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.
Michelinia rara	Sp. nov	Valid	Krutykh, Mirantsev & Rozhnov	Carboniferous (Gzhelian)		Russia	A tabulate coral. Published online in 2026, but the issue date is listed as December 2025.
Paleocanna	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Ramirez-Guerrero et al.	Ordovician	Neuville Formation	Canada (Quebec)	A stem-medusozoan. The type species is P. tentaculum.
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).

Cnidarian research

• Specimens of Montlivaltia with regular growth bands, interpreted as likely evidence of growth periodicities corresponding to lunar cycles nested within annual growth rhythms, are described from the Middle Jurassic strata from Lorraine (France) by Lathuilière (2026).

Arthropods

Main articles: 2026 in arthropod paleontology and 2026 in paleoentomology

Brachiopods

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Dubatolovispirifer	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Baranov & Nikolaev	Devonian (Pragian)		Russia	A member of Spiriferida. The type species is D. ribbed. Published online in 2026, but the issue date is listed as December 2025.
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.
Howellella nelyudimica	Sp. nov	Valid	Baranov & Nikolaev	Devonian (Pragian)		Russia	A member of Spiriferida. Published online in 2026, but the issue date is listed as December 2025.
Howellella septentrionalis	Sp. nov	Valid	Baranov & Nikolaev	Devonian (Pragian)		Russia	A member of Spiriferida. Published online in 2026, but the issue date is listed as December 2025.
Isocrania multicostata	Sp. nov		Poddar et al.	Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)	Kallankurichchi Formation	India
Jilinmartinia hovsugolensis	Sp. nov	Valid	Sun et al.	Permian (Cisuralian)	Kharnuden Formation	Mongolia
Lambdarina vangyrika	Sp. nov	Valid	Pakhnevich & Sobolev	Carboniferous (Tournaisian)		Russia (Komi Republic)	A member of Rhynchonellida belonging to the superfamily Lambdarinoidea. Published online in 2026, but the issue date is listed as December 2025.
Linoproductus planiconvexus	Sp. nov	Valid	Sun et al.	Permian (Cisuralian)	Kharnuden Formation	Mongolia
Paramarginifera pentagona	Sp. nov	Valid	Sun et al.	Permian (Cisuralian)	Kharnuden Formation	Mongolia
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.
• Huang et al. (2026) study changes of composition of Telychian brachiopod assemblages from the Ningqiang Formation (Sichuan, China), providing evidence of a shift from a deep-water fauna to one from shallower environment, interpreted as a response to regional uplift.
• A study on changes of diversity and distribution of Productida throughout the evolutionary history of the group is published by Chen et al. (2026).

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.
Juanopora	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Ernst, Racki & Wyse Jackson	Devonian (Givetian)	Wietrznia Beds	Poland	A member of the family Fenestellidae. The type species is J. elegans.
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.
• Salamon et al. (2026) describe new cyrtocrinid crinoid fossil material from the Jurassic (Callovian and Oxfordian) strata of the Argiles de Saïda Formation (Algeria), including fossils of members of the genera Apsidocrinus and Tetracrinus older than the oldest reported European occurrences, and review the fossil record of cyrtocrinids from Gondwana, interpreted as indicative of diversification of members of this group in areas other than the European part of the Tethys Ocean, as well as indicative of complex dispersal patterns along northern and southern Tethyan margins.
• Poatskievick-Pierezan et al. (2026) report the first discovery of confirmed stalked crinoid remains from the Maastrichtian Lopez de Bertodano Formation, providing evidence of presence of stalked crinoids in predator-dominated continental shelf ecosystems of Antarctica until the latest Cretaceous, filling the gap between Antarctic crinoid fossil record from the Early Cretaceous and from the Paleogene.

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.
Tanyka	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Pardo et al.	Early Permian	Pedra de Fogo Formation	Brazil	An early tetrapodomorph. The type species is T. amnicola.
Tyrannoroter	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Mann et al.	Carboniferous	Sydney Mines Formation	Canada (Nova Scotia)	A pantylid "microsaur". The type species is T. heberti.

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).
• Kear et al. (2026) revise the fossil material attributed to Erythrobatrachus noonkanbahensis, interpreting it as a valid species on the basis of the study of the holotype, and interpreting the referred material as belonging to cf. Aphaneramma sp.
• 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) .

Synapsid research

• Angielczyk et al. (2026) describe a natural mold of a vertebra of a synapsid and a natural mold of a partial maxilla of a synapsid with sphenacodont affinities from the Permian (Cisuralian) Pedra de Fogo Formation (Brazil), representing the first definitive pelycosaur-grade synapsids reported from South America.

Mammals

Main article: 2026 in paleomammalogy

Other animals

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Cornulites hemistriatus	Sp. nov	Valid	Jin & Vinn	Ordovician		Canada (Quebec)
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.
Guanduscolex hexagonus	Sp. nov	Valid	Shi et al.	Cambrian	Wulongqing Formation	China	A palaeoscolecid.
Protarabellites luztejadae	Sp. nov	Valid	Carlorosi et al.	Ordovician (Darriwilian)	San José Formation	Peru	A polychaete belonging to the family Ramphoprionidae.

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.
• New information on the anatomy of "Pelagiella" subangulata, based on the study of new, well-preserved fossil material from the Cambrian strata from Flinders Ranges (Australia), is presented by Richter Stretton et al. (2026).

Foraminifera

Name	Novelty	Status	Authors	Age	Type locality	Country	Notes	Images
Davanela	Gen. et 2 sp. nov	Valid	Okuyucu & Akba	Permian (Capitanian)		Turkey	A member of Cornuspiroidea belonging to the family Neodiscidae. The type species is D. ankaraensis; genus also includes D. acuminata.
Kaganella	Gen. et sp. nov	Valid	Okuyucu & Akba	Permian (Capitanian)		Turkey	A member of Cornuspiroidea belonging to the family Neodiscidae. The type species is K. tekini.
Rectogordiopsis	Gen. et 2 sp. nov	Valid	Okuyucu & Akba	Permian (Capitanian)		Turkey	A member of Cornuspiroidea belonging to the family Neodiscidae. The type species is R. kamuranaeformis; genus also includes R. ovaliformis.

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).
• Golfinopoulos et al. (2026) report the first discovery of benthic foraminifera from the Lower Jurassic strata exposed in Greece.
• 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

• Evidence from the study of spatial distribution of minerals and organic matter in embryo-like microfossils from the Ediacaran Weng'an phosphorite (Doushantuo Formation, South China), interpreted as consistent with a microbial origin of the studied microfossils, is presented by Lu et al. (2026).
• 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.
• Evidence from the study of Eocene dinoflagellate cyst assemblages from the Ivory Coast–Ghana marginal ridge (equatorial Atlantic Ocean), indicating that the studied assemblages did not undergo significant changes of composition during those early Eocene hyperthermals that did not result in sea surface temperatures rising more than approximately 1.5 °C, is presented by Fokkema et al. (2026) .
• 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.
• Kolesnikov et al. (2026) determine precise minimum age of the Ediacaran biota from the Chernyi Kamen Formation in Central Urals (Russia).
• Becker-Kerber et al. (2026) describe new filamentous fossils from the Ediacaran strata of the Tamengo Formation (Brazil), compare their structure to those of purported trace fossils produced by animals from the Ediacaran–Cambrian Corumbá Group reported by Parry et al. (2017), and interpret the studied structures as more likely representing microbial consortia composed of filamentous algae and bacteria rather than animal burrows.
• 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.
• Song et al. (2026) study the composition of the small shelly fauna associated with archaeocyath reefs from the Cambrian Xiannüdong Formation (Shaanxi, China), interpreted as indicative of presence of a diverse benthic assemblage with reef-dwelling organisms distinct from those in other reef environments.
• 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).
• Tooth marks produced by large carnivores, as well as boring likely produced by arthropod larvae, are identified in skeletons of juvenile specimens of Diadectes sp. from the Permian strata of the Vale Formation (Texas, United States) by Young, Maho & Reisz (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.
• A study on the diverse coprolite assemblage from the Lower Triassic Vikinghøgda Formation (Svalbard, Triassic), providing the first evidence of presence of invertebrates (cephalopods and sponges) in the Grippa bonebed and evidence of the coprolite producers feeding on ray-finned fishes and juvenile ichthyopterygians, is published by Simonsen et al. (2026).
• Trace fossil evidence of predation of horseshoe crabs on polychaetes is reported from the Lower Triassic Daye Formation (China) by Feng et al. (2026), who also report evidence indicative of enhanced infaunalization coinciding with diversification of marine predators during the Early Triassic.
• 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).
• Zhang et al. (2026) determine the age and duration of the Ladinian Xingyi Fauna on the basis of the study of astrochronology and cyclostratigraphy of the Nimaigu Section of the Falang Formation (China), and interpret the environment of the studied fauna as driven by a combination of orbital forcing and volcanic activity.
• 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.
• Stone et al. (2026) reconstruct timing and phases of reef recovery in the High Atlas Basin of Morocco in the aftermath of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event, interpreted as determined by tolerances of different framework builders to environmental conditions at the time.
• García-Cobeña et al. (2026) report the discovery of new fossil material of cartilaginous fishes, turtles, crocodylomorphs and dinosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous El Castellar Formation (Spain), expanding known vertebrate diversity from the studied formation.
• 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.
• Evidence from the study of approximately 7,000-year-old corals and fish otoliths from coral reef deposits from Panama and the Dominican Republic and from the study of the trophic structure of nearby modern reefs, indicative of reduction of length and complexity of food webs in the Caribbean reef ecosystems throughouth the Holocene, is presented by Lueders-Dumont et al. (2026).

Other research

• Liu et al. (2026) reconstruct marine biogeochemical cycles during the Proterozoic, and find that dense phytoplankton at the surface of the ocean resulting from lack of predators would have prevented sunlight from reaching subsurface layers of the ocean, causing reduction of subsurface net primary productivity.
• 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.
• Wang et al. (2026) report evidence of high elevations and complex topography in northeastern Asia resulting from mid–Late Jurassic plate convergence and promoting the emergence of Yanliao Biota, as well as evidence of topographic ruggedness during the Early Cretaceous that expanded the surface area, amplified the available ecological niche space and resulted in diversification of the Jehol Biota.
• 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).
• Lu et al. (2026) report evidence of asynchronous carbon isotope excursions associated with Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a in terrestrial and marine systems, and question the proposal to place the boundary between Barremian and Aptian at the base of the studied oceanic anoxic event.
• 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.
• Landman et al. (2026) reconstruct the environment of deposition of the Pierre Shale on the Cedar Creek Anticline (Montana, United States) spanning the Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary on the basis of the study of geochemical and sedimentological evidence and on the basis of the composition of the fauna.
• Liu et al. (2026) present sedimentological and geophysical evidence indicative of multilayered oceanic circulation and high productivity in the Arctic Ocean during the Late Cretaceous.
• 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.
• Evidence indicative of decrease of atmospheric CO₂ during the early and main flood basalt phases of the Emeishan Large Igneous Province emplacement followed by its increase during silicic eruptions, and indicating that environmental impact of Emeishan volcanism began before the main eruptive phase, is presented by Shen et al. (2026).
• Evidence linking late Miocene global cooling and northern Tibetan Plateau uplift to near-synchronous monsoon intensification and turnover of mammalian communities in Asia approximately 8.7 million years ago is presented by Han et al. (2026).