# 2011 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 2011.

## Protozoa
### New taxa

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Vetufebrus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Poinar | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A Plasmodiidae vectored by the bat fly Enischnomyia stegosoma | Vetufebrus ovatus |

## Plants
### Ferns and fern allies

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes | Images |
| Drynaria callispora | Sp nov | | Su et al | Pliocene | Sanying Formation | China | | A Drynaria species fern | |
| Equisetum thermale | sp. nov | Valid | Channing, Zamuner, Edwards, & Guido | Callovian - Tithonian | La Matilde Formation | Argentina | | oldest crown group Equisetum species | |

### Gymnosperms

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Synonymized taxa | Notes |
| Agathoxylon byeongpungense | comb nov | | (Kim et al.) Oh et al. | Cretaceous (Aptian - Albian) | Donghwachi Formation | South Korea | | An Araucariaceous wood |
| Agathoxylon kiiense | comb nov | | (Ogura) Oh et al. | Cretaceous (Aptian - Albian) | Togeum Formation | South Korea | | An Araucariaceous wood |
| Agathoxylon togeumense | Sp nov | | Oh et al. | Cretaceous (Aptian - Albian) | Togeum Formation | South Korea | | An Araucariaceous wood |
| Cariria | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Kunzmann et al. | Aptian | Crato Formation | Brazil | | A possible gnetophyte |
| Cupressus guangxiensis | Sp nov | | Shi et al. | Oligocene | Ningming Formation | China | | A cuprecaceous foliage/cone species |
| Hughmillerites | Gen et comb nov | | Rothwell et al. | Jurassic Kimmeridgian | Kimmeridge Clay Formation | UK Scotland | Conites juddii (1913) | A cuprecaceous cone morphotaxon The type species is H. juddii |
| Pinus arnoldii | Syn nov | Valid | Miller | Eocene Ypresian | Allenby Formation Princeton chert | Canada British Columbia | Pinus similkameenensis (1973) | A permineralized pine An amplified "whole plant reconstruction" including P. similkameenensis foliage/wood |
| Protaxodioxylon turolense | Sp nov | | Vozenin-Serra | Cretaceous late Albian | Utrillas Formation | Spain | | A cupressaceous wood |
| Qataniaria | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Krassilov & Schrank | Albian | Hatira Formation | Israel | | A gymnosperm pollen morphotype |
| Schizolepis daohugouensis | Sp nov | | Zhang et al. | Jurassic | Daohugou flora | China | | A pinaceous relative |

#### Gymnosperm research

* An amplified whole plant reconstruction of the Ypresian Princeton chert pine Pinus arnoldii, expanding the diagnosis to include P. similkameenensis (Miller, 1973) foliage and wood plus unnamed pollens cones found in attachment to the P. arnoldii ovulate cones is published by Klymiuk, Stockey, & Rothwell.

### Angiosperms

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Ficus palaeoracemosa | Sp nov | | Srivastava, Srivastava, & Mehrotra | Early Miocene | Kasauli Formation | India | A fig leaf morphospecies | |
| Leefructus | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Sun, Dilcher, Wang, & Chen | Early Cretaceous | Yixian Formation | China | A basal eudicot | |
| Oemleria janhartfordae | Species | Valid | Benedict, DeVore, & Pigg | Eocene Ypresian | Okanagan Highlands Klondike Mountain Formation | USA Washington | An Osoberry flower | |
| Palmoxylon lametaei | Species | Valid | Dutta, Ambwani, & Estrada-Ruiz | Maastrichtian | Lameta Formation | India | A palm wood morphospecies | |
| Prunus cathybrownae | Species | Valid | Benedict, DeVore, & Pigg | Eocene Ypresian | Okanagan Highlands Klondike Mountain Formation | USA Washington | A cherry flower species | Prunus cathybrownae |

## Nematoda

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Formicodiplogaster | Gen et sp nov | valid | Poinar | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A diplogasterid nematode The type species is F. myrmenema parasite of Azteca species ants | Formicodiplogaster myrmenema |

## Lobopods

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Diania cactiformis | Valid | Liu et al. | Lower Cambrian | Maotianshan shale | China | A lobopodian. |
| Mureropodia apae | Valid | Gamez Vintaned, Linan, & Zhuravlev | Early Cambrian | Murero | Spain | A lobopodian. |
| Siberion lenaicus | Valid | Dzik | Early Cambrian | Sinsk Formation | Russia | A lobopodian. |

## Vetulicolians

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Ooedigera peeli | gen. nov | valid | Zinther, et al. | Early Cambrian | Sirius Passet | Greenland | earliest known vetulicolian described | Artist's reconstruction |

## Amphibians
### Newly named lepospondyls

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Kirktonecta | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Clack | Viséan | East Kirkton Quarry | Scotland | A microsaur. | |
| Tambaroter | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Henrici Martens et al. | Early Permian | Tambach Formation | Germany | An ostodolepid. | |

### Newly named temnospondyls

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Acheloma dunni | Species | Valid | Polley Reisz | Early Permian | | USA | A trematopid. | |
| Calmasuchus | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Fortuny Galobart De Santisteban | early-middle Anisian | Catalan basin | Spain | A capitosaurian. | |
| Rotaryus | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Berman Henrici et al. | Early Permian | Tambach Formation | Germany | A trematopid. | |
| Rubeostratilia | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Bourget Anderson | Early Permian | | USA | An amphibamid. | Rubeostratilia texensis. |

### Newly named lissamphibians

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Urupia | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Skutschas Krasnolutskii | Bathonian | Itat Formation | Russia | A basal stem salamander. | |

## Basal reptiles
### Newly named captorhinids

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Gansurhinus | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Reisz Liu et al. | Middle Permian | | China | A moradisaurine captorhinid. | |

### Newly named basal diapsids

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Orovenator | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Reisz Modesto Scott | Sakmarian | | USA | The oldest and most basal neodiapsid. | |

### Newly named ichthyosaurs

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Sveltonectes | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Fischer Masure et al. | Barremian | | Russia | An ophthalmosaurid. | |

## Lepidosauromorphs
### Newly named saurosphargids

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Sinosaurosphargis | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Li Rieppel et al. | Middle Anisian | Guanling Formation | China | An incertae sedis. | |

### Newly named sauropterygians

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Abyssosaurus | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Berezin | Late Hauterivian | | Russia | An aristonectid. |
| Diandongosaurus | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Shang Wu Li | Middle Anisian | Guanling Formation | China | A relative of nothosauroids. |
| Dianopachysaurus | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Liu Rieppel et al. | Middle Anisian | Guanling Formation | China | A keichousaurid pachypleurosaur. |
| Hauffiosaurus tomistomimus | Species | Valid | Benson Ketchum et al. | Early Toarcian | Whitby Limestone Formation | England | A second species of Hauffiosaurus. |
| Marmornectes | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Ketchum Benson | Callovian | Oxford Clay Formation | United Kingdom | A pliosaurid. |
| Westphaliasaurus | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Schwermann Sander | Pliensbachian | Höxter district | Germany | A plesiosaurid plesiosaur. |
| Zarafasaura | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Vincent Bardet et al. | Maastrichtian | | Morocco | An elasmosaurid plesiosaur. |

### Newly named lizards

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Brasiliguana | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Nava Martinelli | Turonian/Santonian | Adamantina Formation | Brazil | An iguanian lizard. |
| Cryptolacerta | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Müller Hipsley et al. | Lutetian | Messel pit | Germany | An amphisbaenian lizard. |
| Latoplatecarpus | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Konishi Caldwell | Campanian | Pierre Shale Formation Demopolis Chalk Formation | Canada  USA | A plioplatecarpine mosasaur. Its type species is Latoplatecarpus willistoni; "Plioplatecarpus" nichollsae (Cuthbertson et al.., 2007) is a second species of Latoplatecarpus. |
| Oreithyia | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Smith | Eocene (Chadronian) | | United States | A member of Corytophanidae. The type species is Oreithyia oaklandi. |
| Plesioplatecarpus | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Konishi Caldwell | Middle Coniacian to middle Santonian. | Niobrara Chalk Eutaw Formation | USA | A plioplatecarpine mosasaur, a new genus for "Clidastes" planifrons (Cope, 1874). |
| Queironius | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Smith | Eocene (Chadronian) | | United States | A relative of the desert iguana. The type species is Queironius praelapsus. |
| Sauropithecoides | Gen. et comb. nov | Valid | Smith | Eocene (Chadronian) | | United States | A member of Polychrotidae; a new genus for "Polychrus" charisticus Smith (2006). |

### Newly named snakes

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Madtsoia pisdurensis | Species | Valid | Mohabey Head Wilson | Late Cretaceous | | India | A madtsoiid snake. | |

## Turtles
### Newly named turtles

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Albertwoodemys | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Gaffney Meylan et al. | Early Oligocene | Jebel Qatrani Formation | Egypt | A podocnemidid. |
| Brontochelys | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Gaffney Meylan et al. | Early Miocene | | Pakistan | A podocnemidid, a new genus for "Shweboemys" gaffneyi. |
| Cordichelys | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Gaffney Meylan et al. | Late Eocene | Qasr el-Sagha beds | Egypt | A podocnemidid, a new genus for "Podocnemis" antiqua. |
| Gilmoremys | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Joyce Lyson | Maastrichtian | Lance Formation Hell Creek Formation | USA | A softshell turtle, new genus for "Aspideretes" lancensis (Gilmore, 1928). |
| Graptemys kerneri | Sp. nov | Valid | Ehret & Bourque | Late Pleistocene | | United States | An emydid, a species of Graptemys. |
| Hispaniachelys | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Slater Reolid et al. | Oxfordian | Lorente Formation | Spain | A paracryptodire or a basal testudine. |
| Hoplochelys clark | Species | Valid | Joyce Lyson et al. | Maastrichtian | Hell Creek Formation | USA | A kinosternoid, a species of Hoplochelys. |
| Lapparentemys | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Gaffney Meylan et al. | Paleocene | Santa Lucía Formation | Bolivia | A podocnemidid, a new genus for "Roxochelys" vilavilensis. |
| Latentemys | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Gaffney Meylan et al. | Uncertain, possibly Miocene. | Uncertain, possibly Moghara Formation. | Egypt? | A podocnemidid. |
| Lemurchelys | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Gaffney Meylan et al. | Early Miocene | Moghara Formation | Egypt | A podocnemidid. |
| Mogharemys | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Gaffney Meylan et al. | Miocene | | Egypt | A podocnemidid, a new genus for "Sternothaerus" blanckenhorni. |
| Oliveremys | Gen. et comb. nov. | Valid | Vitek | Eocene | Washakie Formation | USA | A trionychid, a new genus for "Trionyx" uintaensis. |
| Patagoniaemys | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Sterli De la Fuente | Campanian - Maastrichtian | La Colonia Formation | Argentina | A stem turtle. |
| Peiropemys | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Gaffney Meylan et al. | Late Cretaceous | Marília Formation | Brazil | A podocnemidid. |
| Pricemys | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Gaffney Meylan et al. | Late Cretaceous | Marília Formation | Brazil | A podocnemidid. |
| Prochelidella cerrobarcinae | Species | Valid | de la Fuente Umazano et al. | Aptian/Albian | Cerro Barcino Formation | Argentina | The oldest known chelid, a species of Prochelidella. |
| Selenemys | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Pérez-García Ortega | Upper Kimmeridgian | Lusitanian Basin | Portugal | A pleurosternid. |
| Sokatra | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Gaffney Krause | Maastrichtian | Maevarano Formation | Madagascar | A pleurodiran. |
| Trionyx ikoviensis | Species | Valid | Danilov Zvonok et al. | Middle Eocene | | Ukraine | A species of Trionyx sensu lato. |
| Wilburemys | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Martin & Mallory | Late Miocene-Pliocene (Hemphillian-Blancan) | Ellensburg Formation | USA Washington | An emydine Emydidae pond turtle. The type species is W. yakimensis. |

## Archosauromorphs
### Newly named basal archosauromorphs

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Archeopelta | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Desojo Ezcurra Schultz | Late Ladinian/Early Carnian | Santa Maria Formation | Brazil | A member of Archosauriformes of uncertain phylogenetic placement. Originally classified as a doswelliid, but subsequently argued to be an erpetosuchid archosaur. | Archeopelta arborensis |
| Augustaburiania | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Sennikov | Early Triassic | Don River Basin | Russia | The earliest tanystropheid. | |
| Kyrgyzsaurus | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Alifanov Kurochkin | Late Ladinian/Early Carnian | Madygen Formation | Kyrgyzstan | The earliest drepanosaurid. | |
| Protanystropheus | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Sennikov | Middle - Late Triassic | | Austria  Germany  Netherlands  Poland | A tanystropheid, a new genus for "Tanystropheus" antiquus (von Huene, 1905). | |

### Archosaurs
## Synapsids
### Newly named non-mammalian synapsids

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Annatherapsidus postum | Sp. | Valid | Ivakhnenko | Late Permian | | Russia | A therocephalian. | |
| Basilodon | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Kammerer Angielczyk Fröbisch | Late Permian | | South Africa | A dicynodont. A new genus for "Dicynodon" woodwardi. | |
| Bridetherium | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Clemens | Early Jurassic | | United Kingdom | A morganucodontan. | |
| Candelariodon | Gen. et sp. | Valid | De Oliveira Schultz et al. | Middle Triassic | Santa Maria Formation | Brazil | A carnivorous cynodont. | |
| Cryptovenator | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Fröbisch Schoch et al. | Late Gzhelian | Remigiusberg Formation | Germany | A sphenacodontid pelycosaur. The type species is Cryptovenator hirschbergeri. | |
| Euptychognathus | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Kammerer Angielczyk Fröbisch | Late Permian | | South Africa | A dicynodont. A new genus for "Dicynodon" bathyrhynchus. | |
| Euromycter | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Reisz Maddin et al. | Upper Sakmarian - Lower Lopingian | Grès Rouge Group | France | A large caseid. A new genus for "Casea" rutena. | |
| Gorochovetzia | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Ivakhnenko | Late Permian | | Russia | A therocephalian. | |
| Keyseria | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Kammerer Angielczyk Fröbisch | Late Permian | | South Africa | A dicynodont. A new genus for "Dicynodon" benjamini. | |
| Muchia | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Ivakhnenko | Late Permian | | Russia | A therocephalian. | |
| Paceyodon | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Clemens | Early Jurassic | | United Kingdom | A morganucodontan. | |
| Peramodon | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Kammerer Angielczyk Fröbisch | Late Permian | | Russia | A dicynodont. A new genus for "Dicynodon" amalitzkii | |
| Perplexisaurus lepusculus | Species | Valid | Ivakhnenko | Middle Permian | | Russia | A therocephalian. | |
| Purlovia | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Ivakhnenko | Late Permian | | Russia | A therocephalian with a short skull. | Purlovia |
| Ruthenosaurus | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Reisz Maddin et al. | Upper Sakmarian - Lower Lopingian | Grès Rouge Group | France | A large caseid. The type species is Ruthenosaurus russellorum | |
| Syops | Gen. et comb. | Valid | Kammerer Angielczyk Fröbisch | Late Permian | | South Africa | A dicynodont. A new genus for "Dicynodon" vanhoepeni. | |
| Tiarajudens | Gen. et sp. | Valid | Cisneros Abdala et al. | Capitanian | Rio do Rasto Formation | Brazil | A basal, saber-toothed herbivorous anomodont. The type species is Tiarajudens eccentricus. | |

### Mammals
## 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.
* ↑ Henrici, Martens, Berman, Sumida.
* ↑ Berman, Henrici, Martens, Sumida, Anderson
* ↑ Reisz, Liu, Li, Müller.
* ↑ Fischer, Masure, Arkhangelsky, Godefroit.
* ↑ Li, Rieppel, Wu, Zhao, Wang.
* ↑ Liu, Rieppel, Jiang, Aitchison, Motani, Zhang, Zhou, Sun.
* ↑ Benson, Ketchum, Noè, Gómez-Pérez.
* ↑ Vincent, Bardet, Suberbiola, Bouya, Amaghzaz, Meslouh.
* ↑ Müller, Hipsley, Head, Kardjilov, Hilger, Wuttke, Reisz.
* ↑ Gaffney, Meylan, Wood, Simons and Campos
* ↑ Slater, Reolid, Wood, Schouten and Benton
* ↑ Knauss, Joyce, Lyson and Pearson
* ↑ de la Fuente, Umazano, Sterli and Carballido
* ↑ Danilov, Zvonok, Syromyatnikova and Udovichenko
* ↑ De Oliveira, Schultz, Soares, Rodrigues.
* ↑ Fröbisch, Schoch, Müller, Schindler, Schweiss.
* 1 2 Reisz, Maddin, Fröbisch, Falconnet.
* ↑ Cisneros, Abdala, Rubidge, Dentzien-Dias, Bueno.