# 1990 in paleontology

Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. 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 1990.

## Plants
### Conifers
#### Pinaceae

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes | Images |
| Abies rigida | Syn nov | valid | Knowlton | Oligocene Chattian | Creede Formation | US Colorado | Abies longirostris (1923) | A possible bristlecone fir species | Abies rigida |
| Pinus crossii | Syn nov | Valid | Knowlton | Oligocene Chattian | Creede Formation | US Colorado | Pinus aristata fossilis(1934) Pinus coloradensis (1923) Pinus similis (1923) Pinus wasonii (1987) | A bristle cone pine species | |

### Angiosperms
#### Basal eudicots

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes | Images |
| Berberis coloradensis | Syns nov | Valid | Axelrod | Oligocene Chattian | Creede Formation | US Colorado | synonymy Berberis riogrande (1987) Fendlera coloradensis p.p. (1987) Philadelphus creedensis (1987) Vaccinium creedensis (1987) | A barberry species | |
| Mahonia aceroides | Comb et syn nov | valid | (Knowlton) Schorn & Wolfe | Oligocene Chattian | Creede Formation | US Colorado | synonymy Mahonia creedensis (1956) Mahonia hakeaefolia p.p. (1936) Mahonia marginata p.p. (1936) | An Mahonia species Moved from Sterculia aceroides (1923) | |

#### Superroids
##### Malpighiales

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes | Images |
| Populus larsenii | Comb et syn nov | valid | (Knowlton) Schorn & Wolfe | Oligocene Chattian | Creede Formation | US Colorado | synonymy Betula smithiana p.p. 1987 Populus cedrusensis auct. non Wolfe, nec Axelrod, 1987 Populus creedensis (1987) Populus lesquereuxi auct. non Cockerell, nec Knowlton, 1923 Populus pliotremuloides auct. non Axelrod, 1937 nec Axelrod, 1987 | First identified as a possible Alder species Moved from Alnus? larseni (1923) | |

## Paleomycology
### newly named fungi

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Coprinites | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Poinar & Singer | Burdigalian | Dominican amber. | Dominican Republic | first mushroom genus described from the fossil record | |

## Arthropods
### Newly named crustaceans

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Orbitoplax | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Tucker & Feldmann | Early Oligocene | Poul Creek Formation | USA ( Alaska) | A euryplacid crab, type species is O. plafkeri. | |

### Newly named insects

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Casaleia | Gen nov | valid | Pagliano & Scaramozzino | Middle Miocene | Chon-Tyz mine | Kyrgyzstan | A replacement name for "Protamblyopone" Dlussky 1981. | Casaleia eocenica |
| Paleochrysopa | Gen et sp nov | valid | Séméria & Nel | Priabonian | Monteils Formation | France | A green lacewing. The type species is P. monteilsensis | Paleochrysopa monteilsensis |
| Tetraponera klebsi | Comb nov | Valid | (Wheeler) | Lutetian | Baltic amber | Europe | A pseudomyrmecine ant. Moved from Sima klebsi (Wheeler, 1915) | Tetraponera klebsi |

## Vertebrates
### Conodonts

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Chiosella | Gen nov | Valid | Kozur | | | | | |
| Clarkina | Gen nov | Valid | Kozur | | | | | |

### Newly named Actinopterygii ("Ray-finned Fish")

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Veronavelifer | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Bannikov | Eocene | Monte Bolca | Italy | | Veronavelifer sorbinii |

### Pseudosuchians

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
| Baru darrowi | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Willis, Murray & Megirian | Miocene | Bullock Creek | Australia | A mekosuchine crocodilian. Originally material from the Riversleigh WHA was also assigned to this species, but later research found these fossils to have belonged to a distinct taxon. | |

### Dinosaurs

* All Anatosaurus species except A. copei were moved to the previously existing genus Edmontosaurus by Brett-Surman
* "Seismosaurus" gastroliths documented.

#### Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Location | Images |
| Agilisaurus | Valid taxon | Peng G. | | China | Agilisaurus |
| Anatotitan | Valid taxon formerly called Anatosaurus copei | Brett-Surman vide: Chapman | Michael K. Brett-Surman | Canada ( Alberta) | Anatotitan copei |
| Bellusaurus | Valid taxon | Dong Zhiming | | China | Bellusaurus |
| Breviceratops | Valid taxon | Kurzanov | | Mongolia | |
| Coloradisaurus | Valid taxon | Peter Galton | | Argentina | Coloradisaurus |
| Drinker | Valid taxon | Robert Bakker Galton | Siegwarth Filla | USA ( Wyoming) | |
| Emausaurus | Valid taxon | Haubold | | Germany | |
| Epachthosaurus | Valid taxon | Jaime Eduardo Powell | | Argentina | Epachthosaurus |
| "Futabasaurus" | Nomen nudum; later applied to a plesiosaur. | David Lambert | | Japan |
| “Hadrosauravus" | Nomen nudum | David Lambert | | USA ( Montana, Utah)  Canada |
| “Hisanohamasaurus” | Nomen nudum | David Lambert | | Japan |
| “Katsuyamasaurus" | Nomen nudum | David Lambert | | | |
| "Kitadanisaurus" | Nomen nudum | David Lambert | | | |
| "Madsenius" | Nomen nudum | David Lambert | | USA |
| Monkonosaurus | Valid taxon | Zhao X. vide: Dong Zhiming | | China | |
| Richardoestesia | Valid taxon | Phillip Currie Rigby and | R.E. Sloan | Canada ( Alberta)  USA ( Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming) | |
| “Sugiyamasaurus" | Nomen nudum | David Lambert | | | |
| Yimenosaurus | Valid taxon | Bai vide: Bai Yang J. | Wang G.H. | China | |

#### Newly named birds

| Name | Status | Novelty | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Agnopterus sicki | Valid | Sp. nov. | Herculano M. F. de Alvarenga | Late Oligocene / Early Miocene | Bacia de Taubate | Brazil | A Phoenicopteriformes, Agnopteridae Lambrecht, 1933. |
| Anser arenosus | Valid | Sp. nov. | K. Jeffrey Bickart | Late Miocene | Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation | USA:  Arizona | An Anatidae. |
| Anser arizonae | Valid | Sp. nov. | K. Jeffrey Bickart | Late Miocene | Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation | USA:  Arizona | An Anatidae. |
| Brachyramphus dunkeli | Valid | Sp. nov. | Robert M. Chandler | Late Pliocene | Blancan, San Diego Formation | USA:  California | An Alcidae. |
| Branta woolfendeni | Not Valid | Sp. nov. | K. Jeffrey Bickart | Late Miocene | Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation | Mongolia;  USA:  Arizona | An Anatidae, placed in synonymy with Bonibernicla ponderosa Kurochkin, 1985 by Zelenkov, 2012. |
| Cerorhinca reai | Valid | Sp. nov. | Robert M. Chandler | Late Pliocene | Blancan, San Diego Formation | USA:  California | An Alcidae. |
| Chlamydotis mesetaria | Valid | Sp. nov. | Antonio Sanchez Marco | Early Pliocene | MN 15 | Spain:  Castile and León | An Otididae. |
| Corvus galushai | Valid | Sp. nov. | K. Jeffrey Bickart | Late Miocene | Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation | USA:  Arizona | A Corvidae. |
| Cygnus mariae | Valid | Sp. nov. | K. Jeffrey Bickart | Late Miocene | Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation | USA:  Arizona | An Anatidae. |
| Diomedea howardae | Valid | Sp. nov. | Robert M. Chandler | Late Pliocene | Marine Beds | USA:  California | A Diomedeidae. |
| Himantopus olsoni | Valid | Sp. nov. | K. Jeffrey Bickart | Late Miocene | Late Hemphillian, Big Sandy Formation | USA:  Arizona | A Recurvirostridae |
| “Ichthyornis” minusculus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Lev A. Nessov | Late Eocene | Coniacian, Bisekty Formation | Uzbekistan | Possibly an Enantiornithes Walker, 1981. |
| Kievornis rogovitshi | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Alexander O. Averianov Olga R. Potapova Lev A. Nessov | Late Eocene | MP 17-20 | Ukraine | An Aves Incertae Sedis, possibly a Procelariiformes or a Phaethontidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Melanitta ceruttii | Valid | Sp. nov. | Robert M. Chandler | Late Pliocene | Blancan, San Diego Formation | USA:  California | An Anatidae, transferred to the genus Histrionicus Lesson, 1828 by Storrs L. Olson & Pamela C. Rasmussen, 2001 |
| Palaeeudyptes klekowskii | Valid | Sp. nov. | Andrezej Myrcha Andrzej Tatur Rodolfo Del Valle | Late Eocene | La Meseta Formatie on Seymour Island | Antarctica | A Spheniscidae. |
| Podiceps arndti | Valid | Sp. nov. | Robert M. Chandler | Late Pliocene | Blancan, San Diego Formation | USA:  California | A Podicipedidae. |
| Puffinus gilmorei | Valid | Sp. nov. | Robert M. Chandler | Late Pliocene | Marine Beds | USA:  California | A Procellariidae. |
| Puffinus holei | Valid | Sp. nov. | Cyril A. Walker Graham M. Wragg Colin J. O. Harrison | Late Pleistocene MQ 2C; Late Pleistocene MQ 2C-D; Early Holocene MQ 2E | Portugal, Spain: Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, Portugal | Portugal;  Spain:  Canary Islands | A Procellariidae, Mourer-Chauviré & Antunes, 2000 emended the spelling to Puffinus holeae. |
| Puffinus olsoni | Valid | Sp. nov. | Miquel McMinn Damià Jaume Josep A. Alcover | Holocene | Fuerteventura | Spain:  Canary Islands | A Procellariidae. |
| Rissa estesi | Valid | Sp. nov. | Robert M. Chandler | Late Pliocene | Blancan, San Diego Formation | USA:  California | A Laridae. |
| Songzia heidangkouensis | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Hou LianHai | Early Eocene | Yangxi Formation | China | A Ralliformes, Songziidae Hou, 1990, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Stictocarbo kumeyaay | Valid | Sp. nov. | Robert M. Chandler | Late Pliocene | Blancan, San Diego Formation | USA:  California | A Phalacrocoracidae, transferred to the genus Phalacrocorax Brisson, 1760. |
| Sula clarki | Valid | Sp. nov. | Robert M. Chandler | Late Pliocene | Blancan, San Diego Formation | USA:  California | A Sulidae. |
| Struthio dmanisensis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich Abesalom K. Vekua | Early Pleistocene | Dmanisi | Georgia | A Struthionidae. |
| Synthliboramphus rineyi | Valid | Sp. nov. | Robert M. Chandler | Late Pliocene | Blancan, San Diego Formation | USA:  California | An Alcidae. |
| Tetrastes dalianensis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Hou LianHai | Late Pliocene | Talien | China | A Phasianidae, transferred to the genus Bonasa Stephen, 1819. |