1948 in paleontology
# 1948 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 1948.

## Arthropods

### Newly named insects

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Metanephrocerus | Gen nov | valid | Aczél | Priabonian | Baltic Amber | Europe | A big-headed fly; new genus for Protonephrocerus collini | |

## Archosauromorphs

### Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.

| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Lukousaurus | Valid taxon | Yang Zhongjian (as Young C. C.) | | Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian) | Lower Lufeng Series | China | May be a crocodylomorph rather than a theropod. |
| Sinosaurus | Valid taxon | Yang Zhongjian (as Young C. C.) | | Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian) | Lower Lufeng Series | China | A dilophosaurid. (Formerly Dilophosaurus sinensis) | Sinosaurus |

## Pterosaurs

### New taxa

| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Batrachognathus | Valid | Rjabinin | | Late Jurassic (Oxfordian-Kimmeridgian) | Karabastau Svita | Kazakhstan | An anurognathid. |

## Synapsids

### Non-mammalian

| Name | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Clelandina | Valid | Broom | Late Permian | Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone Dicynodon Assemblage Zone Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone | South Africa | A gorgonopsid. | |
| Digalodon | Valid | Broom and Robinson | Late Permian | Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone | South Africa  Zambia | For a time considered a junior synonym, its validity was reinstated in 2015. | |
| Koupia | Valid | Boonstra | Middle Permian | Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone | South Africa | A dicynodont. | |
| Pardocephalus | Junior synonym | Broom | Late Permian | Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone | South Africa | A junior synonym of the gorgonopsid Aelurognathus | |
| Robertia | Valid | Boonstra | Middle Permian | Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone | South Africa | A pylaecephalid. Like Diictodon, it was also a burrower. | Robertia |
| Smilesaurus | Valid | Broom | Late Permian | Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone | South Africa | A junior synonym of the gorgonopsid Aelurognathus. | |
| Tetracynodon | Valid | Broom and Robinson | Late Permian-Early Triassic | Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone | South Africa | A lycideopid therocephalian. | |
