1989 in paleontology
# 1989 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 1989.

## Paleozoology

### Arthropods

**Newly named insects**

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Aphaenogaster avita | Sp nov | Valid | Fujiyama | early - middle Miocene | Chojabaru Formation | Japan | A myrmicin ant | |
| Holcorpidae | Fam nov | valid | Willmann | Eocene Priabonian | Florissant Formation | USA Colorado | A scorpionfly family, The type genus is Holcorpa The type species is H. maculosa | Holcorpa maculosa |

### Conodont paleozoology

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

### Vertebrate paleozoology

**Plesiosaurs**

* Plesiosaur gastroliths documented.

**Plesiosaurs**

**New taxa**

| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Turneria | Preoccupied | Chatterjee Small | | preoccupied by the ant genus Turneria Forel, 1895; renamed Morturneria Chatterjee and Creisler, 1994 |

**Archosauromorphs**

**Newly named pseudosuchians**

| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Revueltosaurus | Valid non-dinosaurian taxon | Hunt | | Late Triassic (early-middle Norian) | Bull Canyon Formation Petrified Forest Member | United States | A suchian. | |

**Archosauromorphs**

**Newly named dinosaurs**

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.

| Name | Status | Authors | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Abrosaurus | Valid taxon | Ouyang | | Middle Jurassic (Bathonian-Callovian) | Xiashaximiao Formation | China | A macronarian. | Abrosaurus |
| Asiaceratops | Valid taxon | Lev A. Nesov and Kaznyshkina vide: Lev A. Nesov Kaznyshkina | Cherepanov | Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) | Khodzhakul Formation | Uzbekistan | A leptoceratopsid. | |
| Atlascopcosaurus | Valid taxon | Thomas H. Rich | Patricia Vickers-Rich | Early Cretaceous (early Albian) | Eumeralla Formation | Australia | An ornithopod. | |
| Bihariosaurus | Valid taxon | Marinescu | | Early Cretaceous (Berriasian) | Bauxite deposits | Romania | An iguanodont | |
| "Daptosaurus" | Junior synonym of Deinonychus | Brown vide: Chure | McIntosh | |
| "Eucentrosaurus" | Junior synonym of Centrosaurus | Chure | McIntosh | |
| Leaellynasaura | Valid taxon | Thomas H. Rich | Patricia Vickers-Rich | Early Cretaceous (early Albian) | Eumeralla Formation | Australia | An ornithopod. | Leaellynasaura |
| "Tenantosaurus" | Misspelling of Tenontosaurus | Brown vide: Chure | McIntosh | |
| Turanoceratops | Valid taxon | Lev A. Nesov and Kaznyshkina vide: Lev A. Nesov Kaznyshkina | Cherepanov | Late Cretaceous (Turonian) | Bissekty Formation | Uzbekistan | A ceratopsid. | |

**Archosauromorphs**

**Newly named birds**

| Name | Status | Novelty | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Accipiter efficax | Valid | Sp. nov. | Jean C. Balouet Storrs L. Olson | Holocene | Cave deposits | New Caledonia | An Accipitridae. |
| Accipiter quartus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Jean C. Balouet Storrs L. Olson | Holocene | Cave deposits | New Caledonia | An Accipitridae. |
| Apatosagittarius terrenus | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Alan Feduccia Michael R. Voorhies | Miocene | Late Clarendonian, Ash Hollow Formation | USA:  Nebraska | An Accipitridae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Aplonis diluvialis | Valid | Sp. nov. | David W. Steadman | Holocene | Huahine, Society Islands | French Polynesia | A Sturnidae. |
| Caloenas canacorum | Valid | Sp. nov. | Jean C. Balouet Storrs L. Olson | Holocene | Cave deposits | New Caledonia;  Tonga; and probably  Vanuatu;  Fiji | A Columbidae. |
| Eociconia sangequanensis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Hou LianHai | Middle Eocene | Yi-Xi-Bay-La Formation | China | A Ciconiidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Euronyctibius kurochkini | Valid | Sp. nov. | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Eocene or Oligocene | Phosphorites du Quercy, MP 16-28 | France | A Nyctibiidae, transferred to the Steatornithidae by Mourer-Chauviré, 2013, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Gallicolumba longitarsus | Valid | Sp. nov. | Jean C. Balouet Storrs L. Olson | Holocene | Cave deposits | New Caledonia | A Columbidae. |
| Megapodius alimentum | Valid | Sp. nov. | David W. Steadman | Holocene | Lifuka | Tonga | A Megapodiidae. |
| Megapodius molistructor | Valid | Sp. nov. | Jean C. Balouet Storrs L. Olson | Holocene | Cave deposits, 1750 ± 70 YBP (Years Before Present) | New Caledonia | A Megapodiidae. |
| Noguerornis gonzalezi | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | A. Lacasa Ruiz | Early Cretaceous | Late Berriasian-Early Valanginian | Spain:  Catalonia | An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Iberomesornithiformes Sanz et J. F. Bonaparte, 1992, Concornithidae Kurochkin, 1996, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Porphyrio kukwiedei | Valid | Sp. nov. | Jean C. Balouet Storrs L. Olson | Holocene | Cave deposits | New Caledonia | A Rallidae. |
| Puffinus nestori | Valid | Sp. nov. | Josep A. Alcover | Late Pliocene | Cave deposits | Spain:  Ibiza | A Procellariidae. |
| Quercypodargus olsoni | Valid | Sp. nov. | Cécile Mourer-Chauviré | Eocene or Oligocene | Phosphorites du Quercy, MP 16-28 | France | A Podargidae, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Rhynochetos orarius | Disputed | Sp. nov. | Jean C. Balouet Storrs L. Olson | Holocene | Cave deposits | New Caledonia | A member of the family Rhynochetidae. Theuerkauf & Gula (2018) considered this species to be a junior synonym of the extant kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus). |
| Rostratula minator | Valid | Sp. nov. | Storrs L. Olson Kimberley G. Eller | Pliocene | Varswater Formation | South Africa | A Rostratulidae. |
| Sazavis prisca | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Lev A. Nessov A.A. Yarkov | Late Cretaceous | Coniacian, Bissekty Formation | Soviet Union:  Uzbekistan | An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Alexornithiformes Brodkorb, 1976, Alexornithidae Brodkorb, 1976, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Tyto letocarti | Valid | Sp. nov. | Jean C. Balouet Storrs L. Olson | Holocene | Cave deposits | New Caledonia | A Tytonidae. |
| Volgavis marina | Valid | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | Lev A. Nessov A. A. Yarkov | Late Cretaceous | Latest Maastrichtian | Soviet Union:  Russia | A Fregatidae, Limnofregatinae Olson, 1977, this is the type species of the new genus. |
| Youngornis qiluensis | Valid | Sp. nov. | Xiangkui Yeh Bo Sun | Middle Miocene | Shanwang Formation | China | A Rallidae. |

**Pterosaurs**

**New taxa**

| Name | Status | Authors |
| - | - | - |
| Bogolubovia | Valid | Nesov A. A. Yarkov |
| Mesadactylus | Valid | Jensen Padian |
| Tapejara | Valid | Kellner |

**Synapsids**

**Non-mammalian**

| Name | Status | Authors | Discovery year | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Valid | | | | | | | |
| | Valid | | | | | | | |
