newly named

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Archaeomarasmius Archaeomarasmius Archaeomarasmius is an extinct genus of gilled fungus in the Agaricales family Tricholomataceae, containing the single species Archaeomarasmius leggetti. It is known from two fruit bodies recovered from amber, one consisting of a complete cap with a broken stem, the other consisting of a fragment...	Valid	Hibbett Grimaldi Donoghue	Toronian (Cretaceous)	New Jersey amber.	United States
Protomycena Protomycena Protomycena is an extinct monotypic genus of gilled fungus in the Mycenaceae family, of order Agaricales. At present it contains the single species Protomycena electra, known from a single specimen collected in an amber mine in the Cordillera Septentrional area of the Dominican Republic...	Valid	Hibbett Grimaldi Donoghue	Burdigalian Burdigalian The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma...  (Miocene)	Dominican amber Dominican amber Dominican amber is amber from the Dominican Republic. Resin from the extinct species Hymenaea protera is the source of Dominican amber and probably of most amber found in the tropics.... .	Dominican Republic

Newly named birds

Dinosaurs

• Paleontologist Karen Chin receives a coprolite
  Coprolite
  A coprolite is fossilized animal dung. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour rather than morphology. The name is derived from the Greek words κοπρος / kopros meaning 'dung' and λιθος / lithos meaning 'stone'. They...
  
   that was excavated during 1995
  1995 in paleontology
  -Arachnids:-Insects:-Dinosaurs:* Fossil hunters working on behalf of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum discover a large coprolite from a theropod dinosaur in Maastrichtian strata. In 1997 it is sent to coprolite specialist Karen Chin, who determines that this specimen of fossilized feces was...
  
   from strata dating back to the Maastrichtian
  Maastrichtian
  The Maastrichtian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the latest age or upper stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series, the Cretaceous period or system, and of the Mesozoic era or erathem. It spanned from 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma to 65.5 ± 0.3 Ma...
  
   in Saskatchewan
  Saskatchewan
  Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
  
  , Canada
  Canada
  Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
  
  . The specimen was about 17 inches (44 cm) long and contained fragments of bone. Due to its size, contents and age, the coprolite was believed to have been the remains of Tyrannosaurus rex
  Tyrannosaurus
  Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
  
  feces. This discovery was announced in a 1998
  1998 in paleontology
  -Amphibians:A. C. Henrici. 1998. A new pipoid anuran from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 18:321-332-Dinosaurs:...
  
   paper published in the journal Nature
  Nature (journal)
  Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
  
  .
• A Sahara
  Sahara
  The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
  
  n expedition under the leadership of Paul Sereno
  Paul Sereno
  Paul Callistus Sereno is an American paleontologist from the University of Chicago who discovered several new dinosaur species on several continents. He has conducted excavations at sites as varied as Inner Mongolia, Argentina, Morocco, and Niger...
  
   yields fruit when a team member stumbles on the bones and skull of Nigersaurus taqueti
  Nigersaurus
  Nigersaurus is a genus of diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur from the middle Cretaceous period, about 119 to 99 million years ago during the Aptian or Albian age. This dinosaur was described by Paul Sereno and colleagues in 1999...
  
  . During this and a subsequent 1999
  1999 in paleontology
  -Insects:-Newly named taxa:-Newly named dinosaurs:Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list and Dr. Jeremy Montague's dinosaur genus database.-New taxa:-New taxa:-Non-mammalian:-References:...
  
   expedition about 80% of the animal's skeleton were discovered. Later in the year of the second expedition, a formal description of the animal was published.
• French paleontologist Philippe Taquet
  Philippe Taquet
  Philippe Taquet is a French paleontologist who specializes in dinosaur systematics of finds primarily in northern Africa.He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences since November 30, 2004...
  
   reports the finding of fossilized theropod embryos preserved in Portuguese dinosaur eggs. These eggs were from the Jurassic period dating to about 140 million years ago, nearly twice as old as any previously recovered dinosaurs embryos, which had only been known from about 70 million years ago in Late Cretaceous
  Late Cretaceous
  The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
  
   strata.
• Psittacosaurus gastroliths documented.
• Panoplosaurus gastroliths documented.

Newly named dinosaurs

Name	Status	Authors		Notes	Images
"Araucanoraptor"	Nomen nudum Nomen nudum The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy... later called Neuquenraptor Neuquenraptor Neuquenraptor is a dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous of Argentina, one of the first dromaeosaurids found in the Southern Hemisphere....	Novas	et al.
Archaeoceratops Archaeoceratops Archaeoceratops, meaning "ancient horned face", is a genus of basal neoceratopsian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of north central China. It appears to have been bipedal and quite small with a comparatively large head...	Valid taxon	Dong Zhiming Dong Zhiming Dong Zhiming , from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, is one of China's leading paleontologists. He began working at the IVPP in 1962, learning from Yang Zhongjian who was director at the time...	Azuma
“Beelemodon Beelemodon "Beelemodon" is the informal name given to a genus of undescribed dinosaur from the Late Jurassic. It was possibly a coelurosaur. The fossils of "Beelemodon" consist of one partial skeleton, which was found in the U.S. state of Colorado. The name first appeared in print in 1997, when paleontologist... ”	Nomen nudum Nomen nudum The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...	Robert Bakker
"Chihuahuasaurus"	Nomen nudum Nomen nudum The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy... later called Sonorasaurus Sonorasaurus Sonorasaurus is a genus of brachiosaurid dinosaur from the middle Cretaceous . It was a herbivorous sauropod whose fossils have been found in southern Arizona in the United States. Its name, which means "Sonora lizard", comes from the Sonoran Desert where its fossils were first found...	Ratkevich vide: Anonymous Anonymity Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
"Cinizasaurus Cinizasaurus "Cinizasaurus" is an informal name for fossilized remains from the Late Triassic of New Mexico that were initially interpreted as belonging to a theropod dinosaur. The remains, NMMNH P-18400, consist of a tibia, vertebrae, and fragments, and came from the ?late Carnian-age Upper Triassic Bluewater... "	Nomen ex dissertatione	Heckert vide: Sterling J. Nesbitt Randall B. Irmis	William G. Parker
"Colossosaurus"	Nomen nudum Nomen nudum The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy... later called Pelorosaurus Pelorosaurus Pelorosaurus was a huge plant-eating dinosaur. Pelorosaurus was one of the first sauropod dinosaurs ever discovered. Pelorosaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 138-112 million years ago. Fossils referred to Pelorosaurus have been found in England and Portugal...	Mantell vide: Torrens
“Eohadrosaurus”	Nomen nudum Nomen nudum The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy... . Found to be synonymous with Eolambia Eolambia Eolambia is a genus of herbivorous iguanodontian dinosaur from the mid-Cretaceous Period of the USA.In 1992 Carole Jones and her husband Ramal Jones near Castle Dale in Emery County, Utah, on the San Rafael Swell Anticline discovered a fossil site which would be named the Carol Quarry in her honour... before a formal description could be published.	James Kirkland
Gojirasaurus Gojirasaurus Gojirasaurus is a dubious genus of dinosaur named after the giant monster movie character Gojira . It was discovered in the Bull Canyon Formation...	Valid taxon	Kenneth Carpenter Kenneth Carpenter Kenneth Carpenter is a paleontologist. He is the museum director of the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum and author or co-author of a number of books on dinosaurs and Mesozoic life...
Hudiesaurus Hudiesaurus Hudiesaurus is a genus of dinosaur from China. A sauropod, it may have been related to Mamenchisaurus. Its fossil remains were found in the Kalazha Formation, which dates to the late Jurassic Period. The type species, Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum, is known from only two incomplete specimens...	Valid taxon	Dong Zhiming Dong Zhiming Dong Zhiming , from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, is one of China's leading paleontologists. He began working at the IVPP in 1962, learning from Yang Zhongjian who was director at the time...
"Microcephale Microcephale "Microcephale" is the informal name of a genus of very small pachycephalosaurid dinosaur, otherwise known as the "North American dwarf species", which lived during the Late Cretaceous. Its fossils were found in the late Campanian-age Dinosaur Park Formation, in Alberta, Canada... "	Nomen nudum Nomen nudum The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...	Paul Sereno Paul Sereno Paul Callistus Sereno is an American paleontologist from the University of Chicago who discovered several new dinosaur species on several continents. He has conducted excavations at sites as varied as Inner Mongolia, Argentina, Morocco, and Niger...
"Orcomimus Orcomimus "Orcomimus" is the name given to an as yet undescribed genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period around 84–65 million years ago. The dinosaur was an ornithomimid which lived in what is now South Dakota, in the United States... "	Nomen nudum Nomen nudum The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...	Triebold
Protarchaeopteryx Protarchaeopteryx Protarchaeopteryx is a genus of turkey-sized feathered theropod dinosaur from China. Known from the Jianshangou bed of the Yixian Formation, it lived during the early Aptian age of the Early Cretaceous, approximately 124.6 million years ago...	Valid taxon	Ji Q.	Ji S.
Rinchenia Rinchenia Rinchenia is a genus of Mongolian oviraptorid dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period. The type species, Rinchenia mongoliensis, was originally classified as a species within the genus Oviraptor , but a re-examination by Barsbold in 1997 found differences significant enough to warrant a separate...	Valid taxon	Rinchen Barsbold vide: Halszka Osmólska Halszka Osmólska Halszka Osmólska was a Polish paleontologist who had specialized in Mongolian dinosaurs.She was born in Poznań. A member of the 1965 and 1970 Polish–Mongolian expeditions to the Gobi Desert, she described many finds from these rocks, often with Teresa Maryańska... Phillip Currie	Rinchen Barsbold
Siluosaurus Siluosaurus Siluosaurus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the Barremian-Albian-age Lower Cretaceous Xinminbao Group of Gansu, China. It is based on IVPP V.11117 , two teeth...	Nomen dubium Nomen dubium In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application... .	Dong Zhiming Dong Zhiming Dong Zhiming , from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, is one of China's leading paleontologists. He began working at the IVPP in 1962, learning from Yang Zhongjian who was director at the time...
Unenlagia Unenlagia Unenlagia is a genus of, possibly dromaeosaurid, theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina....	Valid taxon	Novas	Puerta
"Wyomingraptor Wyomingraptor "Wyomingraptor" is the name unofficially ascribed to an allosaurid dinosaur from the Morrison Formation of the Late Jurassic. The few remains unearthed are labeled as Allosaurus in the Tate Museum. Robert Bakker, who discovered the fossils in 1997, has proposed the new name... "	Nomen nudum Nomen nudum The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy... ; junior synonym of Allosaurus Allosaurus Allosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period . The name Allosaurus means "different lizard". It is derived from the Greek /allos and /sauros...	Robert Bakker as Anonymous Anonymity Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...

Exopaleontology

• Richard B. Hoover
  Richard B. Hoover
  Richard B. Hoover is a NASA scientist who has authored 33 Volumes and 250 papers on astrobiology, extremophiles, diatoms, solar physics, X-ray/EUV optics and meteorites...
  
   of NASA
  NASA
  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
  
  's Marshall Space Flight Center
  Marshall Space Flight Center
  The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
  
   photographs what he believes to be microfossils in the martian
  Martian
  As an adjective, the term martian is used to describe anything pertaining to the planet Mars.However, a Martian is more usually a hypothetical or fictional native inhabitant of the planet Mars. Historically, life on Mars has often been hypothesized, although there is currently no solid evidence of...
  
   Murchison meteorite.

Newly Named Plesiosaurs

Currently Valid Plesiosaur Genera Named in 1997
Name	Status	Authors	Images
Augustasaurus Augustasaurus Augustasaurus is a genus of aquatic sauropterygian reptile belonging to the Pistosauria, a clade containing plesiosaurs and their close relatives. Pistosaurus and Augustasaurus were thougth to be the only known members of the family Pistosauridae...	Valid taxon	Sander Rieppel Bucher
Libonectes Libonectes Libonectes is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile belonging to the plesiosaur order. It is known from a single fossil specimen found in the Britton Formation of Texas, dated to the lower Turonian stage of the late Cretaceous period.The animal was very similar to the related Thalassomedon,...	Valid taxon	Welles (as Elasmosaurus Elasmosaurus Elasmosaurus + σαυρος sauros 'lizard') is a genus of plesiosaur with an extremely long neck that lived in the Late Cretaceous period , 80.5 million years ago.-Description:...  morgani in 1949 1949 in paleontology -Non-mammalian:-References:* Welles, Samuel P. and Bump, J. D.; 1949; Alzadasaurus pembertoni, a new elasmosaur from the Late Cretaceous of South Dakota; Journal of Paleontology; 23 pp. 521–535... ) Carpenter (as Libonectes Libonectes Libonectes is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile belonging to the plesiosaur order. It is known from a single fossil specimen found in the Britton Formation of Texas, dated to the lower Turonian stage of the late Cretaceous period.The animal was very similar to the related Thalassomedon,...  morgani in 1997)
Maresaurus Maresaurus Maresaurus is an extinct genus of pliosaur from the Middle Jurassic of what is now Argentina. The type species, Maresaurus coccai, was named by Gasparini in 1997. Recent phylogenetic analysis found Maresaurus to be a rhomaleosaurid ....	Valid taxon	Gasparini

Non-mammalian

Humans

• Genetecist Michael Hammer reports findings that demonstrate that after the initial "out of Africa" radiation of modern humans at about 100,000 years ago, some humans eventually returned to Africa between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago.

Newly Named Pterosaurs