La Paleontologia (del grec: paleo, "vella"; ontos, "ésser"; i logos, "coneixement") és l'estudi de les formes de vida prehistòriques de la Terra a través de l'examen dels fòssils de plantes i animals. Això inclou, entre altres, l'estudi de fòssils del cos, empremtes (icnites), forats i femtes (copròlits). La paleontologia té una llarga història ja des d'abans de quedar formalitzada com una ciència. En aquest article es citen els descobriments significatius i esdeveniments relacionats amb la paleontologia ocorreguts durant el 2008.
Amfibis
Jenkins, F. A., jr, Shubin, N. H., Gatesy, S. M.,i Warren, A., 2008, Gerrothorax pulcherrimus de l'alt Triàsic a l'est de Groenlàndia: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, v. 28, n. 4, p. 935-950.
Amfibis que recentment han rebut un nom
Currently valid amphibian genera named in 2008
Nom
Estatus
Autors
Imatges
Beelzebufo[1]
Tàxon vàlid
Evans, Jones, & Krause,
Gerobatrachus[2]
Tàxon vàlid
Dinosaures
Ous d'Oviraptorosaure amb embrions (esquelet) trobats per primera vegada a la Xina.[3]
Fòssils de teròpodes del Juràssic tardà trobats per primera vegada a Mongòlia.[4]
Es publica un nou estudi de la variació morfològica de la dentició en teròpodes a la formació Milk River (Cretaci).[5]
Dinosaures que recentment han rebut un nom
28 nous gèneres de dinosaures el 2008. Dades gràcies a la llista de gèneres de dinosaures de George Olshevky.[6]
Nom
Estatus
Autors
Notes
Imatges
Albertonykus[7]
Tàxon vàlid
Longrich
Currie
Austroraptor[8]
Tàxon vàlid
Novas
Pol
Canale
Porfiri
Calvo
Dakotadon[9]
Tàxon vàlid
Gregory S. Paul
Daxiatitan[10]
Tàxon vàlid
Diceratus[11]
Objective junior synonym of Nedoceratops; possible junior synonym of Triceratops
Hutchinson, J.R., Miller, C., Fritsch, G., and Hildebrandt, T. 2008. The anatomical foundation for multidisciplinary studies of animal limb function: examples from dinosaur and elephant limb imaging studies; pp. 23–38 in Endo, H. and Frey, R. (eds.), Anatomical Imaging: Towards a New Morphology. Springer Verlag, Tokyo.
Witmer, L.M., Ridgely, R.C., Dufeau, D.L., and Semones, M.C. 2008. Using CR to peer into the past: 3D visualization of the brain and ear regions of birds, crocodiles, and nonavian dinosaurs; pp. 67–88 in Endo, H. and Frey, R. (eds.), Anatomical Imaging: Towards a New Morphology. Springer Verlag, Tokyo.
Peixos cartilaginosos
Cicimurri, D. J., D. C. Parris and M. J. Everhart. 2008. Partial dentition of a chimaeroid fish (Chondrichthyes, Holocephali) from the Upper Cretaceous Niobrara Chalk of Kansas, USA. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 28(1):34-40.
Anàpsids
Anàpsids que recentment han rebut un nom
Gèneres d'anàpsids vàlids amb els noms posats durant el 2008
Everhart, M.J. 2008. A bitten skull of Tylosaurus kansasensis (Squamata: Mosasauridae) and a review of mosasaur-on-mosasaur pathology in the fossil record. Kansas Academy of Science, Transactions 111(3/4):251-262
Everhart, M.J. 2008. The mosasaurs of George F. Sternberg, paleontologist and fossil photographer. Proceedings of the Second Mosasaur Meeting, Fort Hays Studies Special Issue 3, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, pp. 37–46.
Polcyn, M.J. and Everhart, M.J. 2008. Description and phylogenetic analysis of a new species of Selmasaurus (Mosasauridae: Plioplatecarpinae) from the Niobrara Chalk of western Kansas. Proceedings of the Second Mosasaur Meeting, Fort Hays Studies Special Issue 3, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, pp. 13–28.
Polcyn, M.J., Bell, G.L., Jr., Shimada, K. and Everhart, M.J. 2008. The oldest North American mosasaurs (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) of Kansas and Texas with comments on the radiation of major mosasaur clades. Proceedings of the Second Mosasaur Meeting, Fort Hays Studies Special Issue 3, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, pp. 137–155.
Everhart, M.J. 2008. Rare occurrence of a Globidens sp. (Reptilia; Mosasauridae) dentary in the Sharon Springs Member of the Pierre Shale (Middle Campanian) of Western Kansas. p. 23-29 in Farley G. H. and Choate, J.R. (eds.), Unlocking the Unknown; Papers Honoring Dr. Richard Zakrzewski,, Fort Hays Studies, Special Issue No. 2, 153 p., Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS.
Placoderms
Materpiscis nou gènere de placoderms amb embrió fossilitzat.
Placoderms que recentment han rebut un nom
Gèneres vàlids de placoderms amb els noms posats durant el 2008
↑Anderson J.S., Reisz R.R., Scott D., Fröbisch N.B., & Sumida S.S. 2008. A stem batrachian from the Early Permian of Texas and the origin of frogs and salamanders. Nature453: 515-518.
↑Cheng, Y.-N., Ji, Q., Wu, X.-C., and Shan, H.-Y. 2008. Oviraptorosaurian eggs (Dinosauria) with embryonic skeletons discovered for the first time in China. Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition) 82(6):1089-1094.
↑Watabe, M., Tsogtbaatar, K., and Barsbold, R. 2008. First discovery of a theropod (Dinosauria) from the Upper Jurassic in Mongolia and its stratigraphy. Paleontological Research 12(1):27-36. doi:10.2517/1342-8144(2008)12[27:FDOATD]2.0.CO;2
↑Larson, D.W. 2008. Diversity and variation of theropod dinosaur teeth from the uppermost Santonian Milk River Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Alberta: a quantitative method supporting identification of the oldest dinosaur tooth assemblage in Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 45(12):1455-1468. doi:10.1139/E08-070
↑Olshevsky, George. «Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List». Arxivat de l'original el 2011-07-15. [Consulta: 7 agost 2008].
↑Longrich, Nicholas R.; and Currie, Philip J. «Albertonykus borealis, a new alvarezsaur (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Maastrichtian of Alberta, Canada: Implications for the systematics and ecology of the Alvarezsauridae». Cretaceous Research, online preprint, 2008, pàg. 239. DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2008.07.005.
↑Novas, Fernando E.; Diego Pol, Juan I. Canale, Juan D. Porfiri and Jorge O. Calvo «A bizarre Cretaceous theropod dinosaur from Patagonia and the evolution of Gondwanan dromaeosaurids». Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The Royal Society, 16-12-2008. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1554 [Consulta: 18 desembre 2008].
↑ 9,09,1Paul, Gregory S. «A revised taxonomy of the iguanodont dinosaur genera and species». Cretaceous Research, 29, 2, 2008, pàg. 192–216. DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2007.04.009.
↑You, H.-L.; Li, D.-Q.; Zhou, L.-Q.; and Ji, Q «Daxiatitan binglingi: a giant sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of China». Gansu Geology, 17, 4, 2008, pàg. 1-10.
↑ 11,011,1Mateus, O «Two ornithischian dinosaurs renamed: Microceratops Bohlin 1953 and Diceratops Lull 1905». Journal of Paleontology, 82, 2, 2008, pàg. 423. DOI: 10.1666/07-069.1.
↑Lu Junchang; Yoichi Azuma; Chen Rongjun; Zheng Wenjie; and Jin Xingsheng «A new titanosauriform sauropod from the early Late Cretaceous of Dongyang, Zhejiang Province». Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition), 82, 2, 2008, pàg. 225–235.
↑Benson, R.B.J. (2008). "A redescription of "Megalosaurus" hesperis (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Inferior Oolite (Bajocian, Middle Jurassic) of Dorset, United Kingdom". Zootaxa 1931: 57-67. Accessed 2009-06-19. 2009-06-22.
↑ 14,014,1Sereno, Paul C.; and Brusatte, Stephen L. «Basal abelisaurid and carcharodontosaurid theropods from the Lower Cretaceous Elrhaz Formation of Niger». Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 53, 1, 2008, pàg. 15–46.
↑Lu Junchang; Li Tianguang; Zhong Shimin; Ji Qiang; and Li Shaoxue «A new mamenchisaurid dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Yuanmou, Yunnan Province, China». Acta Geologica Sinica, 82, 1, 2008, pàg. 17–26.
↑Zhang, Fucheng; Zhou, Zhonghe; Xu, Xing; Wang, Xiaolin and Sullivan, Corwin. "A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran from China with elongate ribbon-like feathers". <http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v455/n7216/full/nature07447.html> Nature 455, 1105-1108 (23 October 2008) | doi:10.1038/nature07447
↑Alifanov, V.R. «The tiny horned dinosaur Gobiceratops minutus gen. et sp. nov. (Bagaceratopidae, Neoceratopsia) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia». Paleontological Journal, 42, 6, 2008, pàg. 621-633.
↑Maidment, Susannah C.R.; Norman, David B.; Barrett, Paul M.; and Upchurch, Paul «Systematics and phylogeny of Stegosauria (Dinosauria: Ornithischia)». Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 6, in press, pàg. 1. DOI: 10.1017/S1477201908002459.
↑González Riga, Bernardo J.; Previtera, Elena; and Pirrone, Cecilia A. «Malarguesaurus florenciae gen. et sp. nov., a new titanosauriform (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza, Argentina». Cretaceous Research, (online preprint), 2008, pàg. 135. DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2008.06.006.
↑Novas, F.E.; Ezcurra, M.D.; and Lecuona, A. «Orkoraptor burkei nov. gen. et sp., a large theropod from the Maastrichtian Pari Aike Formation, Southern Patagonia, Argentina». Cretaceous Research, 29, 3, 2008, pàg. 468–480. DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2008.01.001.
↑Carpenter, Kenneth; Bartlett, Jeff; Bird, John; and Barrick, Reese «Ankylosaurs from the Price River Quarries, Cedar Mountain Formation (Lower Cretaceous), east-central Utah». Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 28, 4, 2008, pàg. 1089-1101.
↑Filippi, L.S.; and Garrido, A.C. «Pitekunsaurus macayai gen. et sp. nov., new titanosaur (Saurischia, Sauropoda) from Upper Cretaceous Neuquén Basin, Argentina». Ameghiniana, 45, 3, 2008, pàg. 575-590.
↑Mo Jin-You; Huang Chuo-Lin; Zhao Zhong-Ru; Wang Wei; and Xu Xin «A new titanosaur (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Guangxi, China». Vertebrata PalAsiatia, 46, 2, 2008, pàg. 147–156.
↑ 24,024,1Godefroit, Pascal; Hai Shulin; Yu Tingxiang; and Lauters, Pascaline «New hadrosaurid dinosaurs from the uppermost Cretaceous of north−eastern China». Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 53, 1, 2008, pàg. 47–74.
↑He, T., Wang, X.-L., and Zhou, Z.-H. (2008). "A new genus and species of caudipterid dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of western Liaoning, China." Vertebrata PalAsiatica, 46(3): 178-189.
↑Canudo, José I.; Royo-Torres, Rafael; and Cuenca-Bescós, Gloria «A new sauropod: Tastavinsaurus sanzi gen. et sp. nov. from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) of Spain». Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 28, 3, 2008, pàg. 712-731.
↑Salgado, Leonardo; and Carvalho, Ismar de Souza «Uberabatitan ribeiroi, a new titanosaur from the Marília Formation (Bauru Group, Upper Cretaceous), Minas Gerais, Brazil». Palaeontology, 51, 4, 2008, pàg. 881–901. DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2008.00781.x.
↑Li, C.; Wu, X.-C.; Rieppel, O.; Wang, T.-L. & Zhao, L.-J. 2008. An ancestral turtle from the Late Triassic of southwestern China. Nature 456: 497-501.
↑Sterli, J. 2008. A new, nearly complete stem turtle from the Jurassic of South America with implications for turtle evolution. Biology Letters 4: 286-289.
↑Long, J. A.; Trinajstic, K.; Young, G. C. & Senden, T. 2008. Live birth in the Devonian period. Nature 453 (7195): 650–652.