas, Pavel P. (2009). "Re-Evaluation of Mynbulakia Nesov, 1981 (Lissamphibia: Caudata) and Description of a New Salamander Genus from the Late Cretaceous of Uzbekistan". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29 (3): 659–664. doi:10.1671/039.029.0326. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
14. Zhang, Guilin; Wang, Yuan; Jones, Marc E.H.; Evans, Susan E. (2009). "A new Early Cretaceous salamander (Regalerpeton weichangensis gen. et sp. nov.) from the Huajiying Formation of northeastern China". Cretaceous Research 30 (3): 551–558. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2008.10.004. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
15. Klembara, Jozef (2009). "The skeletal anatomy and relationships of a new discosauriscid seymouriamorph from the lower Permian of Moravia (Czech Republic)". Annals of Carnegie Museum 77 (4): 451–483. doi:10.2992/0097-4463-77.4.451.
16. Sean P. Modesto, Diane M. Scott, and Robert R. Reisz (2009). "A new parareptile with temporal fenestration from the Middle Permian of South Africa". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 46 (1): 9–20. Bibcode:2009CaJES..46....9M. doi:10.1139/E09-001. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
17. Magdalena Borsuk−Białynicka; and Mariusz Lubka (2009). "Procolophonids from the Early Triassic of Poland" (PDF). Paleontologica Polonica 65: 107–144. Retrieved 12 August 2010..
18. Octávio Mateus; Louis Jacobs; Michael Polcyn; Anne S. Schulp; Diana Vineyard; André Buta Neto; and Miguel Telles Antunes (2009). "The oldest African eucryptodiran turtle from the Cretaceous of Angola" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 54 (4): 581–588. doi:10.4202/app.2008.0063. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
19. Vandermark, D., Tarduno, J.A., Brinkman, D.B., Cottrell, R.D., and Mason, S. (2009). "New Late Cretaceous macrobaenid turtle with Asian affinities from the High Canadian Arctic: dispersal via ice-free polar routes". Geology 37 (2): 183–186. Bibcode:2009Geo....37..183V. doi:10.1130/G25415A.1.
20. Tong, H.; Claude, J.; Naksri, W.; Suteethorn, V.; Buffetaut, E.; Khansubha, S.; Wongko, K. & Yuangdetkla, P. (2009). "Basilochelys macrobios n. gen. and n. sp., a large cryptodiran turtle from the Phu Kradung Formation (latest Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous) of the Khorat Plateau, NE Thailand". In: Buffetaut, E.; Cuny, G.; Le Loeuff, J. & Suteethorn, V. (eds.). Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic Ecosystems in SE Asia. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 315: 229-243.
21. Lyson, T.R. and Joyce, W.G. (2009). "A revision of Plesiobaena (Testudinoes: Baenidae) and an assessment of Baenid ecology across the K/T boundary". Journal of Paleontology 83 (6): 833–853. doi:10.1666/09-035.1.
22. John Howard Hutchison (2009). "New soft-shelled turtles (Plastomeninae, Trionychidae, Testudines) from the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene of North America". PaleoBios 29 (2): 36–47. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
23. Walter G. Joyce and Tyler R. Lyson (2011). "New Material of Gilmoremys lancensis nov. comb. (Testudines: Trionychidae) from the Hell Creek Formation and the Diagnosis of Plastomenid Turtles". Journal of Paleontology 85 (3): 442–459. doi:10.1666/10-127.1.
24. Anquetin, J.; Barrett, P.M.; Jones, M.E.H.; Moore-Fay, S. & Evans, S.E. (2009). "A new stem turtle from the Middle Jurassic of Scotland: new insights into the evolution and palaeoecology of basal turtles". Proceedings of the Royal Society B 276 (1658): 879–886. doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.1429. PMC 2664364. PMID 19019789..
25. Walter G. Joyce, Ariel Revan, Tyler R. Lyson and Igor G. Danilov (2009). "Two New Plastomenine Softshell Turtles from the Paleocene of Montana and Wyoming" (PDF). Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 50 (2): 307–325. doi:10.3374/014.050.0202. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
26. Gaffney, E.S.; Krause, D.W. and Zalmout, I.S. (2009). "Kinkonychelys, a new side-necked turtle (Pelomedusoides: Bothremydidae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar". American Museum Novitates 3662: 1–25. doi:10.1206/672.1.
27. Lyson, T.R. and Joyce, W.G. (2009). "A New Species of Palatobaena (Testudines: Baenidae) and a Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian Phylogenetic Analysis of Baenidae". Journal of Paleontology 83 (3): 457–470. doi:10.1666/08-172.1. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
28. Magdalena Borsuk−Białynicka; and Susan E. Evans (2009). "A long−necked archosauromorph from the Early Triassic of Poland" (PDF). Paleontologica Polonica 65: 203–234. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
29. Susan E. Evans (2009). "An early kuehneosaurid reptile (Reptilia: Diapsida) from the Early Triassic of Poland" (PDF). Paleontologica Polonica 65: 145–178. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
30. Susan E. Evans; and Magdalena Borsuk−Białynicka (2009). "A small lepidosauromorph reptile from the Early Triassic of Poland" (PDF). Paleontologica Polonica 65: 179–202. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
31. Gasparini, Z. (2009). "A New Oxfordian Pliosaurid (Plesiosauria, Pliosauridae) in the Caribbean Seaway". Palaeontology 52 (3): 661–669. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00871.x.
32. Druckenmiller, P.S.; & Russell, A.P. (2009). "The new plesiosaurian genus Nichollssaura from Alberta, Canada: replacement name for the preoccupied genus Nichollsia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29 (1): 276. doi:10.1080/02724634.2009.10010379.
33. Head, Jason J.; Jonathan I. Bloch, Alexander K. Hastings, Jason R. Bourque, Edwin A. Cadena, Fabiany A. Herrera, P. David Polly, and Carlos A. Jaramillo (2009). "Giant boid snake from the paleocene neotropics reveals hotter past equatorial temperatures". Nature 457 (7230): 715–718. Bibcode:2009Natur.457..715H. doi:10.1038/nature07671. PMID 19194448. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
34. Kwok, Roberta (4 February 2009). "Scientists find world's biggest snake". Nature. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
35. Reichel, M., Schultz, C.L. and Soares, M.B. (2009). "A new traversodontid cynodont (Therapsida, Eucynodontia) from the Middle Triassic Santa Maria Formation of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil". Palaeontology 52 (1): 229–250. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2008.00824.x.
36. Liu, J., Rubidge, B. and Li, J. (2009). "New basal synapsid supports Laurasian origin for therapsids". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 54 (3): 393–400. doi:10.4202/app.2008.0071.
37. Hu, Y., Meng, J. and Clark, J.M. (2009). "A new tritylodontid from the Upper Jurassic of Xinjiang, China". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 54 (3): 385–391. doi:10.4202/app.2008.0053.
38. Coiffard, C; Gomez, B; Thiébaut, M; Kvácek, J; Thévenard, F; Néraudeau, D (2009). "Intramarginal veined Lauraceae Leaves from the Albian-Cenomanian of Charente-Maritime (western France)". Palaeontology 52 (2): 323–336. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00845.x.
39. Pradhan, G.R.; Van Schaik, C.P. (2009). "Why do females find ornaments attractive? The coercion-avoidance hypothesis". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 96 (2): 372–382. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2008.01131.x.
40. Benton, M.J. (2009). "The Red Queen and the Court Jester: species diversity and the role of biotic and abiotic factors through time". Science 323 (5915): 728–732. Bibcode:2009Sci...323..728B. doi:10.1126/science.1157719. PMID 19197051.
41. Krug, A.Z.; Jablonski, D.; Valentine, J.W. (2009). "Signature of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction in the modern biota". Science 323 (5915): 767–771. Bibcode:2009Sci...323..767K. doi:10.1126/science.1164905. PMID 19197060.