2026 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 2026.

Flora

Plants

Main article: 2026 in paleobotany

Fungi

Newly named fungi

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Papulosporonites canadensis	Comb. nov		(Srivastava)	Late Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian)		Canada United States	Fungal spores; moved from Palambages canadiana Srivastava (1968).
Papulosporonites polycellularis	Comb. nov		(Takahashi & Shimono)	Probably Pleistocene		Japan	Fungal spores; moved from Palambages polycellularis Takahashi & Shimono (1980).
Parolactarius	Gen. et sp. nov		Lin et al.	Cretaceous	Kachin amber	Myanmar	A fungus with probable affinities with the family Russulaceae. Genus includes new species P. pilosus.
Polyadosporites colonicus	Comb. nov		(Trivedi & Verma)	Eocene		Malaysia	Fungal spores; moved from Palambages colonicus Trivedi & Verma (1969).
Zygosporium bivesiculam	Sp. nov		Kundu & Khan	Miocene		India	A member of Xylariales belonging to the family Zygosporiaceae.

Mycological research

• Rea, Simpson & Wizevich (2026) study a sample of the ichnofossil Eopolis ekdalei from the Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation (Utah, United States) preserved with plant, insect and fungal remains interpreted as suggesting that Eopolis ekdalei was produced by termite, as well as suggestive of fungal farming by termites during the Late Jurassic.

Cnidarians

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Heina	Gen. et comb. nov	Valid	Wang	Silurian (Aeronian)	Shihniulan Formation	China	A rugose coral belonging to the family Stauriidae. The type species is "Neoceriaster" rarisepta He (1980).
Macgeea myallensis	Sp. nov		Wright & McLean	Devonian	Cara Formation	Australia	A rugose coral belonging to the family Phillipsastreidae.
Yuina	Gen. et comb. nov	Valid	Wang	Silurian (Aeronian)	Leijiatun Formation	China	A rugose coral belonging to the family Stauriidae. The type species is "Ceriaster" columellatus Ge & Yu (1974); genus also includes "Ceriaster (Eostauria)" agglomorata He & Li (1974) and "Ceriaster" qiaogouensis He (1980).

Arthropods

Main articles: 2026 in arthropod paleontology and 2026 in paleoentomology

Brachiopods

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Golestania	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Baranov, Kebrie-ee Zade & Blodgett	Devonian (Famennian)	Khoshyeilagh Formation	Iran	A member of Spiriferida belonging to the family Ambocoelidae. The type species is G. shahrudus. Published online in 2026, but the issue date is listed as December 2025.
Praeoehlertella convexa	Sp. nov		Valentine, Mathieson & Simpson	Devonian		Australia	A discinoid brachiopod.

Brachiopod research

• Zhang et al. (2026) publish a revision of the species Salairella latecostellata and a systematic revision of the genus Salairella, providing evidence of distinctiveness of late Ordovician brachiopods assemblages from the Altai Mountains, Siberia and Mongolia compared to the ones from China and Kazakhstan.

Bryozoans

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Gramipora	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Håkansson et al.	Miocene	Gram Formation	Denmark	A cheilostome bryozoan of uncertain affinities. The type species is G. laxevincta.
Reussirella germinatio	Sp. nov	Valid	Håkansson et al.	Miocene	Gram Formation	Denmark	A cheilostome bryozoan belonging to the family Cupuladriidae.

Molluscs

Main article: 2026 in paleomalacology

Echinoderms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Acruxaster	Gen. et comb. nov	Valid	Jell	Silurian and Devonian		Australia	A new genus for "Petraster" richi Withers & Keble.
Austrophiaulax	Gen. et comb. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A new genus for "Crepidosoma" kinglakensis Withers & Keble.
Cruciformaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Travers & Fau in Travers et al.	Miocene	Calcaire de Ménerbes Formation	France	A starfish belonging to the family Oreasteridae. The type species is C. pedicellarius.
Curtobesaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A starfish. Genus includes new species C. brachiatus.
Eckardtaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A brittle star. Genus includes new species E. superbus.
Enidaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A brittle star. Genus includes new species E. holmesae.
Eugasterella australiana	Sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A brittle star.
Eugasterella edmundgilli	Sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A brittle star.
Ferroaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A starfish. Genus includes new species F. gravidus.
Fhcaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A brittle star. Genus includes new species F. hotchkissi.
Fonsaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A starfish. Genus includes new species F. vandenbergi.
Furcaster chrisahyeei	Sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A brittle star.
Kswaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A starfish. Genus includes new species K. campbelli.
Lapworthura nnetteae	Sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A brittle star.
Menerbesaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Travers & Fau in Travers et al.	Miocene	Calcaire de Ménerbes Formation	France	A starfish belonging to the family Echinasteridae. The type species is M. bongrainae.
Metopaster boudinus	Sp. nov	Valid	Villier et al.	Late Cretaceous		France	A starfish.
Metopaster boutillieri	Sp. nov	Valid	Villier et al.	Late Cretaceous		France	A starfish.
Metopaster brebis	Sp. nov	Valid	Villier et al.	Late Cretaceous		France	A starfish.
Metopaster fa	Sp. nov	Valid	Villier et al.	Late Cretaceous		France	A starfish.
Metopaster glarea	Sp. nov	Valid	Villier et al.	Late Cretaceous		France	A starfish.
Metopaster sandalina	Sp. nov	Valid	Villier et al.	Late Cretaceous		France	A starfish.
Ophiurina ripariensis	Sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A brittle star.
Patenaster	Gen. et 2 sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A brittle star. Genus includes new species P. knoxensis and P. secundus.
Phurioina	Gen. et comb. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A brittle star. A new genus for "Taeniactis" yeringae Withers & Keble; genus also includes new species P. lilydalensis.
Quarreriaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A starfish. Genus includes new species Q. madelynae.
Rolfaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A brittle star. Genus includes new species R. schmidti.
Subcystaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	An asterozoan belonging to the group Stenurida. Genus includes new species S. magnadamus.
Talentaster	Gen. et comb. nov	Valid	Jell	Silurian and Devonian		Australia	A new genus for "Salteraster" biradialis Withers & Keble.
Tanyakanthaster	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	An asterozoan belonging to the group Stenurida. Genus includes new species T. plerus.
Xenaster profusus	Sp. nov	Valid	Jell	Devonian		Australia	A starfish.

Echinoderm research

• Sheffield et al. (2026) compare rates of evolution of traits of members of Diploporita, Eublastoidea and Paracrinoidea and study their phylogenetic relationships, reporting evidence of overall similar rates among the three groups, but also evidence of elevated rates of evolution of the attachment, thecal, reproductive and respiratory characters in paracrinoids.
• Waters & Macurda (2026) reevaluate the affinities of blastoids and propose a new classification of members of the group, reorganizing them into three superorders on the basis of differences in their respiratory structures.

Hemichordates

Hemichordate research

• Qiu et al. (2026) link the decline of graptolites belonging to the group Diplograptina during the Late Ordovician mass extinction and subsequent diversification of Neograptina to dynamic marine euxinia and enhanced sedimentary phosphorus recycling during the Ordovician-Silurian transition.

Conodonts

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Polygnathus talenti	Sp. nov		Tagarieva	Devonian (Famennian)		Russia (Bashkortostan)
Tropodus repetskii	Sp. nov		Zhen	Ordovician	Emanuel Formation	Australia

Conodont research

• Goudemez et al. (2026) report evidence of covariation between the increase of sharpness of the blade and the reduction of the platform in the P₁ element of the feeding apparatus of members of the genus Palmatolepis throughout the Famennian, likely related to increase in food processing abilities, and report possible evidence of trophic partitioning between juvenile and adult individuals of P. gracilis.

Fish

Main article: 2026 in paleoichthyology

Amphibians

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Nabia	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Guillaume et al.	Late Jurassic	Lourinha Formation Alcobaça Formation	Portugal	A member of the family Albanerpetontidae. The type species is N. civiscientrix.

Amphibian research

• Description of the morphology of the postcranial skeleton of Gerrothorax pulcherrimus and its changes during the ontogeny of the animal is published by Witzmann & Schoch (2026).
• Jansen et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new assemblage of amphibian fossils from the Campanian strata of the Villeveyrac-Mèze basin (France), including the oldest European members of the families Albanerpetontidae and Batrachosauroididae reported to date.
• Syromyatnikova (2026) describes the anatomy of the skull of Mioproteus wezei on the basis of new fossil material from the Pliocene strata from North Caucasus (Russia).
• The first fossil material of tree frogs from the Pleistocene of the Urals is reported from the Makhnevskaya Ledyanaya Cave (Russia) by Tarasova et al. (2026).
• Hiotis, Reed & Sherratt (2026) identify Late Pleistocene frog fossils from the Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Area (Australia) on the basis of the study of their ilial morphology.

Reptiles

Main articles: 2026 in reptile paleontology and 2026 in archosaur paleontology

Synapsids

Non-mammalian synapsids

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Njalila	Gen. et comb. nov	Valid	Gebauer & Maisch	Permian	Usili Formation	Tanzania	A gorgonopsian; a new genus for "Dixeya" nasuta Huene (1950) .

Mammals

Main article: 2026 in paleomammalogy

Other animals

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Cystostroma dongkaense	Sp. nov		Jeon et al.	Silurian (Aeronian)	Dongka Group	China	A member of Stromatoporoidea belonging to the family Rosenellidae.
Ecclimadictyon gejingae	Sp. nov		Jeon et al.	Silurian (Aeronian)	Dongka Group	China	A member of Stromatoporoidea belonging to the family Actinodictyidae.

Other animal research

• Rossi et al. (2026) reconstruct the evolutionary history of sponges on the basis of a phylogeny recovered from phylogenomic analyses and molecular clock analyses constraining the age of 12 major sponge clades on the basis of the fossil record, and interpret their findings as indicative of an Ediacaran origin of sponges, as well as indicating that the ancestral sponges were not biomineralized and lacked spicules, and that biosilicification and biocalcification evolved independently in multiple sponge lineages.
• Vinn et al. (2026) report the discovery of possible remains of a lophophore in specimens of Cornulites from the Silurian Kaochiapien Formation (Hubei, China), supporting the classification of cornulitids as lophophorates.

Foraminifera

Foraminiferal research

• Cózar, Somerville & Hounslow (2026) revise the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of earliest members of Fusulinida, and consider fusulinids to be more likely a polyphyletic group than a monophyletic one.
• Evidence of gradual changes of composition of the foraminiferal assemblage from the Pieniny Klippen Belt (Ukraine) in response to environmental changes during the Sinemurian-Pliensbachian transition is presented by Józsa et al. (2026).
• Lowery et al. (2026) constrain the duration of the interval between the extinction of the Cretaceous species and the first appearance of Parvularugoglobigerina eugubina to between 3,500 and 11,100 years, and report evidence of appearance of as many as 10 new species of planktic foraminifera in this interval, with the first appearing less than 2,000 years after the Chicxulub impact initiating the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.

Other organisms

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Avannacystis	Gen. et sp. nov		Willman & Peel	Cambrian (Wuliuan)	Henson Gletscher Formation	Greenland	A colonizing microbe of uncertain affinities (possibly chytrid-like fungus) described on the basis of vesicular fossils attached to, or embedded within, shells of the tommotiid Tesella. Genus includes new species A. polaris.
Conochitina clavatus	Sp. nov	Valid	Liang et al.	Ordovician	Dawan Formation	China	A chitinozoan.
Conochitina tenellensis	Sp. nov	Valid	Liang et al.	Ordovician	Dawan Formation	China	A chitinozoan.
Kamounia	Gen. et sp. nov		Strullu-Derrien in Strullu-Derrien et al.	Carboniferous		France	A possible member of Peronosporomycetes. The type species is K. striata.
Lagenochitina yangtzensis	Sp. nov	Valid	Liang et al.	Ordovician	Dawan Formation	China	A chitinozoan.

Research on other organisms

• Qiu et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new assemblage of compression fossils from the Tonian Changlingzi Formation (Liaoning, China), including fossils of members of the genera Chuaria, Tawuia and Protoarenicola.
• Loron et al. (2026) report evidence indicating that fossils of Prototaxites from the Rhynie chert were chemically and structurally distinct from contemporaneous and extant fungi, and interpret Prototaxites as a representative of an extinct eukaryotic lineage distinct from fungi.
• Zhao et al. (2026) link the displacement of green eukaryotic algae by phytoplankton groups whose plastids are derived from rhodophytes as the dominant marine phytoplankton in the early Mesozoic to structural characteristics of red lineage phytoplankton that enhanced their resistance to environmental reactive oxygen species.

History of life in general

• Zhang (2026) presents a new hypothesis on causes of the rise of organismal complexity that made the Cambrian radiation possible in favorable environmental conditions, linking it to predator–prey interactions among unicellular holozoans that drove genomic novelty, and to motility acting as an evolutionary filter, with high-motility forms retaining unicellularity and low-motility ones ultimately evolving multicellularity.
• Wang et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new assemblage of late Ediacaran organisms (the Dongpo biota) from the Dongpo Formation (China), expanding known geographic distribution of the Ediacaran macrofossils.
• McIlroy et al. (2026) report the discovery of a new fossil site at Inner Meadow (Newfoundland, Canada) determined to be approximately 550.78-million years old and including most the Avalon assemblage biota, and interpret this finding as indicating that the Avalon assemblage and the White Sea assemblage were contemporaneous, and that both were affected by the first pulse of the End-Ediacaran extinction (the Kotlin Crisis).
• Malanoski et al. (2026) report evidence from the study of the fossil record of shallow-marine taxa, indicating that throughout the Phanerozoic taxa with geographical distribution allowing easier access to north-south dispersal pathways were more resilient compared to taxa living along east-west–oriented coastlines, islands or inland seaways.
• Zeng et al. (2026) report a diverse biota dominated by arthropods, sponges and cnidarians and including soft-bodied forms preserved with cellular tissues (the Huayuan biota) from a Cambrian Stage 4 Burgess Shale-type Lagerstätte from the Yangtze Block (Hunan, China).
• Shi et al. (2026) reconstruct high-resolution patterns of changes of marine biodiversity from Miaolingian to Furongian, reporting evidence of three significant biodiversity pulses and evidence of declines of biodiversity coinciding with carbon isotope excursions.
• Evidence from the study of the invertebrate fossil material from the Cincinnati Arch (United States), indicating that the appearance of invasive species during the Late Ordovician (the Richmondian Invasion) resulted in composition of the benthic invertebrate assemblage from the studied area but did not significantly change its functional diversity, is presented by Ess et al. (2026).
• Cyanobacterial, fungal and algal remains interpreted as record of a Devonian biota inhabiting a highly saline, sulphate lake and associated playa mudflat are described from the Lower Old Red Sandstone) deposits of the Northern Highlands (Scotland, United Kingdom) by Wellman (2026).
• Calábková, Březina & Nádaskay (2026) study the composition of a diverse assemblage of tetrapod trace fossils from the Carboniferous (Gzhelian) Semily Formation (Czech Republic).
• A regurgitalite produced by a predator (possibly Dimetrodon teutonis or Tambacarnifex unguifalcatus), preserving remains of Thuringothyris mahlendorffae, Eudibamus cursoris and an unidentified diadectid, is described from the Permian Tambach Formation (Germany) by Rebillard et al. (2026).
• Liu et al. (2026) compare the recovery of ostracods, brachiopods and ammonites in the aftermath of the Permian–Triassic extinction event, and find that brachiopods and ammonites refilled the vacated morphospace with limited innovation, while ostracods underwent a adaptive radiation, expanding morphospace and ecological niches.
• Casts of burrows likely produced by ground-dwelling crayfish, as well as casts of burrows produced by tetrapods (possibly procolophonids, trirachodontids or bauriids) that might have been feeding on crayfish, are reported from the Middle Triassic Burgersdorp Formation (South Africa) by Wolvaardt et al. (2026).
• Rosin et al. (2026) study the composition of the palynomorph assemblages from the Westbury, Lilstock and Redcar Mudstone formations in the Cheshire Basin (United Kingdom), recording changes of composition of vegetation and aquatic microorganism assemblages in response to environmental changes during the latest Triassic and Early Jurassic.
• Fiorelli et al. (2026) report discovery of well-preserved fossil material of diverse Late Cretaceous microorganisms encrusted in microbialites from paleogeysers and hot springs from the Sanagasta GeoPark (La Rioja, Argentina).
• Pillay et al. (2026) conduct a survey of ancient DNA from subfossil remains from Nuku Hiva (French Polynesia), identify a wide range of vertebrate taxa on the basis of bulk bone metabarcoding, and report the identification of remains of three seabird taxa new to the archaeological record of the Marquesas Islands.

Other research

• Fernandes et al. (2026) study the chromium, cadmium and strontium isotope composition of carbonate rocks from the Corumbá Group (Brazil) to reconstruct local environmental conditions during the late Ediacaran, and interpret the extent of habitats suitable for early animals as limited by the extent of oxygenated shallow waters, which in turn was influenced by an intricate interplay of water circulation, redox and productivity.
• Evidence from the study of zinc isotope data from the Chattanooga Shale (Tennessee, United States), linking marine euxinia during the Late Devonian mass extinctions to increased marine productivity, is presented by Li et al. (2026).
• Evidence linking two stages of the Capitanian mass extinction event to two pulses of eruptive activity of the Emeishan Traps is presented by Wei, Zhang & Qiu (2026).
• Barrenechea et al. (2026) report evidence of higher content of aluminium phosphate–sulphate minerals in the Lower Triassic strata from the equatorial areas compared to strata from higher latitudes, indicative of prolonged or recurrent acidic episodes continental basins near the equator during the Early Triassic, and interpret the acidity conditions in continental environments as contributing to the Smithian–Spathian boundary event and moderated the recovery after the Permian–Triassic extinction event.
• Evidence linking major episodes of marine large igneous provinces to at least four extinctions of marine biota during the Triassic is presented by Fan et al. (2026).
• Ruciński et al. (2026) provide new information on the sedimentology, stratigraphy and taphonomy of the Upper Triassic Silves Marl-Carbonate Evaporitic Complex in the upper portion of the Silves Group (Portugal), and report the identification of new fossil-bearing layers yielding vertebrate fossil material.
• Chen et al. (2026) report evidence from chemostratigraphic and astrochronological analysis of a drill core from the Kunming Basin (Yunnan, China) indicative of negative carbon isotope excursions mirroring disturbances in the global carbon cycle during the Triassic-Jurassic transition, and indicative impact of both Central Atlantic magmatic province and regional factors on environmental disruption on the studied area at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary; the authors also determine the oldest sauropodomorph dinosaur fossils from the Kunming Basin to be 200.17-million-years-old, and interpret this result as evidence of colonization of low palaeolatitude area of southwest China by medium- to large-bodied dinosaurs in the aftermath of the Triassic–Jurassic extinction.
• Evidence from the study of sediments and trace fossils from the Lower Cretaceous Três Barras Formation (Sanfranciscana Basin, Brazil), indicative of marine incursions during the Early Cretaceous that were long enough to support benthic colonization of the substrate in probable estuarine setting, is presented by Sedorko (2026).
• Buryak et al. (2026) study two exploration drill cores from the Wombat pipe locality in the Lac de Gras kimberlite field (Northwest Territories, Canada), providing information on the climate and environment in the subarctic Canada during the Late Cretaceous, and interpret the sedimentary organic matter from the studied drill cores as derived from C₃ land plants and, to a lesser degree, algae.
• Evidence from the study of spores, pollen and microcharcoal abundances from Paleogene sediments from a hydrothermal vent crater in the North Atlantic Igneous Province on the Norwegian Margin and from other mid- and high latitude continental margins, indicative of rapid vegetation and soil disturbances in response to environmental changes at the onset of the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum resulting in widespread appearance of fern-dominated pioneer vegetation across mid- and high-latitude regions of the world, is presented by Nelissen et al. (2026).
• Evidence from the study of the fossil record of Cenozoic foraminifera, Cretaceous echinoids, Carboniferous crinoids and Cambrian trilobites using a birth–death-sampling model, indicating that long-lived ancestral species that gave rise to many descendant species over the course of their existence should be common in the fossil record of groups with high levels of preservation, is presented by Parins-Fukuchi (2026).
• Chiappone et al. (2026) determine factors influencing transport of bones in unsteady flows, including their travel distance and transport groups, on the basis of experiments with bones of modern sheep and models of bones of Eolambia caroljonesa and Edmontosaurus regalis.
• Siviero et al. (2026) report evidence from the study of bones of Edmontosaurus annectens from the Cretaceous Lance Formation (Wyoming, United States) indicating that fossil bone abnormalities resulting from postmortem taphonomic processes can be superficially similar to pathologies resulting from disease, and recommend testing diagnoses based on purported fossil bone pathologies with histological analysis.

Paleoclimate

• Myrow, Hu & Lamb (2026) report evidence from the study of storm deposits from the Fountain and Minturn formations (Colorado, United States) indicative of large waves and large cyclonic storms irreconcilable with climate reconstructions suggestive of cold equatorial climate during the middle Pennsylvanian.