# 2003 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 2003.

## Plants
### Conifers

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Chamaecyparis eureka | Sp nov | Valid | Kotyk, Basinger, & McIlver | Lutetian | Buchanan Lake Formation, Axel Heiberg Island | Canada Nunavut | the oldest confirmed species of Chamaecyparis | |
| Tsuga swedaea | Sp nov | Valid | LePage | Lutetian | Buchanan Lake Formation, Axel Heiberg Island | Canada Nunavut | A hemlock species | |

### Angiosperms

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Araripia florifera | Gen et sp | Valid | Mohr & Eklund | lower Cretaceous | Crato Formation | Brazil | | |
| Carpinus perryae | Sp nov | Valid | Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr | Eocene Ypresian | Okanagan Highlands Klondike Mountain Formation | USA Washington | A hornbeam | Carpinus parryae |
| Corylus johnsonii | Sp nov | Valid | Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr | Eocene Ypresian | Okanagan Highlands Klondike Mountain Formation | USA Washington | A hazelnut | Corylus johnsonii |
| Palaeocarpinus barksdaleae | Sp nov | Valid | Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr | Eocene Ypresian | Okanagan Highlands Klondike Mountain Formation | USA Washington | A betulaceous fruit | Palaeocarpinus barksdaleae |
| Palaeocarpinus dentatus | Comb nov | Valid | (Penhallow) Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr | Eocene Ypresian | Okanagan Highlands "Stump lake", Coldwater Beds | Canada British Columbia | A betulaceous fruit; moved from Carpolithes dentatus (1890) | |
| Palaeocarpinus stonebergae | Sp nov | Valid | Pigg, Manchester, & Wehr | Eocene Ypresian | Okanagan Highlands Allenby Formation | Canada British Columbia | A betulaceous fruit | |
| Pseudosalix | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Boucher, Manchester, & Judd | latest Ypresian | Green River Formation | USA Utah | A willow relative | |

### Gnetophytes

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Cratonia cotyledon | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Rydin, Mohr, & Friis | lower Cretaceous | Crato Formation | Brazil | A relative to Welwetschia | |

## Fungi

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Aureofungus | Get et sp nov | Valid | Hibbett et al | Burdigalian | Dominican amber. | Dominican Republic | An agaricalean fungus Type species A. yaniguaensis | |

## Arthropods
### Arachnids

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Cornupalpatum | Gen et sp nov | valid | Poinar & Brown | Albian-Cenomanian | Burmese amber | Myanmar | An Ixodid hard tick | Cornupalpatum burmanicum |

### Insects

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Archimyrmex piatnitzkyi | Comb nov. | vaild | (Viana & Haedo Rossi) | Middle Eocene | Ventana Formation | Brazil | A myrmeciine ant. moved from Ameghinoia piatnitzkyi (1957) | Archimyrmex piatnitzkyi |
| Archimyrmex smekali | Comb nov. | valid | (Rossi de Garcia) | Middle Eocene | Ventana Formation | Brazil | A myrmeciine ant. moved from Polanskiella smekali (1983) | |
| Brownimeciinae | Subfam. Gen. et Sp. nov | Valid | Bolton | Turonian | New Jersey amber | USA New Jersey | A stem group ant, type species B. clavata | Brownimecia clavata |
| Halictus? savenyei | Sp. nov | valid | Engel & Archibald | Ypresian | Coldwater Beds | Canada  British Columbia | first apoid bee fossil described from Canada | |
| Lasioglossum celinae | Sp. nov | Valid | Nel & Petrulevicius | Rupelian | Dauphin | France | A sweat bee | Lasioglossum celinae |
| Oligoapis | Gen et sp nov | Jr synonym | Nel & Petrulevicius | Aquitanian | Bes-Konak | Turkey | An apine bee, type species O. beskonakensis Moved to Bombus beskonakensis in 2019 | Bombus beskonakensis |
| Palaeopsychops dodgeorum | Sp nov | valid | Makarkin & Archibald | Ypresian | Coldwater Beds | Canada British Columbia | An ithionid giant lacewing | |
| Paraelectrobombus | Gen et sp nov | Jr synonym | Nel & Petrulevicius | Aquitanian | Bes-Konak | Turkey | Described as an Electrobombini bee type species P. patriciae Moved to Bombus (Paraelectrobombus) patriciae in (2019) | Bombus (Paraelectrobombus) patriciae |
| Raphidia funerata | sp nov | synonym | Engel | Priabonian | Florissant Formation | USA  Colorado | A snakefly. moved to Florissantoraphidia funerata in 2014 | |
| Wesmaelius mathewesi | Sp. nov | valid | Engel & Archibald | Ypresian | Coldwater beds, Princeton Group | Canada ( British Columbia) | A Hemerobiinae lacewing | |
| Xylocopa celineae | Sp nov | valid | Nel & Petrulevicius | Chattian | Camoins-les-Bains | France | A carpenter bee | Xylocopa celineae |

## Conodont paleozoology

German paleontologist and stratigrapher Heinz Walter Kozur (1942-2013) described the conodont genus Carnepigondolella.

## Vertebrate paleozoology
### Parareptiles

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Bunostegos | | Valid | Sidor | | | Niger | This was one of the largest herbivores of their time | Bunostegos |

### Non-avian dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
| Name | Status | Authors | Location | Notes | Images |
| "Abdallahsaurus" | Nomen nudum. | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus | |
| "Blancocerosaurus" | Nomen nudum. | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus |
| Amazonsaurus | Valid taxon | Carvalho Avilla Salgado | Brazil | | |
| Antetonitrus | Valid taxon | Yates Kitching | South Africa | | |
| Aviatyrannis | Valid taxon | Rauhut | Portugal | | |
| Bainoceratops | Valid taxon | Tereschenko Alifanov | China | | |
| Brohisaurus | Valid taxon | Malkani | Pakistan | | |
| Colepiocephale | Valid taxon | Sullivan | Canada | | |
| "Domeykosaurus" | Nomen nudum | Rubilar-Rogers and Vargas vide: Anonymous on May 29, 2003 Reuters news reports. | Chile | | |
| Dromaeosauroides | Valid taxon | Christiansen Bonde | Denmark | | Dromaeosauroides |
| Equijubus | Valid taxon | You Luo Shubin Witmer Tang Z. Tang F. | China | | |
| Ferganasaurus | Valid taxon | Alifanov Averianov | Kyrgyzstan | | |
| Fukuisaurus | Valid taxon | Kobayashi Azuma | Japan | | |
| Gobititan | Valid taxon | You Tang F. Luo | China | | |
| Hanssuesia | Valid taxon | Sullivan | Canada ( Alberta) | | Hanssuesia |
| Heyuannia | Valid taxon | Lü | China | | Heyuannia |
| Hongshanosaurus | Valid taxon | You Xu X. Wang X. | China | | Hongshanosaurus |
| Isisaurus | Valid taxon | Jeffrey A. Wilson. Upchurch | India | | Isisaurus |
| "Issasaurus" | | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Dicraeosaurus | |
| Lamaceratops | Valid taxon | Alifanov | China | | |
| "Ligomasaurus" | | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus | |
| Lusotitan | Valid taxon | Antunes Mateus | Portugal | | |
| Magnirostris | Valid taxon | You Dong Zhiming | China | | Magnirostris |
| Mendozasaurus | Valid taxon | González-Riga (as González Riga) | Argentina | | |
| "Mohammadisaurus" | Nomen nudum. | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Tornieria |
| "Mtapaiasaurus" | Nomen nudum. | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus | |
| "Mtotosaurus" | Nomen nudum. | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Dicraeosaurus | |
| "Nteregosaurus" | Nomen nudum. | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Janenschia | |
| "Nyororosaurus" | | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Dicraeosaurus | |
| Olorotitan | Valid taxon | Godefroit Bolotsky Alifanov | Russia | | Olorotitan Olorotitan |
| Platyceratops | Valid taxon | Alifanov | Mongolia | | |
| Rajasaurus | Valid taxon | Jeffrey A. Wilson. Sereno Srivastava Bhatt Khosla Sahni | India | | Rajasaurus |
| Rinconsaurus | Valid taxon | Calvo González-Riga (as González Riga) | Argentina | | Rinconsaurus |
| "Salimosaurus" | Nomen nudum. | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus | |
| "Selimanosaurus" | Nomen nudum. | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Dicraeosaurus | |
| Serendipaceratops | Valid taxon | T. Rich Vickers-Rich | Australia | |
| Shenzhousaurus | Valid taxon | Ji Q. Mark Norell Makovicky Gao K. Ji S. Yuan | China | | |
| Shuangmiaosaurus | Valid taxon | You Ji Q. Li J. Li Y. X. | China | | |
| Silesaurus | Valid taxon | Dzik | Poland | | Silesaurus |
| Sinornithomimus | Valid taxon | Kobayashi Lü | China | | Sinornithomimus |
| Sphaerotholus | Possible junior synonym of Prenocephale | Williamson Carr | | | |
| "Wangonisaurus" | Nomen nudum. | Gerhard Maier | | Nomen nudum; possibly a junior synonym of Giraffatitan or Brachiosaurus | |
| Yixianosaurus | Valid taxon | Xu X. Wang X. | China | | |
| Zalmoxes | Valid taxon | Weishampel Jianu Csiki Norman | Romania | | Zalmoxes |
| Zupaysaurus | Valid taxon | Arcucci & Coria | Argentina | | Zupaysaurus |

### Newly named birds

| Name | Status | Novelty | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Amanuensis pickfordi | Gen. et sp. nov | valid | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Middle Miocene | MN 4 | Namibia | A Sagittariidae, relative of the secretarybird. The type species of Amanuensis Mourer-Chauviré, 2003. |
| Amitabha urbsinterdictensis | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Bonnie E. Gulas-Wroblewski Anton F.-J. Wroblewski | Middle Eocene | Bridger Formation | USA:  Wyoming | The type species of Amitabha Gulas-Wroblewski & Wroblewski, 2003. Placed in crown Galliformes, but only compared with Phasianidae, not with other Eocene birds from North America. |
| Anhinga minuta | Valid | Sp. nov. | Herculano M. F. de Alvarenga Edson Guilherme | Late Miocene-Early Pliocene | Huayquerian-Montehermosian, Solimõas Formation | Brazil | An Anhingidae. |
| Coenocorypha miratropica | Valid | Sp. nov. | Trevor H. Worthy | Holocene | Vitilevu | Fiji | A Scolopacidae. |
| Diomedea tanakai | Valid | Sp. nov. | Paul G. Davis | Late Early Miocene | Oi Formation | Japan | A Diomedeidae. |
| Eoeurypyga olsoni | Nomen Nudum | Thesis name. | Ilka Weidig | Early Eocene | Green River Formation | USA:  Wyoming | A Eurypygidae. |
| Falco umanskajae | Valid | Sp. nov. | Denis V. Sobolev | Pliocene | MN 16 | Ukraine | A Falconidae. |
| Gallicolumba leonpascoi | Valid | Sp. nov. | Trevor H. Worthy Graham M. Wragg | Late Pleistocene-Holocene | Henderson Island | Pitcairn | A Columbidae. |
| Hemignathus vorpalis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Helen F. James Storrs L. Olson | Subresent | Hawaii | USA:  Hawaii | A Fringillidae, Carduelinae, Drepanidini. |
| Macranhinga ranzii | Valid | Sp. nov. | Herculano M. F. de Alvarenga Edson Guilherme | Late Miocene-Early Pliocene | Huayquerian-Montehermosian | Brazil | An Anhingidae. |
| Milvago carbo | Valid | Sp. nov. | William Suárez Duque Storrs L. Olson | Quaternary, possibly Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene | Las Breas de San Felipe | Cuba | A Falconidae. |
| Morus peruvianus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Marcelo Stucchi | Pliocene | Pisco Formation | Peru | A Sulidae. |
| Namibiavis senutae | Gen. et sp. nov | valid | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Middle Miocene | MN 4 | Namibia | Initially thought to be an Idiornithidae, Cariamiformes but in 2011 reinterpreted as an Opisthocomidae, a relative of the hoatzin. The type species of Namibiavis Mourer-Chauviré, 2003. |
| Nycticorax olsoni | Valid | Sp. nov. | W. R. P. Bourne N. P. Ashmole K. E. L. Simmons | Subrecent | Ascension Island | Ascension Island | An Ardeidae. |
| Palaeogrus mainburgensis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Ursula B. Göhlich | Early Middle Miocene (MN 5) | Upper Freshwater Molasse | Germany  Bavaria | A Gruidae. |
| Parargornis messelensis | Valid | Gen. nov et Sp. nov. | Gerald Mayr | Early Middle Eocene | Messel pit, MP 11 | Germany  Hessen | An Apodiformes, Cypselavidae Mourer-Chauviré, 2006. |
| Shandongornis yinansis | Valid | Gen. nov et Sp. nov. | Hou Lianhai | Pliocene | | China | A Phasianidae. |
| Spheniscus chilensis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Steven D. Emslie Carlos Guerra Correa | Pliocene | Mejillones Formation | Chile | A Spheniscidae. |
| Spheniscus megaramphus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Marcello Stucchi Mario Urbina Alfredo Giraldo | Late Miocene | Pisco Formation | Peru | A Spheniscidae. |
| Sula magna | Valid | Sp. nov. | Marcello Stucchi | Late Miocene-Early Pliocene | Pisco Formation | Peru | A Sulidae. |
| Sula sulita | Valid | Sp. nov. | Marcello Stucchi | Late Miocene-Early Pliocene | Pisco Formation | Peru | A Sulidae. |
| Wyomingcypselus pohli | Nomen Nudum | Thesis name. | Ilka Weidig | Early Eocene | Green River Formation | USA:  Wyoming | An Apodiformes. |

### Plesiosaurs

| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Notes |
| Terminonatator | Valid | Sato | | |
| Thililua | Valid | Bardet Suberbiola Jalil | | |

### Pterosaurs

| Name | Status | Authors |
| Beipiaopterus | Valid | Lü J.-C. |
| Chaoyangopterus | Valid | Wang Zhou |
| Harpactognathus | Valid | Carpenter Unwin et al. |
| Jidapterus | Valid | Dong, Sun, & Wu, |
| Liaoningopterus | Valid | Wang X.-L. and Zhou Z.-H |
| Liaoningopteryx | Valid | Wang X. Zhao |
| Ludodactylus | Valid | Frey, E., Martill Buchy, M |
| Nurhachius | Valid | Wang Kellner et al. |
| Phosphatodraco | Valid | Pereda-Suberbiola N. Bardet et al. |
| Sinopterus | Valid | Wang, X. Zhou, Z |

### Synapsids
#### Non-mammalian

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Archaeovenator | Valid | Reisz Dilkes | Upper Carboniferous (Upper Pennsylvanian) | Hamilton Quarry | USA | a pelycosaur |
| Brasilitherium | Valid | Bonaparte Martinelli Schultz Rupert | | | Brazil | |
| Brasilodon | Valid | Bonaparte Martinelli Schultz Rupert | | | Brazil | |
| Bullacephalus | Valid | Rubidge Kitching | | | South Africa | |
| Colobodectes | Valid | Modesto Rubidge Visser Welman | Upper/Middle Permian (Capitanian) | Abrahamskraal formation | South Africa | an anomodont |
| Lanthanostegus | Valid | Modesto Rubidge Welman | Middle/Upper Permian (Capitanian) | | South Africa | an anomodont; replacement name for Lanthanocephalus Modesto, Rubidge & Welman, 2002, preoccupied by the cnidarian genus Lanthanocephalus Williams & Starmer, 2000 |
| Santacruzodon | Valid | Abdala Ribeiro | | | Brazil | |
| Xiyukannemeyeria | Valid | Liu Li | Middle Triassic (Anisian) | | China | an anomodont; new genus for "Parakannemeyeria" brevirostris |

#### Mammals

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Caracal depereti | Sp nov | Disputed | Morales et al. | Pliocene | | Spain | A Caracal. Boscaini et al. (2016) considered this species to be a junior synonym of Lynx issiodorensis. |
| Guangxicyon | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Zhai et al. | Eocene | Nadu Formation | China | An amphicyonid. |
| Iridodon | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Morlo & Gunnell | Bridgerian | Wasatch Formation | United States | A limnocyonid hyaenodont.The type species is I. datzae. |
| Kogolepithecus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Pickford et al. | Miocene | | Uganda | A catarrhine of uncertain affinity. The type species is K. morotoensis. |
| Yuesthonyx | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Tong, Wang & Fu | Paleocene | Dazhang Formation | China | A tillodont. The type species is Y. tingae. |