2015 in archosaur paleontology

none 2015 archosaur paleontology reptile paleontology paleontology paleobotany arthropod paleontology paleoentomology paleomalacology paleoichthyology mammal paleontology science This article records new taxa of fossil archosaurs of every kind that are scheduled described during the year 2015, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleontology of archosaurs that are scheduled to occur in the year 2015. Paleontology History of science dinosaurs Pseudosuchians Research Revision of the type material of Rauisuchus tiradentes is published by Lautenschlager and Rauhut (2015).Stephan Lautenschlager Oliver W. M. Rauhut 2015 Osteology of Rauisuchus tiradentes from the Late Triassic (Carnian) Santa Maria Formation of Brazil, and its implications for rauisuchid anatomy and phylogeny Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 173 1 55–91 10.1111/zoj.12196 free A study on the changes in the morphology of vertebrae caused by increased adaptation to aquatic locomotion in the evolution of crocodylomorphs is published by Molnar et al. (2015).Julia L. Molnar Stephanie E. Pierce Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar Alan H. Turner John R. Hutchinson 2015 Morphological and functional changes in the vertebral column with increasing aquatic adaptation in crocodylomorphs Royal Society Open Science 2 11 150439 10.1098/rsos.150439 free 4680616 26716001 2015RSOS....250439M A study of the evolutionary history of the clade Crocodyliformes is published by Bronzati, Montefeltro and Langer (2015).Mario Bronzati Felipe C. Montefeltro Max C. Langer 2015 Diversification events and the effects of mass extinctions on Crocodyliformes evolutionary history Royal Society Open Science 2 5 140385 10.1098/rsos.140385 free 4453258 26064649 A study of impact of the climate changes on the evolution and biodiversity of pseudosuchian archosaurs is published by Mannion et al. (2015).Philip D. Mannion Roger B. J. Benson Matthew T. Carrano Jonathan P. Tennant Jack Judd Richard J. Butler 2015 Climate constrains the evolutionary history and biodiversity of crocodylians Nature Communications 6 8438 10.1038/ncomms9438 free 26399170 4598718 2015NatCo...6.8438M A study on the phylogenetic position of thalattosuchians within Crocodylomorpha is published by Wilberg (2015).Eric W. Wilberg 2015 What's in an Outgroup? The Impact of Outgroup Choice on the Phylogenetic Position of Thalattosuchia (Crocodylomorpha) and the Origin of Crocodyliformes Systematic Biology 64 4 621–637 10.1093/sysbio/syv020 25840332 free A review of the diagnostic features of the species assigned to the genus Machimosaurus is published by Martin, Vincent & Falconnet (2015).Jeremy E. Martin Peggy Vincent Jocelyn Falconnet 2015 The taxonomic content of Machimosaurus (Crocodylomorpha, Thalattosuchia) Comptes Rendus Palevol 14 4 305–310 10.1016/j.crpv.2015.03.006 free An isolated metriorhynchid tooth is described from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Hybla Formation (Sicily, Italy) by Chiarenza et al. (2015), extending the known geological range of Metriorhynchidae and Thalattosuchia by approximately 7–8 million years;Alfio A. Chiarenza Davide Foffa Mark T. Young Gianni Insacco Andrea Cau Giorgio Carnevale Rita Catanzariti 2015 The youngest record of metriorhynchid crocodylomorphs, with implications for the extinction of Thalattosuchia Cretaceous Research 56 608–616 10.1016/j.cretres.2015.07.001 2318/1537833 free Fischer et al. (2015) subsequently caution that it might potentially be a pliosaurid tooth instead.Valentin Fischer Maxim S. Arkhangelsky Ilya M. Stenshin Gleb N. Uspensky Nikolay G. Zverkov Roger B. J. Benson 2015 Peculiar macrophagous adaptations in a new Cretaceous pliosaurid Royal Society Open Science 2 12 150552 10.1098/rsos.150552 free 27019740 4807462 2015RSOS....250552F New taxa Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesAlbertosuchusXiao-Chun Wu Donald B. Brinkman 2015 A new crocodylian (Eusuchia) from the uppermost Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 52 8 590–607 10.1139/cjes-2014-0133 2015CaJES..52..590W Gen. et sp. novValidWu & BrinkmanLatest CretaceousScollard FormationCanadaA crocodylian, probably a crocodyloid. The type species is Albertosuchus knudsenii.Allodaposuchus hulkiAlejandro Blanco Josep Fortuny Alba Vicente Àngel H. Luján Jordi Alexis García-Marçà Albert G. Sellés 2015 A new species of Allodaposuchus (Eusuchia, Crocodylia) from the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of Spain: phylogenetic and paleobiological implications PeerJ 3 e1171 10.7717/peerj.1171 26339549 4558081 free Sp. novValidBlanco et al.Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)Tremp FormationSpainA eusuchian crocodylomorph, a species of Allodaposuchus.Caiman wannlangstoniRodolfo Salas-Gismondi John J. Flynn Patrice Baby Julia V. Tejada-Lara Frank P. Wesselingh Pierre-Olivier Antoine 2015 A Miocene hyperdiverse crocodylian community reveals peculiar trophic dynamics in proto-Amazonian mega-wetlands Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282 1804 20142490 10.1098/rspb.2014.2490 25716785 4375856Sp. nov ValidSalas-Gismondi et al.Late Middle MiocenePebas FormationPeruA caiman, a species of Caiman.200px|CarnufexLindsay E. Zanno Susan Drymala Sterling J. Nesbitt Vincent P. Schneider 2015 Early crocodylomorph increases top tier predator diversity during rise of dinosaurs Scientific Reports 5 9276 10.1038/srep09276 free 25787306 4365386 2015NatSR...5.9276Z Gen. et sp. nov ValidZanno et al.Late Triassic (Carnian)Pekin FormationUnited StatesAn early member of Crocodylomorpha. The type species is Carnufex carolinensis.framelessDagasuchusMarcel B. Lacerda Cesar L. Schultz Cristina Bertoni-Machado 2015 First 'Rauisuchian' archosaur (Pseudosuchia, Loricata) for the Middle Triassic Santacruzodon Assemblage Zone (Santa Maria Supersequence), Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil PLOS ONE 10 2 e0118563 10.1371/journal.pone.0118563 25714091 4340915 2015PLoSO..1018563L free Gen. et sp. nov ValidLacerda, Schultz & Bertoni-MachadoTriassic (late Ladinian/early Carnian)Santa Maria FormationBrazilA non-crocodylomorph loricatan. The type species is Dagasuchus santacruzensis.200px|GnatusuchusGen. et sp. novValidSalas-Gismondi et al.Late Middle MiocenePebas FormationPeruA caiman. The type species is Gnatusuchus pebasensis.200px|GorgetosuchusAndrew B. Heckert Vincent P. Schneider Nicholas C. Fraser Richard A. Webb 2015 A new aetosaur (Archosauria, Suchia) from the Upper Triassic Pekin Formation, Deep River Basin, North Carolina, U.S.A., and its implications for early aetosaur evolution Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35 1 e881831 10.1080/02724634.2014.881831 140176110 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/A_new_aetosaur_Archosauria_Suchia_from_the_Upper_Triassic_Pekin_Formation_Deep_River_Basin_North_Carolina_U_S_A_and_its_implications_for_early_aetosaur_evolution/1294140 subscription Gen. et sp. nov ValidHeckert et al.Late TriassicPekin FormationUnited StatesAn aetosaur. The type species is Gorgetosuchus pekinensis.KoumpiodontosuchusSteven C. Sweetman Ulysse Pedreira-Segade Steven Vidovic 2015 A new bernissartiid crocodyliform from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation (Wealden Group, Barremian) of the Isle of Wight, southern England Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 60 2 257–268 10.4202/app.00038.2013 free Gen. et sp. nov ValidSweetman, Pedreira-Segade & VidovicEarly Cretaceous (Barremian)Wessex FormationUnited KingdomA crocodyliform related to Bernissartia. The type species is Koumpiodontosuchus aprosdokiti.framelessKuttanacaimanGen. et sp. novValidSalas-Gismondi et al.Late Middle MiocenePebas FormationPeruA caiman. The type species is Kuttanacaiman iquitosensis.200px|LohuecosuchusIván Narváez Christopher A. Brochu Fernando Escaso Adán Pérez-García Francisco Ortega 2015 New Crocodyliforms from Southwestern Europe and Definition of a Diverse Clade of European Late Cretaceous Basal Eusuchians PLOS ONE 10 11 e0140679 10.1371/journal.pone.0140679 26535893 4633049 2015PLoSO..1040679N free Gen. et 2 sp. novValidNarváez et al.Late Cretaceous (late Campanian-early Maastrichtian)France SpainA eusuchian crocodyliform related to Allodaposuchus. The type species is Lohuecosuchus megadontos; genus also contains Lohuecosuchus mechinorum.framelessZoneaitEric W. Wilberg 2015 A new metriorhynchoid (Crocodylomorpha, Thalattosuchia) from the Middle Jurassic of Oregon and the evolutionary timing of marine adaptations in thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35 2 e902846 10.1080/02724634.2014.902846 83587692 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/A_new_metriorhynchoid_Crocodylomorpha_Thalattosuchia_from_the_Middle_Jurassic_of_Oregon_and_the_evolutionary_timing_of_marine_adaptations_in_thalattosuchian_crocodylomorphs/1313001 subscription Gen. et sp. novValidWilbergMiddle Jurassic (Aalenian–Bajocian)Snowshoe FormationUnited StatesA thalattosuchian crocodylomorph. The type species is Zoneait nargorum.200px| Non-avian dinosaurs Research A study of phylogenetic relationships of sauropod dinosaurs belonging to the family Diplodocidae and the taxonomic revision of the family is published by Tschopp, Mateus and Benson (2015); the authors propose to reestablish Brontosaurus as a genus distinct from Apatosaurus and to transfer Dinheirosaurus lourinhanensis to the genus Supersaurus.Emanuel Tschopp Octávio Mateus Roger B.J. Benson 2015 A specimen-level phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision of Diplodocidae (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) PeerJ 3 e857 10.7717/peerj.857 25870766 4393826 free http://www.nature.com/news/beloved-brontosaurus-makes-a-comeback-1.17257 10.1038/nature.2015.17257 Beloved Brontosaurus makes a comeback Nature 2015 Callaway Ewen 163454894 subscription Additional information on the anatomy of the holotype specimen of the rebbachisaurid sauropod Tataouinea hannibalis, including description of newly discovered fossil material of this specimen, and study of its phylogenetic relationships is published by Fanti et al. (2015).Federico Fanti Andrea Cau Luigi Cantelli Mohsen Hassine Marco Auditore 2015 New Information on Tataouinea hannibalis from the Early Cretaceous of Tunisia and Implications for the Tempo and Mode of Rebbachisaurid Sauropod Evolution PLOS ONE 10 4 e0123475 10.1371/journal.pone.0123475 25923211 4414570 2015PLoSO..1023475F free A reevaluation of the estimated body mass of Dreadnoughtus schrani is published by Bates et al. (2015).Karl T. Bates Peter L. Falkingham Sophie Macaulay Charlotte Brassey Susannah C. R. Maidment 2015 Downsizing a giant: re-evaluating Dreadnoughtus body mass Biology Letters 11 6 20150215 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0215 26063751 4528471 A study of phylogenetic relationships of ornithischian dinosaurs traditionally referred to as 'basal ornithopods' or 'hypsilophodontids' is published by Boyd (2015).Clint A. Boyd 2015 The systematic relationships and biogeographic history of ornithischian dinosaurs PeerJ 3 e1523 10.7717/peerj.1523 26713260 4690359 free Carpenter & Lamanna (2015) reinterpret the ornithopod braincase from the Morrison Formation of the Carnegie Quarry at Dinosaur National Monument (Utah), formerly assigned to Uteodon aphanoecetes, as actually belonging to Dryosaurus cf. D. altus. The authors consider genera Uteodon and Cumnoria to be junior synonyms of Camptosaurus, and transfer the species Cumnoria prestwichii and Uteodon aphanoecetes to the genus Camptosaurus.Kenneth Carpenter Matthew C. Lamanna 2015 The braincase assigned to the ornithopod dinosaur Uteodon McDonald, 2011, reassigned to Dryosaurus Marsh, 1894: implications for iguanodontian morphology and taxonomy Annals of Carnegie Museum 83 2 149–165 10.2992/007.083.0201 85612127 New taxa Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesAugustynolophusAlbert Prieto-Márquez Jonathan R. Wagner Phil R. Bell Luis M. Chiappe 2015 The late-surviving 'duck-billed' dinosaur Augustynolophus from the upper Maastrichtian of western North America and crest evolution in Saurolophini Geological Magazine 152 2 225–241 10.1017/S0016756814000284 2015GeoM..152..225P 131049979 Gen. et comb. novValidPrieto-Márquez et al.Late Cretaceous (late Maastrichtian)Moreno FormationUnited StatesA hadrosaurid; a new genus for "Saurolophus" morrisi Prieto-Márquez & Wagner (2013).framelessBoreonykusPhil R. Bell Philip J. Currie 2015 A high-latitude dromaeosaurid, Boreonykus certekorum, gen. et sp. nov. (Theropoda), from the upper Campanian Wapiti Formation, west-central Alberta Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36 1 e1034359 10.1080/02724634.2015.1034359 131680329 Gen. et sp. novValidBell & CurrieLate Cretaceous (late Campanian)Wapiti FormationCanadaA dromaeosaurid theropod. The type species is Boreonykus certekorum.framelessChilesaurusFernando E. Novas Leonardo Salgado Manuel Suárez Federico L. Agnolín Martín D. Ezcurra Nicolás R. Chimento Rita de la Cruz Marcelo P. Isasi Alexander O. Vargas David Rubilar-Rogers 2015 An enigmatic plant-eating theropod from the Late Jurassic period of Chile Nature 522 7556 331–334 10.1038/nature14307 25915021 2015Natur.522..331N 4407531 Gen. et sp. nov.ValidNovas et al.Late Jurassic (Tithonian)Toqui FormationChileA dinosaur of uncertain phylogenetic placement. Originally classified as a theropod dinosaur (a basal member of Tetanurae), but subsequently argued to be an ornithischian.Matthew G. Baron Paul M. Barrett 2017 A dinosaur missing-link? Chilesaurus and the early evolution of ornithischian dinosaurs Biology Letters 13 8 20170220 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0220 28814574 5582101 The type species is Chilesaurus diegosuarezi.framelessCrichtonpeltaVictoria M. Arbour Philip J. Currie 2015 Systematics, phylogeny and palaeobiogeography of the ankylosaurid dinosaurs Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 14 5 385–444 10.1080/14772019.2015.1059985 214625754 Gen. et comb. novValidhttp://zoobank.org/References/EE5B88A3-3353-4FB6-B9A2-FCF0F99770EB Archived copy 2015-07-29 2019-12-05 https://web.archive.org/web/20191205073526/http://zoobank.org/References/EE5B88A3-3353-4FB6-B9A2-FCF0F99770EB Arbour & CurrieLate Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian)Sunjiawan FormationChinaAn ankylosaurine ankylosaurid; a new genus for "Crichtonsaurus" benxiensis Lü, Ji, Gao & Li (2007).DakotaraptorRobert A. DePalma David A. Burnham Larry D. Martin Peter L. Larson Robert T. Bakker 2015 The first giant raptor (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from the Hell Creek Formation Paleontological Contributions 14 1–16 1808/18764 Gen. et sp. nov.ValidDePalma et al.Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)Hell Creek FormationUnited StatesA member of Dromaeosauridae. The type species is Dakotaraptor steini.framelessEucnemesaurus entaxonisBlair W. McPhee Jonah N. Choiniere Adam M. Yates Pia A. Viglietti 2015 A second species of Eucnemesaurus Van Hoepen, 1920 (Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha): new information on the diversity and evolution of the sauropodomorph fauna of South Africa's lower Elliot Formation (latest Triassic) Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35 5 e980504 10.1080/02724634.2015.980504 86805607 Sp. novValidMcPhee et al.Late TriassicLower Elliot FormationSouth AfricaA non-sauropod sauropodomorph, a species of Eucnemesaurus.200px|Galeamopus Gen. et comb. novValidTschopp, Mateus & BensonLate Jurassic (Kimmeridgian)Morrison FormationUnited StatesA diplodocid sauropod; a new genus for "Diplodocus" hayi Holland (1924).framelessGspsaurusMalkani, M.S., 2015. Dinosaurs, Mesoeucrocodiles, Pterosaurs, New Fauna and Flora from Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Information Release 823: 1-32.Gen. et comb. novDubiousMalkaniLate Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)Pab FormationPakistanA titanosauriform sauropod. The type species is G. Pakistani.Haestasaurus Paul Upchurch Philip D. Mannion Michael P. Taylor 2015 The Anatomy and Phylogenetic Relationships of "Pelorosaurus" becklesii (Neosauropoda, Macronaria) from the Early Cretaceous of England PLOS ONE 10 6 e0125819 10.1371/journal.pone.0125819 26039587 4454574 2015PLoSO..1025819U free Gen. et comb. nov. ValidUpchurch, Mannion & TaylorEarly Cretaceous (late Berriasian—Valanginian)Hastings BedsUnited KingdomA macronarian sauropod of uncertain phylogenetic placement; a new genus for "Pelorosaurus" becklesii Mantell (1852).framelessHorshamosaurusWilliam T. Blows 2015 British Polacanthid Dinosaurs: Observations on the History and Palaeontology of the UK Polacanthid Armoured Dinosaurs and Their Relatives Siri Scientific Press 1–224 978-0-9929979-4-6 Gen. et comb. novValidBlowsEarly CretaceousUnited KingdomA new genus for "Polacanthus" rudgwickensis Blows (1996).Hualianceratops Fenglu Han Catherine A. Forster James M. Clark Xing Xu 2015 A New Taxon of Basal Ceratopsian from China and the Early Evolution of Ceratopsia PLOS ONE 10 12 e0143369 10.1371/journal.pone.0143369 26649770 4674058 2015PLoSO..1043369H free Gen. et sp. nov. ValidHan et al.Late Jurassic (Oxfordian)Shishugou FormationChinaA basal ceratopsian, possibly a member of Chaoyangsauridae. The type species is Hualianceratops wucaiwanensis.framelessHuanansaurusJunchang Lü Hanyong Pu Yoshitsugu Kobayashi Li Xu Huali Chang Yuhua Shang Di Liu Yuong-Nam Lee Martin Kundrát Caizhi Shen 2015 A New Oviraptorid Dinosaur (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Southern China and Its Paleobiogeographical Implications Scientific Reports 5 11490 10.1038/srep11490 free 26133245 4489096 2015NatSR...511490L Gen. et sp. nov. ValidLü et al.Late Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian)Nanxiong FormationChinaAn oviraptorid theropod. The type species is Huanansaurus ganzhouensis.framelessIguanodon galvensisFrancisco J. Verdú Rafael Royo-Torres Alberto Cobos Luis Alcalá 2015 Perinates of a new species of Iguanodon (Ornithischia: Ornithopoda) from the lower Barremian of Galve (Teruel, Spain) Cretaceous Research 56 250–264 10.1016/j.cretres.2015.05.010 Sp. novValidVerdú et al.Early Cretaceous (early Barremian)Galve, TeruelSpainAn ornithopod, a species of Iguanodon.200px|IschioceratopsYiming He Peter J. Makovicky Kebai Wang Shuqing Chen Corwin Sullivan Fenglu Han Xing Xu 2015 A new leptoceratopsid (Ornithischia, Ceratopsia) with a unique ischium from the Upper Cretaceous of Shandong Province, China PLOS ONE 10 12 e0144148 10.1371/journal.pone.0144148 26701114 4689537 2015PLoSO..1044148H free Gen. et sp. nov. ValidHe et al.Late CretaceousWangshi GroupChinaA leptoceratopsid ceratopsian. The type species is Ischioceratops zhuchengensis.framelessKoshisaurusMasateru Shibata Yoichi Azuma 2015 New basal hadrosauroid (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation, Fukui, central Japan Zootaxa 3914 4 421–440 10.11646/zootaxa.3914.4.3 25661952 Gen. et sp. novValidShibata & AzumaEarly CretaceousKitadani FormationJapanA non-hadrosaurid hadrosauroid. The type species is Koshisaurus katsuyama.framelessKunbarrasaurusLucy G. Leahey Ralph E. Molnar Kenneth Carpenter Lawrence M. Witmer Steven W. Salisbury 2015 Cranial osteology of the ankylosaurian dinosaur formerly known as Minmi sp. (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) from the Lower Cretaceous Allaru Mudstone of Richmond, Queensland, Australia PeerJ 3 e1475 10.7717/peerj.1475 26664806 4675105 free Gen. et sp. nov.ValidLeahey et al.Cretaceous (late Albian–(?)early Cenomanian)Allaru MudstoneAustraliaAn ankylosaur. The type species is Kunbarrasaurus ieversi.framelessLepidocheirosaurusV. R. Alifanov S. V. Saveliev 2015 The Most Ancient Ornithomimosaur (Theropoda, Dinosauria), with Cover Imprints from the Upper Jurassic of Russia Paleontological Journal 49 6 636–650 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284547239 10.1134/S0031030115060039 131199807 subscription Gen. et sp. nov.DisputedAlifanov & SavelievLate Jurassic (Tithonian?)Ukureyskaya FormationRussiaA dinosaur of uncertain phylogenetic placement; considered to be a theropod dinosaur related to Nqwebasaurus by the authors of its description, but subsequently argued to be an ornithischian, possibly synonymous with Kulindadromeus.http://theropoda.blogspot.com/2015/11/cosa-e-lepidocheirosaurus.html Cosa è Lepidocheirosaurus? Andrea Cau Theropoda November 24, 2015 November 25, 2015Pascal Godefroit Sofia M. Sinitsa Aude Cincotta Maria E. McNamara Svetlana A. Reshetova Danielle Dhouailly 2020 Integumentary structures in Kulindadromeus zabaikalicus, a basal neornithischian dinosaur from the Jurassic of Siberia Christian Foth Oliver W. M. Rauhut The evolution of feathers Springer 47–62 978-3-030-27223-4 10.1007/978-3-030-27223-4_4 Fascinating Life Sciences 216261986 The type species is Lepidocheirosaurus natatilis.LepidusSterling J. Nesbitt Martín D. Ezcurra 2015 The early fossil record of dinosaurs in North America: A new neotheropod from the base of the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Texas Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 60 3 513–526 10.4202/app.00143.2014 free Gen. et sp. nov.ValidNesbitt & EzcurraLate TriassicDockum GroupUnited StatesA coelophysoid theropod. The type species is Lepidus praecisio.framelessMorelladonJosé Miguel Gasulla Fernando Escaso Iván Narváez Francisco Ortega José Luis Sanz 2015 A New Sail-Backed Styracosternan (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Morella, Spain PLOS ONE 10 12 e0144167 10.1371/journal.pone.0144167 26673161 4691198 2015PLoSO..1044167G free Gen. et sp. nov. ValidGasulla et al.Early Cretaceous (probably late Barremian)Arcillas de Morella FormationSpainAn ornithopod dinosaur, a basal member of Styracosterna. The type species is Morelladon beltrani.200px|MosaiceratopsWenjie Zheng Xingsheng Jin Xing Xu 2015 A psittacosaurid-like basal neoceratopsian from the Upper Cretaceous of central China and its implications for basal ceratopsian evolution Scientific Reports 5 14190 10.1038/srep14190 free 26388024 4585677 2015NatSR...514190Z Gen. et sp. novValidZheng, Jin & XuLate Cretaceous (early-middle Turonian—middle Campanian)Xiaguan FormationChinaA basal neoceratopsian. The type species is Mosaiceratops azumai.framelessNebulasaurusLida Xing Tetsuto Miyashita Philip J. Currie Hailu You Zhiming Dong 2015 A new basal eusauropod from the Middle Jurassic of Yunnan, China, and faunal compositions and transitions of Asian sauropodomorph dinosaurs Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 60 1 145–154 10.4202/app.2012.0151 free Gen. et sp. novValidXing et al.Middle Jurassic (Aalenian or Bajocian)Zhanghe FormationChinaA eusauropod sauropod. The type species is Nebulasaurus taito.200px|PadillasaurusJosé L. Carballido Diego Pol Mary L. Parra Ruge Santiago Padilla Bernal María E. Páramo-Fonseca Fernando Etayo-Serna 2015 A new Early Cretaceous brachiosaurid (Dinosauria, Neosauropoda) from northwestern Gondwana (Villa de Leiva, Colombia) Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35 5 e980505 10.1080/02724634.2015.980505 129498917 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/A_new_Early_Cretaceous_brachiosaurid_Dinosauria_Neosauropoda_from_northwestern_Gondwana_Villa_de_Leiva_Colombia_/1568193 subscription Gen. et sp. novValidCarballido et al.Early Cretaceous (Barremian)Paja FormationColombiaA brachiosaurid sauropod. The type species is Padillasaurus leivaensis.framelessProbrachylophosaurusElizabeth A. Freedman Fowler John R. Horner 2015 A New Brachylophosaurin Hadrosaur (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) with an Intermediate Nasal Crest from the Campanian Judith River Formation of Northcentral Montana PLOS ONE 10 11 e0141304 10.1371/journal.pone.0141304 26560175 4641681 2015PLoSO..1041304F free Gen. et sp. novValidFreedman Fowler & HornerLate Cretaceous (Campanian)Judith River FormationUnited StatesA hadrosaurid. The type species is Probrachylophosaurus bergei.framelessPulanesauraBlair W. McPhee Matthew F. Bonnan Adam M. Yates Johann Neveling Jonah N. Choiniere 2015 A new basal sauropod from the pre-Toarcian Jurassic of South Africa: evidence of niche-partitioning at the sauropodomorph–sauropod boundary? Scientific Reports 5 13224 10.1038/srep13224 free 26288028 4541066 2015NatSR...513224M Gen. et sp. novValidMcPhee et al.Early Jurassic (probably late Hettangian to Sinemurian)Upper Elliot FormationSouth AfricaA basal sauropod. The type species is Pulanesaura eocollum.framelessQijianglongLida Xing Tetsuto Miyashita Jianping Zhang Daqing Li Yong Ye Toru Sekiya Fengping Wang Fengping Wang Philip J. Currie 2015 A new sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of China and the diversity, distribution, and relationships of mamenchisaurids Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35 1 e889701 10.1080/02724634.2014.889701 86062974 Gen. et sp. novValidXing et al.Late JurassicSuining FormationChinaA mamenchisaurid sauropod. The type species is Qijianglong guokr.RegaliceratopsCaleb M. Brown Donald M. Henderson 2015 A New Horned Dinosaur Reveals Convergent Evolution in Cranial Ornamentation in Ceratopsidae Current Biology 25 12 1641–1648 10.1016/j.cub.2015.04.041 26051892 free Gen. et sp. novValidBrown & HendersonLate Cretaceous (probably middle Maastrichtian)St. Mary River FormationCanadaA chasmosaurine ceratopsid. The type species is Regaliceratops peterhewsi.framelessSaurornitholestes sullivaniSteven E. Jasinski 2015 A new dromaeosaurid (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of New Mexico New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 67 79–88 https://www.academia.edu/12172300 Sp. novValidJasinskiLate Cretaceous (late Campanian)Kirtland FormationUnited StatesA member of Dromaeosauridae, a species of Saurornitholestes.SefapanosaurusAlejandro Otero Emil Krupandan Diego Pol Anusuya Chinsamy Jonah Choiniere 2015 A new basal sauropodiform from South Africa and the phylogenetic relationships of basal sauropodomorphs Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 174 3 589–634 10.1111/zoj.12247 free 11336/38019 free Gen. et sp. novValidOtero et al.Late Triassic or Early JurassicElliot FormationSouth AfricaA non-sauropod sauropodomorph. The type species is Sefapanosaurus zastronensis.SirindhornaMasateru Shibata Pratueng Jintasakul Yoichi Azuma Hai-Lu You 2015 A New Basal Hadrosauroid Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Northeastern Thailand PLOS ONE 10 12 e0145904 10.1371/journal.pone.0145904 26716981 4696827 2015PLoSO..1045904S free Gen. et sp. novValidShibata et al.Early Cretaceous (Aptian)Khok Kruat FormationThailandA basal member of Hadrosauroidea. The type species is Sirindhorna khoratensis.framelessUgrunaalukHirotsugu Mori Patrick S. Druckenmiller Gregory M. Erickson 2015 A new Arctic hadrosaurid from the Prince Creek Formation (lower Maastrichtian) of northern Alaska Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 61 1 15–32 10.4202/app.00152.2015 free Gen. et sp. novDisputedMori, Druckenmiller & EricksonLate Cretaceous (early Maastrichtian)Prince Creek FormationUnited StatesA saurolophine hadrosaurid. The type species is Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis. The genus Ugrunaaluk was considered to be a junior synonym of the genus Edmontosaurus by Takasaki et al. (2020).Ryuji Takasaki Anthony R. Fiorillo Ronald S. Tykoski Yoshitsugu Kobayashi 2020 Re-examination of the cranial osteology of the Arctic Alaskan hadrosaurine with implications for its taxonomic status PLOS ONE 15 5 e0232410 10.1371/journal.pone.0232410 32374777 7202651 2020PLoSO..1532410T free Wendiceratops David C. Evans Michael J. Ryan 2015 Cranial Anatomy of Wendiceratops pinhornensis gen. et sp. nov., a Centrosaurine Ceratopsid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Oldman Formation (Campanian), Alberta, Canada, and the Evolution of Ceratopsid Nasal Ornamentation PLOS ONE 10 7 e0130007 10.1371/journal.pone.0130007 26154293 4496092 2015PLoSO..1030007E free Gen. et sp. nov. ValidEvans & RyanLate Cretaceous (Campanian)Oldman FormationCanadaA centrosaurine ceratopsid. The type species is Wendiceratops pinhornensis.framelessYiXing Xu Xiaoting Zheng Corwin Sullivan Xiaoli Wang Lida Xing Yan Wang Xiaomei Zhang Jingmai K. O'Connor Fucheng Zhang Yanhong Pan 2015 A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran theropod with preserved evidence of membranous wings Nature 521 7550 70–73 10.1038/nature14423 25924069 2015Natur.521...70X 205243599 Gen. et sp. novValidXu et al.Jurassic (Callovian or Oxfordian)Tiaojishan FormationChinaA scansoriopterygid theropod. The type species is Yi qi.framelessZhenyuanlongJunchang Lü Stephen L. Brusatte 2015 A large, short-armed, winged dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of China and its implications for feather evolution Scientific Reports 5 11775 10.1038/srep11775 free 26181289 4504142 2015NatSR...511775L Gen. et sp. nov.ValidLü & BrusatteEarly CretaceousYixian FormationChinaA dromaeosaurid theropod. The type species is Zhenyuanlong suni.frameless Birds Research Balaur bondoc, originally interpreted as a member of Dromaeosauridae, is argued to be a basal member of Avialae by Cau, Brougham and Naish (2015).Andrea Cau Tom Brougham Darren Naish 2015 The phylogenetic affinities of the bizarre Late Cretaceous Romanian theropod Balaur bondoc (Dinosauria, Maniraptora): dromaeosaurid or flightless bird? PeerJ 3 e1032 10.7717/peerj.1032 26157616 4476167 free Estimates of likely mass and flight capability of the extinct Chatham duck (Anas chathamica), as indicated by measurements of major bones, are published by Williams (2015).Murray Williams 2015 Size and flight capability of Anas chathamica, an extinct duck from Chatham Island, New Zealand Wildfowl 65 75–99 http://wildfowl.wwt.org.uk/index.php/wildfowl/article/view/2627 New cranial material of the Oligo-Miocene relative of flamingos, Harrisonavis croizeti, is described by Torres et al. (2015).Chris R. Torres Vanesa L. De Pietri Antoine Louchart Marcel van Tuinen 2015 New cranial material of the earliest filter-feeding flamingo Harrisonavis croizeti (Aves, Phoenicopteridae) informs the evolution of the highly specialized filter feeding apparatus Organisms Diversity & Evolution 15 3 609–618 10.1007/s13127-015-0209-7 18198929 New specimens of the Eocene relative of swifts, Scaniacypselus szarskii, are described by Mayr (2015).Gerald Mayr 2015 Skeletal morphology of the middle Eocene swift Scaniacypselus and the evolutionary history of true swifts (Apodidae) Journal of Ornithology 156 2 441–450 10.1007/s10336-014-1142-9 14282557 A specimen of a stem-coliiform Masillacolius brevidactylus with preserved skull is described by Mayr (2015).Gerald Mayr 2015 A new specimen of the Early Eocene Masillacolius brevidactylus and its implications for the evolution of feeding specializations in mousebirds (Coliiformes) Comptes Rendus Palevol 14 5 363–370 10.1016/j.crpv.2015.05.007 free A study of the phylogenetic relationships of Psittacopes, Pumiliornis and Morsoravis, indicating their close relationship to the passerines and extinct family Zygodactylidae, is published by Mayr (2015); the author also introduced a new name, Parapasseres, for the clade containing Passeriformes and Zygodactylidae but not Psittacopes.Gerald Mayr 2015 A reassessment of Eocene parrotlike fossils indicates a previously undetected radiation of zygodactyl stem group representatives of passerines (Passeriformes) Zoologica Scripta 44 6 587–602 10.1111/zsc.12128 85599482 A study of preserved specimens of the Puerto Rican conure (previously considered to be an extinct subspecies of the Hispaniolan parakeet) is published by Olson (2015), who raises it to the rank of a separate species Psittacara maugei.Storrs L. Olson 2015 History, morphology, and fossil record of the extinct Puerto Rican Parakeet Psittacara maugei Souancé The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 127 1 1–12 10.1676/14-020.1 84512973 A Dwarf Emu was found in the Miocene of Alcoota in Central Australia.Xavier La Canna 2015 New species of dwarf emu discovered from fossils at Alcoota in Central Australia ABC News http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-06/find-shows-new-species-of-dwarf-emu-lived-in-central-australia/6677356 Jones et al. (2015) describe a distal end of the left tibiotarsus of a member of the genus Caracara of uncertain specific assignment from the late Pleistocene of Argentina, estimated to be the largest member of the family Falconidae described thus far.Washington W. Jones Marcos M. Cenizo Federico L. Agnolin Andrés Rinderknecht R. Ernesto Blanco 2015 The largest known falconid Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen 277 3 361–372 10.1127/njgpa/2015/0514 A description of the skeletal anatomy of two well-preserved specimens of the dodo is published by Claessens, Meijer and Hume (2015).Leon P. A. M. Claessens Hanneke J. M. Meijer Julian P. Hume 2015 The Morphology of the Thirioux dodos Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35 Supplement 1 29–187 10.1080/02724634.2015.1121723 87957947 New taxa Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesAegypius tugarinovi Albrecht Manegold Nikita Zelenkov 2015 A new species of Aegypius vulture from the early Pliocene of Moldova is the earliest unequivocal evidence of Aegypiinae in Europe Paläontologische Zeitschrift 89 3 529–534 10.1007/s12542-014-0242-4 129035036 Sp. nov.ValidManegold & ZelenkovEarly Pliocene, RuscinianMoldovaAn Old World vulture, Accipitridae, related to the cinereous vulture.Alopecoenas norfolkensis Joseph Michael Forshaw 2015 Pigeons and doves in Australia CSIRO Publishing 84–85 978-0-643-09633-2 Sp. nov ValidForshawHoloceneAustraliaA new scientific name for the Norfolk ground dove. The previous name used to refer to this species, Columba norfolciensis Latham (1801), was suppressed by ICZN in 2010.International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 2010 OPINION 2251 (Case 3442) Columba norfolciensis Latham, 1801 (Aves, COLUMBIDAE): name suppressed Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 67 2 192–193 http://iczn.org/content/opinion-2251-case-3442-columba-norfolciensis-latham-1801-aves-columbidae-name-suppressed 10.21805/bzn.v67i2.a15 193143627 200px|Anas kurochkini Nikita V. Zelenkov Andrey V. Panteleyev 2015 Three bird taxa (Aves: Anatidae, Phasianidae, Scolopacidae) from the Late Miocene of the Sea of Azov (Southwestern Russia) Paläontologische Zeitschrift 89 3 515–527 10.1007/s12542-014-0238-0 85276099 Sp. nov.ValidZelenkov & PanteleyevLate MioceneRussiaAn Anatidae.Archaeornithura Min Wang Xiaoting Zheng Jingmai K. O'Connor Graeme T. Lloyd Xiaoli Wang Yan Wang Xiaomei Zhang Zhonghe Zhou 2015 The oldest record of Ornithuromorpha from the Early Cretaceous of China Nature Communications 6 6987 10.1038/ncomms7987 free 25942493 5426517 2015NatCo...6.6987W Gen. et sp. nov. ValidWang et al.HauterivianHuajiying FormationChinaA Hongshanornithidae. Type species A. meemannae.framelessAthene inexpectata Marco Pavia Albrecht Manegold Pippa Haarhoff 2015 Early Pliocene owls from Langebaanweg, South Africa, with first evidence of the genus Athene south of the Sahara and the description of a new species of Tyto http://app.pan.pl/article/item/app000772014.html Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 60 4 815–828 10.4202/app.00077.2014 free Sp. nov. ValidPavia, Manegold, & HaarhoffEarly PlioceneVarswater FormationSouth AfricaA StrigidaeCircaetus haemusensis Zlatozar Boev 2015 An Early Pleistocene Snake Eagle, Circaetus haemusensis sp. n. (Aves, Accipitriformes) from Varshets, Northwestern Bulgaria Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 67 1 127–138 http://www.acta-zoologica-bulgarica.eu/downloads/acta-zoologica-bulgarica/2015/67-1-127-138.pdf Sp. nov.ValidBoevEarly PleistoceneBulgariaA snake eagleCratoavis Ismar Carvalho Fernando E. Novas Federico L. Agnolín Marcelo P. Isasi Francisco I. Freitas José A. Andrade 2015 A new genus and species of enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil Brazilian Journal of Geology 45 2 161–171 10.1590/23174889201500020001 free Gen. et sp. nov.ValidCarvalho et al.AptianCrato Member, Santana FormationBrazilA member of Euenantiornithes of uncertain phylogenetic placement.Ismar de Souza Carvalho Fernando E. Novas Federico L. Agnolín Marcelo P. Isasi Francisco I. Freitas José A. Andrade 2015 A Mesozoic bird from Gondwana preserving feathers Nature Communications 6 7141 10.1038/ncomms8141 free 26035285 4458891 2015NatCo...6.7141D The type species is C. cearensis.framelessDunhuangia Min Wang Daqing Li Jingmai K. O'Connor Zhonghe Zhou Hailu You 2015 Second species of enantiornithine bird from the Lower Cretaceous Changma Basin, northwestern China with implications for the taxonomic diversity of the Changma avifauna Cretaceous Research 55 56–65 10.1016/j.cretres.2015.01.008 Gen. et sp. nov. ValidWang et al.Early CretaceousXiagou FormationChinaA member of Enantiornithes. The type species is D. cuii.Eopachypteryx Gerald Mayr 10270683 2015 Towards completion of the early Eocene aviary: A new bird group from the Messel oil shale (Aves, Eopachypterygidae, fam. nov.) Zootaxa 4013 2 252–264 10.11646/zootaxa.4013.2.6 26623896 Gen. et sp. nov.ValidMayrEoceneMessel FormationGermanyA bird of uncertain phylogenetic placement. Type species E. praeterita.Feitianius Jingmai K. O'Connor Da-Qing Li Matthew C. Lamanna Min Wang Jerald D. Harris Jessie Atterholt Hai-Lu You 2015 A new Early Cretaceous enantiornithine (Aves, Ornithothoraces) from northwestern China with elaborate tail ornamentation Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36 1 e1054035 10.1080/02724634.2015.1054035 85800831 Gen. et sp. nov ValidO'Connor et al.Early Cretaceous (Aptian)Xiagou FormationChinaA member of Enantiornithes. The type species is Feitianius paradisi.framelessFoshanornis Tao Zhao Gerald Mayr Min Wang Wei Wang 2015 A trogon-like arboreal bird from the early Eocene of China Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology 39 2 287–294 10.1080/03115518.2015.994160 131668423 Gen. et sp. nov.ValidZhao et al.Early EoceneBuxin FormationChinaA bird of uncertain phylogenetic placement, possibly a relative of trogons. Type species F. songi.Fumicollis Alyssa Bell Luis M. Chiappe 2015 Identification of a New Hesperornithiform from the Cretaceous Niobrara Chalk and Implications for Ecologic Diversity among Early Diving Birds PLOS ONE 10 11 e0141690 10.1371/journal.pone.0141690 26580402 4651437 2015PLoSO..1041690B free Gen. et sp. nov.ValidBell & ChiappeLate Cretaceous (late Coniacian—early Campanian)The Smoky Hill Member of the Niobrara ChalkUnited StatesA member of Hesperornithiformes. The type species is Fumicollis hoffmani.framelessGallinago azovica Sp. nov.ValidZelenkov & PanteleyevMiddle TurolianRussiaA snipe, Scolopacidae.Hakawai Vanesa L. De Pietri R. Paul Scofield Alan J. D. Tennyson Suzanne J. Hand Trevor H. Worthy 2015 Wading a lost southern connection: Miocene fossils from New Zealand reveal a new lineage of shorebirds (Charadriiformes) linking Gondwanan avifaunas Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 14 7 603–616 10.1080/14772019.2015.1087064 2328/35949 85816940 free Gen. et sp. nov.ValidDe Pietri et al.Early Miocene (19–16 Ma)Bannockburn FormationNew ZealandA member of Scolopaci of uncertain phylogenetic placement. The type species is Hakawai melvillei.Holbotia Nikita V. Zelenkov Alexander O. Averianov 2015 A historical specimen of enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia representing a new taxon with a specialized neck morphology Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 14 4 319–338 10.1080/14772019.2015.1051146 85784633 Gen. et sp. nov. ValidZelenkov & AverianovEarly CretaceousMongoliaA member of Enantiornithes, probably a relative of Gobipteryx. Type species H. ponomarenkoi.Houornis Min Wang Di Liu 2015 Taxonomical reappraisal of Cathayornithidae (Aves: Enantiornithes) Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 14 1 29–47 10.1080/14772019.2014.994087 86665059 Gen. et comb. nov.ValidWang & LiuEarly CretaceousJiufotang FormationChinaA member of Enantiornithes of uncertain phylogenetic placement; a new genus for "Cathayornis" caudatus Hou (1997).Hypsipetes cowlesi Hume, Julian P. 2015 A new subfossil bulbul (Aves: Passerines: Pycnonotidae) from Rodrigues Island, Mascarenes, south-western Indian Ocean Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology 86 3 247–260 10.2989/00306525.2015.1067651 83835055 Sp. nov.ValidHumeHoloceneRodriguesA bulbul, PycnonotidaeJuehuaornis Ren-fei Wang Yan Wang Dong-yu Hu 2015 Discovery of a new ornithuromorph genus, Juehuaornis gen.nov. from Lower Cretaceous of western Liaoning, China Global Geology 34 1 7–11 10.3969/j.issn.1004-5589.2015.01.002 Gen. et sp. nov. ValidWang, Wang & HuEarly CretaceousJiufotang FormationChinaA basal member of Ornithuromorpha. Type species J. zhangi.Kuntur Marcelo Stucchi Steven D. Emslie Rafael M. Varas-Malca Mario Urbina-Schmitt 2015 A new late Miocene condor (Aves, Cathartidae) from Peru and the origin of South American condors Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35 5 e972507 10.1080/02724634.2015.972507 128790925 Gen. et sp. nov.ValidStucchi et al.Late MiocenePisco FormationPeruA condor. Type species K. cardenasi.Lavadytis Thomas A. Stidham Richard P. Hilton 2015 New data on stiff-tailed duck evolution and dispersal from a new species of diving duck (Anseriformes: Anatidae: cf. Oxyurinae) from the Miocene High Rock Caldera in north-west Nevada, USA Papers in Palaeontology 2 1 41–58 10.1002/spp2.1029 85776578 Gen. et sp. nov.ValidStidham & HiltonMiocene (16.1–14.6 Ma)United StatesA member of Anatidae; a member or a relative of members of the subfamily Oxyurinae. The type species is Lavadytis pyrenae.LlallawavisFederico J. Degrange Claudia P. Tambussi Matías L. Taglioretti Alejandro Dondas Fernando Scaglia 2015 A new Mesembriornithinae (Aves, Phorusrhacidae) provides new insights into the phylogeny and sensory capabilities of terror birds Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35 2 e912656 10.1080/02724634.2014.912656 11336/38650 85212917 free Gen. et sp. nov ValidDegrange et al.Late PliocenePlaya Los Lobos Allo FormationArgentinaA mesembriornithine phorusrhacid. Type species L. scagliai.framelessMakahala Gerald Mayr 2015 A new Paleogene procellariiform bird from western North America Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen 275 1 11–17 10.1127/njgpa/2015/0445 Gen. et sp. nov. ValidMayrLatest Eocene or early OligoceneMakah FormationUnited StatesA member of Procellariiformes. Type species M. mirae.MangystaniaEvgeniy A. Zvonok Nikita V. Zelenkov Igor G. Danilov 2015 A new unusual waterbird (Aves, ?Suliformes) from the Eocene of Kazakhstan Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36 1 e1035783 10.1080/02724634.2015.1035783 87129911 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/1626646 Gen. et sp. novValidZvonok, Zelenkov & DanilovEocene (Bartonian)Shorym FormationKazakhstanPossibly a member of Suliformes. The type species is Mangystania humilicristata.Miobaptus huzhiricus Nikita V. Zelenkov 2015 A Primitive Grebe (Aves, Podicipedidae) from the Miocene of Eastern Siberia (Lake Baikal, Olkhon Island) Paleontological Journal 49 5 521–529 http://www.maik.rssi.ru/cgi-perl/search.pl?type=abstract&name=paleng&number=5&year=15&page=521 10.1134/S0031030115050159 130057204 2015-10-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053108/http://www.maik.rssi.ru/cgi-perl/search.pl?type=abstract&name=paleng&number=5&year=15&page=521 2016-03-04 subscription Sp. novValidZelenkovMioceneRussiaA grebeMioporphyrula Nikita V. Zelenkov Evgeny N. Kurochkin 2015 КЛАСС AVES E.N. Kurochkin A.V. Lopatin N.V. Zelenkov Ископаемые позвоночные России и сопредельных стран. Ископаемые рептилии и птицы. Часть 3 / Fossil vertebrates of Russia and adjacent countries. Fossil Reptiles and Birds. Part 3 GEOS 86–290 978-5-89118-699-6 Gen. et comb. novValidZelenkov in Zelenkov & KurochkinLate MioceneMoldovaA member of Rallidae. A new genus for "Tertiariaporphyrula" lungi Kurochkin & Ganea (1972).Mwalau Trevor H. Worthy Stuart Hawkins Stuart Bedford Matthew Spriggs 2015 Avifauna from the Teouma Lapita Site, Efate Island, Vanuatu, including a New Genus and Species of Megapode Pacific Science 69 2 205–254 10.2984/69.2.6 2328/35948 83687153 free Gen. et sp. nov.ValidWorthy et al.HoloceneVanuatuA megapode. The type species is M. walterlinii.Namapsitta Cécile Mourer-Chauviré Martin Pickford Brigitte Senut 2015 Stem group galliform and stem group psittaciform birds (Aves, Galliformes, Paraortygidae, and Psittaciformes, family incertae sedis) from the Middle Eocene of Namibia Journal of Ornithology 156 1 275–286 10.1007/s10336-014-1124-y 16336177 Gen. et sp. nov.ValidMourer-Chauviré, Pickford, & Senut Middle EoceneNamibiaA Psittaciformes incertae sedis. Type species N. praeruptorum.Nyctisoma Andrzej Elżanowski Nikita V. Zelenkov 2015 A primitive heron (Aves: Ardeidae) from the Miocene of Central Asia Journal of Ornithology 156 3 837–846 10.1007/s10336-015-1164-y free Gen. et sp. nov.ValidElżanowski & ZelenkovMiddle MioceneÖoshin FormationMongoliaAn Ardeidae. Type species N. robusta.Oligonomus Vanesa L. De Pietri Aaron B. Camens Trevor H. Worthy 2015 A Plains-wanderer (Pedionomidae) that did not wander plains: a new species from the Oligocene of South Australia Ibis 157 1 68–74 10.1111/ibi.12215 2328/35950 free Gen. et sp. nov.ValidDe Pietri, Camens, & WorthyLate OligoceneAustraliaA member of Charadriiformes related to the plains-wanderer. Type species O. milleri.Opisthodactylus horacioperezi Federico L. Agnolin Pablo Chafrat 2015 New fossil bird remains from the Chichinales Formation (Early Miocene) of northern Patagonia, Argentina Annales de Paléontologie 101 2 87–94 10.1016/j.annpal.2015.02.001 Sp. nov. ValidAgnolin & ChafratEarly MioceneChichinales FormationArgentinaA rheid ratiteParapengornis Han Hu Jingmai K. O'Connor Zhonghe Zhou 2015 A New Species of Pengornithidae (Aves: Enantiornithes) from the Lower Cretaceous of China Suggests a Specialized Scansorial Habitat Previously Unknown in Early Birds PLOS ONE 10 6 e0126791 10.1371/journal.pone.0126791 26039693 4454694 2015PLoSO..1026791H free Gen. et sp. nov. ValidHu, O'Connor & ZhouEarly CretaceousJiufotang FormationChinaA member of Enantiornithes, a relative of Pengornis. Type species P. eurycaudatus.frameless|Patagorhacos Gen. et sp. nov. ValidAgnolin & ChafratEarly MioceneChichinales FormationArgentinaA member of Phorusrhacidae. Type species P. terrificus.Petrosushkinia Nom. novValidZelenkov in Zelenkov & KurochkinLate MioceneKazakhstanA member of Falconidae. A replacement name for Sushkinia Tugarinov (1935) (preoccupied).Porzana botunensis Zlatozar Boev 2015 Porzana botunensis sp. n., a New Early Pleistocene Crake (Aves: Rallidae) from Bulgaria Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 67 2 283–290 http://www.acta-zoologica-bulgarica.eu/downloads/acta-zoologica-bulgarica/2015/67-2-283-290.pdf Sp. nov.ValidBoevEarly PleistoceneBulgariaA member of Rallidae, a species of crake.Pterodroma imberi Alan J. D. Tennyson Joanne H. Cooper Lara D. Shepherd 2015 A new species of extinct Pterodroma petrel (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae) from the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 135 3 267–277 http://boc-online.org/bulletin/bulletin-index/bulletin-135/ Sp. nov.ValidTennyson, Cooper & Shepherd HoloceneNew ZealandA member of Procellariidae, a species of gadfly petrel.Pterygornis Min Wang Han Hu Zhiheng Li 2015 A new small enantiornithine bird from the Jehol Biota, with implications for early evolution of avian skull morphology Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 14 6 481–497 10.1080/14772019.2015.1073801 83603202 Gen. et sp. nov.ValidWang, Hu & LiEarly CretaceousJiufotang FormationChinaA member of Enantiornithes. Type species P. dapingfangensis.Rallus adolfocaesaris Josep Antoni Alcover Harald Pieper Fernando Pereira Juan Carlos Rando 2015 Five new extinct species of rails (Aves: Gruiformes: Rallidae) from the Macaronesian Islands (North Atlantic Ocean) Zootaxa 4057 2 151–190 10.11646/zootaxa.4057.2.1 26701473 10261/132286 free Sp. nov.ValidAlcover et al.HoloceneMadeira (Porto Santo Island)A member of Rallidae, a species of RallusRallus carvaoensis Sp. nov.ValidAlcover et al.HoloceneAzores (São Miguel Island)A member of Rallidae, a species of RallusRallus lowei Sp. nov.ValidAlcover et al.HoloceneMadeira (Madeira Island)A member of Rallidae, a species of RallusRallus minutus Sp. nov.Junior homonymAlcover et al.HoloceneAzores (São Jorge Island)A member of Rallidae, a species of Rallus. The specific name is a junior homonym of Rallus minutus Pallas (1776), Rallus minutus Gmelin (1789) and Rallus minutus Forster (1844). Alcover et al. (2016) coined a replacement name Rallus nanus.Josep Antoni Alcover Harald Pieper Fernando Pereira Juan Carlos Rando 2016 Rallus nanus nomen novum: a replacement name for Rallus minutus Alcover et al. 2015 Zootaxa 4085 1 141–142 10.11646/zootaxa.4085.1.8 27394294 10261/133112 free Rallus montivagorum Sp. nov.ValidAlcover et al.HoloceneAzores (Pico Island)A member of Rallidae, a species of RallusRhamphastosula aguirrei Marcelo Stucchi Rafael M. Varas-Malca Mario Urbina-Schmitt 2015 New Miocene sulid birds from Peru and considerations on their Neogene fossil record in the Eastern Pacific Ocean Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 61 2 417–427 10.4202/app.00170.2015 free Sp. nov.ValidStucchi, Varas-Malca & Urbina-SchmittMiocenePisco FormationPeruA member of Sulidae, a species of Rhamphastosula.frameless|Scolopax brachycarpa Oona M. Takano David W. Steadman 44325093 2015 A new species of Woodcock (Aves: Scolopacidae: Scolopax) from Hispaniola, West Indies Zootaxa 4032 1 117–126 10.11646/zootaxa.4032.1.6 26624342 Sp. nov.ValidTakano & SteadmanLate HoloceneHaitiA woodcock.Scopelortyx Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. ValidMourer-Chauviré, Pickford, & SenutMiddle EoceneNamibiaA Paraortygidae, Galliformes. Type species S. klinghardtensis.Shiriyanetta Junya Watanabe Hiroshige Matsuoka 2015 Flightless diving duck (Aves, Anatidae) from the Pleistocene of Shiriya, Northeast Japan Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35 6 e994745 10.1080/02724634.2014.994745 83689129 Gen. et sp. nov.ValidWatanabe & MatsuokaPleistoceneJapanA duck. The type species is Shiriyanetta hasegawai.Spheniscus anglicus Richard D. Benson 2015 A new species of penguin from the late Miocene of Chile, with comments on the stratigraphic range of Palaeospheniscus Scientific Publications of the Science Museum of Minnesota New Series 8 4 5–22 https://www.smm.org/sites/default/files/public/attachments/new-species-penguin.pdf 2021-06-24 2023-08-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201604/https://www.smm.org/sites/default/files/public/attachments/new-species-penguin.pdf dead Sp. nov.ValidBensonLate MioceneBahía Inglesa FormationChileA banded penguin.framelessStemec Gary Kaiser Junya Watanabe Marji Johns 2015 A new member of the family Plotopteridae (Aves) from the late Oligocene of British Columbia, Canada Palaeontologia Electronica 18 3 Article number 18.3.52A 10.26879/563 free Gen. et sp. nov.ValidKaiser, Watanabe & JohnsLate OligoceneSooke FormationCanadaA member of Plotopteridae. The type species is Stemec suntokum.framelessSula brandi Sp. nov.ValidStucchi, Varas-Malca & Urbina-SchmittMiocenePisco FormationPeruA booby.framelessSula figueroae Sp. nov.ValidStucchi, Varas-Malca & Urbina-SchmittMiocenePisco FormationPeruA booby.framelessTyto cravesae William Suárez Storrs L. Olson 2015 Systematics and distribution of the giant fossil barn owls of the West Indies (Aves: Strigiformes: Tytonidae) Zootaxa 4020 3 533–553 10.11646/zootaxa.4020.3.7 26624114 Sp. nov.ValidSuárez & OlsonQuaternary (probably late Pleistocene)CubaA barn-owl, a species of Tyto.Tyto richae Sp. nov ValidPavia, Manegold, & HaarhoffEarly PlioceneVarswater FormationSouth AfricaA Tytonidae barn-owl.Yuanjiawaornis Dongyu Hu Ying Liu Jinhua Li Xing Xu Lianhai Hou 2015 Yuanjiawaornis viriosus, gen. et sp. nov., a large enantiornithine bird from the Lower Cretaceous of western Liaoning, China Cretaceous Research 55 210–219 10.1016/j.cretres.2015.02.013 Gen. et sp. nov. ValidHu et al.Early CretaceousJiufotang FormationChinaA member of Enantiornithes. Type species Yuanjiawaornis viriosus. Pterosaurs Research A study on the terrestrial locomotion of non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs is published by Witton (2015).Mark P. Witton 2015 Were early pterosaurs inept terrestrial locomotors? PeerJ 3 e1018 10.7717/peerj.1018 26157605 4476129 free A specimen of Rhamphorhynchus muensteri with preserved soft tissues or impressions of soft tissues, stomach contents and possibly a coprolite is described by Hone et al. (2015).David Hone Donald M. Henderson François Therrien Michael B. Habib 2015 A specimen of Rhamphorhynchus with soft tissue preservation, stomach contents and a putative coprolite PeerJ 3 e1191 10.7717/peerj.1191 26312182 4548500 free Eleutério et al. (2015) study the bone microstructure characterization of two pterosaurs belonging to the group Anhangueria.Eleutério L. H. Bantim R. A. M. Lima F. J. Pedroso de Andrade R. C. L. Saraiva A. A. F. Kellner A. W. A. Sayao J. M. 2015 Biomechanical and physiological influences on the osteohistological deposition of Anhangueria (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia 18 3 403–412 https://www.sbpbrasil.org/assets/uploads/files/06_Eleut%C3%A9rio_et_al_pg403a412_web.pdf 10.4072/rbp.2015.3.06 The paleoenvironments of azhdarchid pterosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Kazakhstan are studied by Averianov et al. (2015).Averianov A. O. Dyke G. J. Danilov I. G. Skutschas P. P. 2015 The paleoenvironments of azhdarchid pterosaurs localities in the Late Cretaceous of Kazakhstan ZooKeys 483 59–80 10.3897/zookeys.483.9058 25755624 4351447 free Martill et al. (2015) describe a jaw bone attributed to the mid-Cretaceous pterosaur species Alanqa saharica from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco. Martill D.M. Ibrahim N. 2015 An unusual modification of the jaws in cf. Alanqa, a mid-Cretaceous azhdarchid pterosaur from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/files/8204327/An_unusual_modification_of_the_jaws.pdf Cretaceous Research 53 59–67 10.1016/j.cretres.2014.11.001 New taxa Name Novelty Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesArcticodactylusAlexander W.A. Kellner 2015 Comments on Triassic pterosaurs with discussion about ontogeny and description of new taxa Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 87 2 669–689 10.1590/0001-3765201520150307 26131631 free Gen. et comb. novValidKellnerLate Triassic (?Norian-Rhaetian)Fleming Fjord FormationGreenlandA non-pterodactyloid pterosaur of uncertain phylogenetic placement; a new genus for "Eudimorphodon" cromptonellus Jenkins et al. (2001).AustriadracoGen. et sp. novValidKellnerLate Triassic (late Norian)Seefeld FormationAustriaA non-pterodactyloid pterosaur of uncertain phylogenetic placement. The type species is Austriadraco dallavecchiai.BanguelaJaime A. Headden Hebert B.N. Campos 2015 An unusual edentulous pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Romualdo Formation of Brazil Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology 27 7 815–826 10.1080/08912963.2014.904302 129306469 Gen. et sp. novDisputedHeadden & CamposEarly CretaceousRomualdo FormationBrazilThe type species is Banguela oberlii. Originally described as a dsungaripterid; Pêgas, Costa & Kellner (2018) considered the genus Banguela to be a junior synonym of the genus Thalassodromeus, and transferred the species B. oberlii to the latter genus.Rodrigo V. Pêgas Fabiana R. Costa Alexander W.A. Kellner 2018 New information on the osteology and a taxonomic revision of the genus Thalassodromeus (Pterodactyloidea, Tapejaridae, Thalassodrominae) Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 38 2 e1443273 10.1080/02724634.2018.1443273 90477315 200px|BergamodactylusGen. et sp. novDisputedKellnerLate Triassic (Alaunian)Calcari di Zorzino FormationItalyOriginally interpreted as a relative of Campylognathoides. The type species is Bergamodactylus wildi. Dalla Vecchia (2018) considers B. wildi to be a junior synonym of Carniadactylus rosenfeldi.Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia 2018 Comments on Triassic pterosaurs with a commentary on the "ontogenetic stages" of Kellner (2015) and the validity of Bergamodactylus wildi Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 124 2 317–341 10.13130/2039-4942/10099 framelessCimoliopterus dunniTimothy S. Myers 2015 First North American occurrence of the toothed pteranodontoid pterosaur Cimoliopterus Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35 6 e1014904 10.1080/02724634.2015.1014904 86099117 Sp. novValidMyersLate Cretaceous (late Cenomanian)Britton FormationUnited StatesA member of Pterodactyloidea, probably a pteranodontoid; a species of Cimoliopterus.200px|DaohugoupterusXin Cheng Xiaolin Wang Shunxing Jiang Alexander W.A. Kellner 2015 Short note on a non-pterodactyloid pterosaur from Upper Jurassic deposits of Inner Mongolia, China Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology 27 6 749–754 10.1080/08912963.2014.974038 128454476 Gen. et sp. novValidCheng et al.Late JurassicDaohugou BedsChinaA non-pterodactyloid pterosaur. The type species is Daohugoupterus delicatus.LinlongopterusTaissa Rodrigues Shunxing Jiang Xin Cheng Xiaolin Wang Alexander W.A. Kellner 2015 A new toothed pteranodontoid (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Jiufotang Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Aptian) of China and comments on Liaoningopterus gui Wang and Zhou, 2003 Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology 27 6 782–795 10.1080/08912963.2015.1033417 129062416 Gen. et sp. novValidRodrigues et al.Early Cretaceous (Aptian)Jiufotang FormationChinaA member of Pteranodontoidea, possibly related to anhanguerians. The type species is Linlongopterus jennyae.OrientognathusJunchang Lü Hanyong Pu Li Xu Xuefang Wei Huali Chang Martin Kundrát 2015 A new rhamphorhynchid pterosaur (Pterosauria) from Jurassic deposits of Liaoning Province, China Zootaxa 3911 1 119–129 10.11646/zootaxa.3911.1.7 25661600 Gen. et sp. novValidLü et al.Late JurassicTuchengzi FormationChinaA rhamphorhynchid. The type species is Orientognathus chaoyngensis.Rhamphorhynchus etchesiMichael O'Sullivan David M. Martill 2015 Evidence for the presence of Rhamphorhynchus (Pterosauria: Rhamphorhynchinae) in the Kimmeridge Clay of the UK Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 126 3 390–401 10.1016/j.pgeola.2015.03.003 https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/ws/files/8204720/Evidence_for_the_presence_of_Rhamphorhynchus.pdf Sp. novValidO'Sullivan & MartillLate JurassicKimmeridge Clay FormationUnited KingdomA species of Rhamphorhynchus. References Category:2015 in paleontology