2026 in archosaur paleontology: Difference between revisions

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A titanosaur sauropod. The type species is ”Y. houssayi”.

A titanosaur sauropod. The type species is ”Y. houssayi”.

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Latest revision as of 04:04, 15 January 2026

Overview of the events of 2026 in archosaur paleontology

Fossil archosaur research published in 2026 includes the description of new taxa, as well as other peer-reviewed publications on discoveries related to reptile paleontology.

New pseudosuchian taxa

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Country Notes Images

General pseudosuchian research

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Crocodylomorph research

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Non-avian dinosaurs

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General non-avian dinosaur research

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  • Aureliano et al. (2026) compare the microstructure of appendicular bones in non-avian dinosaurs and large-bodied mammals, and interpret it as indicating that gigantism was achieved through divergent evolutionary pathways in the two groups.[6]
  • Ait Haddou et al. (2026) report the discovery of new tracksites preserving theropod and quadrupedal dinosaur (possibly stegosaur or sauropod) tracks from the strata of the Jurassic Tilougguit and Guettioua formations (Morocco).[7]

Saurischian research

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  • Lallensack et al. (2026) reevaluate factors influencing shapes of theropod tracks from the Middle Jurassic of El Mers Group (Morocco) and from the Lower Cretaceous Cameros Basin (Spain), and interpret the type ichnospecies of the ichnogenera Saurexallopus, Magnoavipes, Theroplantigrada, Ordexallopus and Archaeornithipus as nomina dubia.[8]
  • Evidence from the study of theropod footprints from the Lower Cretaceous Enciso Group (Spain), indicating that differences in morphology of the studied footprints reflect distinct phases of running involving different foot postures and load distributions, is presented by Díaz-Martínez et al. (2026).[9]
  • Seculi Pereyra et al. (2026) review the history of studies on abelisaurid phylogeny, and provide recommendations for future studies.[10]
  • Seculi Pereyra (2026) studies the evolution of abelisaurid orbit shape, interpreted as more likely influenced by selective pressures such as those related to specialized predation than by phylogenetic constraints.[11]
  • Woodward, Myhrvold & Horner (2026) reconstruct the life history of Tyrannosaurus on the basis of bone histology, reporting evidence of a more gradual annual growth rate slope than indicated by earlier studies and evidence of a protracted subadult stage, and find that growth trajectories of the tyrannosaur specimens BMRP 2002.4.1 (the holotype of Nanotyrannus lethaeus) and BMRP 2006.4.4 did not fit the T. rex growth curve model.[12]
  • The first deinonychosaurian (probably troodontid) track from Japan is described from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation by Tsukiji, Hattori & Azuma (2026).[13]
  • García-Gil et al. (2026) identify isolated theropod teeth from the Upper Cretaceous El Gallo Formation (Mexico) as belonging to dromaeosaurids, troodontids, maniraptorans of uncertain affinities and indeterminate theropods.[14]

Sauropodomorph research

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  • Campos et al. (2026) describe the fossil material and study the bone histology of a small-bodied, juvenile sauropodomorph from the Upper Triassic strata from the Cerro da Alemoa site (Santa Maria Formation, Brazil), representing the smallest well-preserved skeletal remains of a sauropodomorph from Brazil reported to date.[15]
  • Xing et al. (2026) report the discovery of probable sauropodomorph tracks from a new tracksite from the Upper Triassic Xujiahe Formation (Sichuan, China).[16]
  • Chen et al. (2026) determine the oldest sauropodomorph fossils from the Kunming Basin (Yunnan, China) 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.[17]
  • Lerzo (2026) reevaluates Nopcsaspondylus alarconensis and considers it to be a nomen dubium.[18]
  • The sauropod specimen MMCh-PV 47 from the Candeleros Formation (Argentina), originally described as a titanosaur by Otero et al. (2011),[19] is interpreted as a rebbachisaurid by Lerzo (2026), providing new information on the tail musculature of members of this group.[20]
  • Averianov et al. (2026) describe the first cervical vertebra referable to Tengrisaurus starkovi, and recover it as a basal member of Colossosauria in an updated phylogenetic study including this new material.[21]
  • Pérez Moreno et al. (2026) revise the fossil material attributed to Muyelensaurus pecheni, interpret it as belonging to sauropods from more than one taxon, and restrict M. pecheni to the holotype specimen only.[22]
  • Navarro et al. (2026) describe a titanosaur axis with possible lognkosaurian affinities from the Upper Cretaceous São José do Rio Preto Formation (Brazil), providing evidence of presence of a sauropod with body dimensions comparable to those of Futalognkosaurus in the Bauru Group prior to the Campanian, and report evidence of presence of phylogenetically informative character in the sauropod axis vertebrae.[23]

Ornithischian research

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Thyreophoran research

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  • Agnolín et al. (2026) report the discovery of new fossil material of Patagopelta cristata, providing new information on the anatomy of members of this species and supporting its placement within Parankylosauria.[24]
  • Yoon et al. (2026) identify probable ankylosaurid tracks, referred to as cf. Ruopodosaurus, from the Cenomanian Jindong Formation (South Korea).[25]
  • Benito et al. (2026) contest the conclusions of the study of Wilken et al. (2025)[29] about the evolution of the ability of birds to move parts of the skull independently, arguing that these conclusions were based on inadequate taxon sampling and morphological misinterpretations;[30] in response Wilken et al. (2026) agree that the bone interpreted in the 2025 study as a coracoid of Janavis is more likely to be a pterygoid, but question the affinities of this bone among Mesozoic birds, and overall reaffirm their original conclusion that powered prokinesis is most likely an autapomorphy of neognath birds.[31]
  • Mayr & Richter (2026) describe new fossil material of Hassiavis laticauda from the Eocene Messel Formation (Germany), providing new information on the anatomy of members of this species, and reevaluate the phylogenetic affinities of Archaeotrogonidae.[32]
  • Zelenkov et al. (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of a new late Pleistocene bird fauna from the Khondu locality (Sakha Republic, Russia), including at least 25 taxa.[33]
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Country Notes Images

Other new archosaur taxa

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Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Country Notes Images

Other archosaur research

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  1. ^ Candeiro, C. R. A.; Brusatte, S. L.; Ribeiro, T. B.; Pol, D.; Vidal, L. S.; Arruda de Paula, T. A. D.; Ferreira, B. M.; Lima, C. V.; Pereira, P. V. L. G. C. (2026). “A large notosuchian (Mesoeucrocodylia) tooth from the Adamantina Formation of Goiás state, Brazil”. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. doi:10.1080/03115518.2025.2598344.
  2. ^ Donzé, G.; Perrichon, G.; Vincent, P.; Therrien, F.; Martin, J. E. (2026). “Comparative endocranial anatomy in the crocodylians Leidyosuchus canadensis and Stangerochampsa mccabei from the upper Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada”. Journal of Anatomy. doi:10.1111/joa.70096.
  3. ^ a b Maidment, Susannah C. R.; Butler, Richard J.; Brusatte, Stephen L.; Meade, Luke E.; Augustin, Felix J.; Csiki-Sava, Zoltán; Ősi, Attila (2026-10-07). “A hidden diversity of ceratopsian dinosaurs in Late Cretaceous Europe”. Nature: 1–7. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09897-w. ISSN 1476-4687.
  4. ^ Rivera-Sylva, Hector E.; Aguillón-Martinez, Martha C.; Flores-Ventura, Jose; Sánchez-Uribe, Ivan E.; Guzman-Gutierrez, Jose Ruben; Longrich, Nicholas R. (January 9, 2026). “A thick-skulled troodontid theropod from the Late Cretaceous of Mexico”. Diversity. 18 (1): 38. doi:10.3390/d18010038. ISSN 1424-2818.
  5. ^ Filippi, L. S.; Bellardini, F.; Carballido, J. I.; Méndez, A. H.; Garrido, A. C. (2026). “Yeneen houssayi gen. et sp. nov. and an overview of the sauropod titanosaurian diversity from Cerro Overo – La Invernada area (Bajo de la Carpa Formation, Santonian), North Patagonia, Argentina”. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2584707.
  6. ^ Aureliano, T.; Maciel, V.; Costa, V. P. G.; de Paiva, A. C. F.; Santos, C. L. A.; Ghilardi, A. M. (January 2026). “Bone structure and the evolution of different pathways to gigantism in dinosaurs and megamammals”. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 169 105855. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2025.105855.
  7. ^ Ait Haddou, O.; Hminna, A.; Lagnaoui, A.; Klein, H.; Arouch, M.; Fergougui, M.; Rmich, A.; Bel Haouz, W. (2026). “New dinosaur tracksites from the Middle-?Late Jurassic of Msemrir (Central High Atlas, Morocco)”. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2596117.
  8. ^ Lallensack, J. N.; Pérez-Lorente, F.; Amzil, M.; Oukassou, M.; Meyer, C.; Saber, H.; Klein, H.; Charriére, A.; Zafaty, O.; Falkingham, P. L. (2026). “The abundance and diversity of penetrative tracks: a critical re-evaluation of theropod ichnotaxa”. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2610322.
  9. ^ Díaz-Martínez, I.; Navarro-Lorbés, P.; Isasmendi, E.; Páramo, A.; Gascó-Lluna, F.; Torices, A.; Ruiz, J.; Viera, L. I.; Sáez-Benito, P.; Farlow, J.; Leonardi, G.; Pereda-Suberbiola, X.; Citton, P. (2026). “Footprint morphology sheds light on running strategies in non-avian theropods”. Scientific Reports. 15 44217. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-31361-y.
  10. ^ Seculi Pereyra, E. E.; Pérez, D. E.; Gonzales Dionis, J. D.; Ezcurra, M. D. (2026). “The phylogenetic data matrices of Abelisauridae through time and methods (with recommendations)”. Ameghiniana. 62 (6): 380–395. doi:10.5710/AMGH.27.12.2025.3650.
  11. ^ Seculi Pereyra, E. E. (May 2026). “Orbit Shape Evolution in Abelisauridae: Macroevolutionary Trends and Functional Implications”. Cretaceous Research. 181 106272. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106272.
  12. ^ Woodward, H. N.; Myhrvold, N. P.; Horner, J. R. (2026). “Prolonged growth and extended subadult development in the Tyrannosaurus rex species complex revealed by expanded histological sampling and statistical modeling”. PeerJ. 14 e20469. doi:10.7717/peerj.20469.
  13. ^ Tsukiji, Y.; Hattori, S.; Azuma, Y. (February 2026). “First didactyl theropod track from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation, Tetori Group, Fukui, Japan”. Cretaceous Research. 179 106249. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106249.
  14. ^ García-Gil, V. A.; Torices, A.; Lòpez-Miguel, M.; Montellano-Ballesteros, M. (May 2026). “Isolated teeth of small theropods from the El Gallo Formation, Baja California, Mexico”. Cretaceous Research. 181 106292. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106292.
  15. ^ Campos, L. S.; Leal, L. A.; Da-Rosa, Á. A. S.; Sayão, J. M. (2026). “A new tiny basal Sauropodomorpha (Dinosauria: Saurischia) from the Santa Maria Supersequence, Upper Triassic of southern Brazil”. Palaeoworld 201064. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2025.201064.
  16. ^ Xing, L.; Liu, L.; Zhang, T.; Lallensack, J. N.; Popa, M. E.; Zeng, J.; Klein, H.; Peng, G.; Ye, Y.; Liu, Y.; Shen, X.; Chen, Q. (2026). “Tracks of a large archosaur from the Late Triassic Xujiahe Formation in Guangyuan, Sichuan, China”. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2605163.
  17. ^ Chen, J.; Niu, Y.-N.; Ma, R.; Zhou, Y.-L.; Liu, W.-J.; Wang, Y.-M.; You, H.-L.; Xu, X.; Shen, S.-Z.; Feng, Z. (2026). “Triassic–Jurassic environmental instability on the subtropical eastern Tethyan margin linked to low-latitude dinosaur dispersal”. Communications Earth & Environment. doi:10.1038/s43247-025-03083-6.
  18. ^ Lerzo, L. N. (2026). “The lost fossil of the first discovered rebbachisaurid: reassessment of Nopcsaspondylus alarconensis (Diplodocoidea, Sauropoda)”. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2594006.
  19. ^ Otero, A.; Canale, J. I.; Haluza, A.; Calvo, J. O. (2011). “New titanosaur with unusual haemal arches from the Upper Cretaceous of Neuquén Province, Argentina”. Ameghiniana. 48 (4): 655–661.
  20. ^ Lerzo, L. N. (2026). “Revision of the specimen MMCh-PV 47 (Rebbachisauridae, Sauropoda) from the Candeleros Formation (Lower Cenomanian) with comments about the musculature of the caudal region”. Cretaceous Research 106307. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106307.
  21. ^ Averianov, A. O.; Sizov, A. V.; Grigoriev, D. V.; Kolchanov, V. V.; Skutschas, P. P. (May 2026). “A sauropod Tengrisaurus starkovi from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia, Russia, and Asiatic origin of Titanosauria”. Cretaceous Research. 181 106271. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106271.
  22. ^ Pérez Moreno, A.; Carballido, J. L.; Otero, A.; Salgado, L. (2026). “Osteological reassessment of Muyelensaurus pecheni (Dinosauria: Sauropoda): Systematics and its phylogenetic implications for the clade Rinconsauria”. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2585363.
  23. ^ Navarro, B. A.; Wilson Mantilla, J. A.; Martins, J. H. A.; Iori, F. V.; Paschoa, L. S.; Carvalho, A. B.; Piranha, J. M.; Zaher, H. (2026). “An unusual titanosaur axis from the Upper Cretaceous of Brazil and its significance for sauropod anatomy and systematics”. The Anatomical Record. doi:10.1002/ar.70118.
  24. ^ Agnolín, F. L.; Rozadilla, S.; García Marsà, J.; Álvarez Nogueira, R.; Miner, S.; Álvarez-Herrera, G.; Novas, F. E.; Pol, D. (2026). “New remains of the armored dinosaur Patagopelta cristata Riguetti et al. 2022 (Ornithischia, Parankylosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina”. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2583504.
  25. ^ Yoon, H. S.; Kim, H. W.; Park, J.-Y.; Jung, S.-H.; Kong, D.-Y.; Lee, Y.-N. (February 2026). “First reports of a probable ankylosaurian (Thyreophora) trackway from the Jindong Formation (Cenomanian) of Goseong County, South Korea”. Cretaceous Research. 178 106240. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106240.
  26. ^ Yu, K.; Wu, W.; Yu, X.; Godefroit, P. (2026). “First occurrence of hadrosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) remains from the Nenjiang Formation (early Campanian) in the Songliao Basin, Northeast China”. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2605518.
  27. ^ Huang, Jiandong; Wang, Xuri; Cau, Andrea; Mao, Lei; Liu, Yichuan; Wang, Yang (February 2026). “A new euornithine from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) of China reveals the first radiation of fish-eating birds”. Cretaceous Research. 179 106244. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106244. ISSN 0195-6671.
  28. ^ Irazoqui, F.; Acosta Hospitaleche, C.; Gelfo, J. N.; Paulina Carabajal, A.; Bona, P.; Acosta Burlaille, L. (February 2026). “Diving in the Maastrichtian of Marambio (Seymour) Island: A new member of the Neoaves in the Cretaceous Antarctic avifauna”. Cretaceous Research. 179 106259. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106259.
  29. ^ Wilken, A. T.; Sellers, K. C.; Cost, I. N.; David, J.; Middleton, K. M.; Witmer, L. M.; Holliday, C. M. (2025). “Avian cranial kinesis is the result of increased encephalization during the origin of birds”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 122 (13). e2411138122. Bibcode:2025PNAS..12211138W. doi:10.1073/pnas.2411138122. PMC 12002250. PMID 40096621.
  30. ^ Benito, J.; Kuo, P.-C.; Torres, C. R.; Navalón, G.; Plateau, O.; Clark, A. D.; Steell, E. M.; Field, D. J. (2026). “Shouldering the challenge of deciphering avian palate evolution”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 123 (1) e2514111123. doi:10.1073/pnas.2514111123.
  31. ^ Wilken, A. T.; Sellers, K. C.; David, J. L.; Witmer, L. M.; Holliday, C. M. (2025). “Reply to Benito et al.: Problems in the Cretaceous evolution of the avian palatobasal joint”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 123 (1) e2520865123. doi:10.1073/pnas.2520865123.
  32. ^ Mayr, G.; Richter, A. (2026). “Further Hassiavis specimens from the Eocene of Messel (Germany) and the phylogenetic affinities of the Archaeotrogonidae (Aves, Strisores)”. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2598021.
  33. ^ Zelenkov, N. V.; Maslintsyna, M. P.; Lavrov, A. V.; Gimranov, D. O.; Pavlov, I. S.; Kandyba, A. V.; Protopopov, A. V. (2026). “A New Late Pleistocene Avifauna from Yakutia (Eastern Siberia)”. Doklady Biological Sciences. 525 (1): 372–378. doi:10.1134/S0012496625600642. PMID 41526791.

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