# 1995 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 1995.

## Plants
### Conifers
#### Conifer research

* Phipps, Osborne, & Stockey detail permineralized Pinus pollen cones from the Allenby Formations Princeton Chert site. The description is the first to include in-situ pollen ultrastructure and the cones are the oldest Pinus pollen cones that had been described to date. Affiliation with the Princeton chert organ taxa Pinus similkameenensis (leaves) and Pinus arnoldii (seed cones) was suggested.

## Arthropods
### Newly named arachnids

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
| Uintascorpio | gen et sp nov | valid | Perry | Middle Eocene | Green River Formation | USA | only scorpion from the Green River Formation | |

### Newly named insects

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
| Aphaenogaster amphioceanica | Sp nov | Valid | De Andrade | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A myrmicine ant | Aphaenogaster amphioceanica |
| Aphaenogaster praerelicta | Sp nov | Valid | De Andrade | Burdigalian | Mexican amber | Mexico | A myrmicine ant | |
| Baltimartyria | gen et comb nov | valid | Skalski | Early Eocene | Baltic amber | | A micropterigid moth moved from Micropterix proavitella (1936) | |
| Dryinus grimaldii | sp nov | valid | Olmi | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A Dryinus lamellatus group wasp | Dryinus grimaldii |
| Electrinocellia | subfam, gen et sp nov | Valid | Engel | Eocene | Baltic amber | | sister taxon to the rest of Inocelliidae | |
| Exocryptocerus jansei | sp nov | Jr synonym | Vierbergen & Scheven | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A myrmicinae ant, moved to Cephalotes jansei (1999) | Cephalotes jansei |
| Exocryptocerus elevatus | sp nov | Jr synonym | Vierbergen & Scheven | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A myrmicinae ant, jr synonym of Cephalotes serratus (1999) | |
| Exocryptocerus serratus | sp nov | Jr synonym | Vierbergen & Scheven | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A myrmicinae ant, moved to Cephalotes serratus (1999) | Cephalotes serratus |
| Exocryptocerus truncatus | sp nov | Jr synonym | Vierbergen & Scheven | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A myrmicinae ant, jr synonym of Cephalotes serratus (1999) | Cephalotes serratus |
| Zacryptocerus alveolatus | sp nov | Jr synonym | Vierbergen & Scheven | Burdigalian | Dominican amber | Dominican Republic | A myrmicinae ant, moved to Cephalotes alveolatus (1999) | Zacryptocerus alveolatus |

## Brachiopods

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
| Boucotia argentina | Sp nov | Valid | Herrera | Lochkovian | Talacasto Formation | Argentina | A species of Boucotia | |

## Molluscs
### Bivalves

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
| Camya | gen et sp nov | valid | Hinz-Schallreuter | Early Cambrian | Bornholm | Denmark | The type species is C. asy | |
| Pojetaia ostseensis | sp nov | nomen dubium | Hinz-Schallreuter | Early Cambrian | Bornholm | Denmark | Probable synonym of P. runnegari | |

## Fish
### Newly named bony fish

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
| Asiamericana | Gen. et sp. nov | dubious | Nesov | Turonian | Bissekty Formation | Uzbekistan | A possible ichthyodectid. Originally described as possible spinosaurid teeth. | |

## Archosauromorphs
### Newly named 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 attributable to Tyrannosaurus rex. One year later, in 1998, Karen Chin and others publish a joint paper in Nature announcing the finding.
* Paul Sereno lead an expedition to the Kem Kem region of southeastern Morocco. Among the fossils discovered is a partial skull of Carcharodontosaurus saharicus. Significantly, it preserves a "complete and undistorted braincase" which would later be described in detail along with the structure of the inner ear of C. saharicus by Hans C. E. Larsson in 2001.
Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
| Achelousaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Sampson | Campanian | Two Medicine Formation | USA ( Montana) | A centrosaurin ceratopsian | Achelousaurus |
| Ampelosaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Le Loeuff | Maastrichtian | Marnes Rouges Inferieures Formation | France | A French titanosaur | Ampelosaurus |
| "Brontoraptor" | | nomen nudum | Redman | | | | | |
| Bugenasaura | Gen et sp nov | Junior synonym of Thescelosaurus | Galton | Lancian | Hell Creek | USA | |
| Chindesaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Long & Murry | | | USA ( Arizona, New Mexico and Texas) | A herrerasaurid | Chindesaurus |
| "Dinotyrannus" | Gen et sp nov | Junior synonym of Tyrannosaurus | Olshevsky | Lancian | | | | |
| Einiosaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Sampson | Campanian | Two Medicine Formation | USA ( Montana) | A centrosaurin ceratopsian | Einiosaurus |
| Genusaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Accarie et al. | | | France | | |
| Giganotosaurus | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Coria & Salgado | | | Argentina | A carcharodontosaurid | Giganotosaurus |
| Jainosaurus | | Valid | Hunt, Lockley, Lucas, & Meyer | | | India | | |
| "Jenghizkhan" | | Junior Synonym | Olshevsky | | | | Junior synonym of Tarbosaurus | Tarbosaurus. |
| Jingshanosaurus | | Valid | Zhang & Yang | | | China | | "Jingshanosaurus" |
| Kulceratops | | Valid | Nesov | | | | | |
| "Liassaurus" | | nomen nudum | Welles, Powell, & Pickering | | | | | |
| "Merosaurus" | | nomen nudum | Welles, Powell, & Pickering | | | | | |
| Niobrarasaurus | | Valid | Carpenter, Dilkes, & Weishampel | Coniacian-Santonian | Niobrara Formation | United States ( Kansas) | A nodosaurid | |
| Saurophaganax | | Valid | Chure | Kimmeridgian-Tithonian | Morrison Formation | United States ( Oklahoma) | An allosaurid | |
| "Stygivenator" | Gen nov | junior synonym | Olshevsky | Lancian | Hell Creek Formation | | Junior synonym of Tyrannosaurus |
| Texasetes | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Coombs | late Albian-early Cenomanian | Paw Paw Formation | United States ( Texas) | A nodosaurid | |
| "Walkersaurus" | | nomen nudum | Welles, Powell & Pickering vide: Pickering | Bajocian | | | Material later named Duriavenator | |

### Newly named birds

| Name | Status | Novelty | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes |
| Ajaia chione | Sp. nov. | Valid | Steven D. Emslie | Pleistocene | Early Irvingtonian, Bermont Formation | USA:  Florida | A threskiornithid. |
| Ameripodius silvasantosi | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Herculano M. F. de Alvarenga | Late Oligocene-Early Miocene | Tremembé Formation | Brazil | A quercymegapodiid craciform |
| Anhinga malagurala | Sp. nov. | Valid | Brian Mackness | Early Pliocene | Allingham Formation | Australia:  Queensland | An anhingid |
| Avisaurus gloriae | Sp. nov. | Valid | David J. Varricchio Luis M. Chiappe | Late Cretaceous | Maastrichtian, Hell Creek Formation | USA:  Montana | An avisaurid enantiornithean |
| Boluochia zhengi | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Zhou Zhonghe | Early Cretaceous | Valanginian, Jiufotang Formation | China | A longipterygid enantiornithean |
| Confuciusornis sanctus | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Hou Lianhai Zhou Zhonghe Gu Yucai Zhang He | Early Cretaceous | Yixian Formation | China | A confuciusornithid |
| Corvus moravicus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Jiri Mlikovsky | Early Pleistocene | Stránská Skála | Czech Republic | A corvid |
| Eudocimus leiseyi | Sp. nov. | Valid | Steven D. Emslie | Pleistocene | Early Irvingtonian, Bermont Formation | USA:  Florida | A threskiornithid |
| Grus pagei | Sp. nov. | Valid | Kenneth E. Campbell, jr. | Late Pleistocene | Rancho la Brea | USA:  California | A gruid |
| Hinasuri nehuensis | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Claudia P. Tambussi | Middle-Late Pliocene | Monte Hermoso Formation | Argentina | A rheid |
| Idiornis tuberculata | Sp. nov. | Valid | Dieter S. Peters | Middle Eocene | Messel pit: MP 11 | Germany:  Hessen | An idiornithid gruiform; the genus was synonymized with the genus Dynamopterus Milne-Edwards, 1892 by Mourer-Chauviré, 2013 |
| Itardiornis hessae | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Late Eocene and Middle Eocene | MP 21 and MP 23 | France | A messelornithid gruiform |
| Lagopus balcanicus | Sp. nov. | Valid | ppZlatozar N. Boev | Late Pliocene | MN 17, Middle Villafranchian | Bulgaria | A phasianid |
| Larus lacus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Steven D. Emslie | Late Pliocene | Late Blancan | USA:  Florida | A larid |
| Larus perpetuus | Sp. nov. | Valid | Steven D. Emslie | Late Pliocene | Late Blancan | USA:  Florida | A larid |
| Meganhinga chilensis | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Herculano M. F. de Alvarenga | Miocene | Cura-Mallín Formation | Chile | An anhingid |
| Menura tyawanoides | Sp. nov. | Valid | Walter E. Boles | ?Early Miocene | Riversleigh | Australia:  Queensland | A menurid |
| Messelornis russelli | Sp. nov. | Valid | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Late Paleocene | MP 6 | France | A messelornithid gruiform |
| Phalacrocorax filyawi | Sp. nov. | Valid | Steven D. Emslie | Late Pliocene | Late Blancan | USA:  Florida | A phalacrocoracid |
| Qinornis paleocenica | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Xue Xiangxu | Early-Middle Paleocene | Shimen Basin | China | An indeterminate neognath |

## Pterosaurs
### New taxa

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
| Plataleorhynchus | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Howse and Milner | Early Cretaceous | Purbeck Limestone | UK | | Plataleorhynchus |

## Synapsids
### Mammals
#### New taxa

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
| Asiavorator | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Spassov and Lange-Badré | Late Eocene to early Oligocene | Hsanda Gol Formation | Mongolia | Type species is A. altidens, though this later became a junior synonym of A. gracilis. | Asiavorator limb bones |