2026 in paleoichthyology
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Jawless vertebrate research
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Zhang et al. |
A member of Galeaspida belonging to the group Polybranchiaspiformes. The type species is A. brachyotus. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Glinskiy & Bolshiyanov in Glinskiy et al. |
Devonian (Givetian) |
A member of the family Psammosteidae. |
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|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Zhang et al. |
A member of Galeaspida belonging to the family Dayongaspidae. The type species is X. wuningensis. |
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- Evidence of presence of a pair of lateral eyes and pineal/parapineal organs likely functioning as camera-type eyes capable of image formation is reported in 6 specimens of Haikouichthys and 4 specimens of indeterminate myllokunmingids by Lei et al. (2026).[4]
- Reeves et al. (2026) provide new information on the anatomy of Jamoytius and Lasanius, including evidence of vertebrate biomineralization in both taxa and evidence of presence of complex camera-eye vertebrate eyes in Jamoytius.[5]
Placoderms
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Xue et al. |
Devonian (Pragian) |
An antarctaspid placoderm. The type species is P. eurycephala. |
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Placoderm research
- Redescription of the anatomy and a study on the affinities of Bothriolepis yunnanensis is published by Yan et al. (2026).[7]
Cartilaginous fishes
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gen. et comb. nov |
Valid |
Begat et al. |
Middle and Late Jurassic (Callovian to Kimmeridgian) |
A member of Galeomorphii of uncertain affinities. The type species is "Synechodus" prorogatus Kriwet (2003). |
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|
Sp. nov |
Itano |
Carboniferous (Viséan) |
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|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Vullo et al. |
Cretaceous (Barremian–Cenomanian) |
A member of Hybodontiformes belonging to the family Lonchidiidae. The type species is L. trifurcatum. |
| |||
|
Sp. nov |
Ribeiro & França |
Late Jurassic |
A member of Hybodontiformes belonging to the family Lonchidiidae. |
| ||||
|
Sp. nov |
Wen et al. |
Early Triassic |
A member of Hybodontiformes. |
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|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Lebedev in Lebedev et al. |
Carboniferous (Viséan) |
A member of Edestoidea. Genus includes new species T. insolita. |
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Cartilaginous fish research
- Maisey (2026) describes the internal morphology of the holotype braincase of Tamiobatis vetustus, and considers the species to be founded upon the type specimen inadequate for definitive diagnosis.[14]
- Duffin & Schweigert (2026) report the first discovery of fossil material of Chimaeropsis paradoxa from the Kimmeridgian strata of the Nusplingen Limestone (Germany).[15]
- Zhao et al. (2026) describe teeth of members of four euselachian taxa from the Ladinian-Carnian strata of the Falang Formation (Guizhou and Yunnan, China) with three-dimensional preservation of dental microstructure, confirming that that the assemblage including the studied teeth was dominated by non-durophagous sharks.[16]
- New fossil material of distobatid, hybodontid and lonchidiid hybodontiform sharks is described from the Cenomanian Alcântara Formation (Brazil) by Neves et al. (2026), providing evidence of biogeographic links between Cretaceous shark assemblages from South America and Africa.[17]
- Gardiner et al. (2026) reconstruct changes of neoselachian diversity patterns throughout the last 145 million years, reporting evidence of a long-term diversity increase during the Cretaceous, approximately 10% decline in diversity during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, mid-Eocene diversity peak and gradual decline afterwards.[18]
- Redescription and a study on the affinities of Bavariscyllium tischlingeri is published by Stumpf et al. (2026).[19]
- Santos Granzotti, Modesto Alves & Bampi (2026) revise the affinities of confirmed and purported fossil members of Alopiidae on the basis of the study of their dental characters.[20]
- Baptista et al. (2026) report the discovery of a tooth of Otodus megalodon at the Rio Grande Rise, providing evidence of presence of the species in southern Atlantic Ocean during the early–middle Miocene.[21]
- Herraiz et al. (2026) revise the fossil record of teeth of Otodus megalodon, finding no evidence of a significant differences of body size of members of Atlantic populations and Mediterranean populations other than the one known from the Miocene strata from the Reverté quarries (Spain), and interpret the Reverté assemblage as likely to be a fossil record of a nursery.[22]
- Schwenk et al. (2026) compare zinc enrichment of the enameloid of Otodus obliquus and O. megalodon, finding evidence of higher concentrations of zinc in regions of teeth of O. megalodon affected by high stress during feeding and finding evidence of less pronounced spatial variation of zinc in teeth of O. obliquus, and interpret this finding as suggestive of a shift from a fish-based diet to preying on marine mammals during the evolutionary history of otodontid sharks.[23]
- McCormack et al. (2026) study the ecology of Late Cretaceous (Turonian–Coniacian) sharks from the Western Interior Seaway as indicated by enameloid zinc isotope values, providing evidence of high trophic positions of members of the genera Archaeolamna, Cretodus and Cretoxyrhina, and evidence of opportunistic and flexible dietary habits of members of the genus Cretalamna.[24]
- Feichtinger et al. (2026) study changes of composition of the elasmobranch assemblages from the Byala Formation (Bulgaria) during the Cretaceous-Paleogene transition, reporting evidence of stronger ecological restructuring in shallower environments compared to deep-marine and high-latitude settings, and report the first discovery of fossil material of Cretascymnus from the Danian strata, indicative of survival of members of this genus past the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.[25]
- Marramà et al. (2026) report the discovery of a diverse elasmobranch assemblage from the Miocene (Aquitanian) strata from the Tunga Formation (Peru), representing the oldest Neogene vertebrate assemblage from the Pisco Basin reported to date.[26]
- Lambert et al. (2026) report shark feeding traces on bones of cetacean specimens from the Pliocene Kattendijk Formation (Belgium), including evidence of a bluntnose sixgill shark feeding on a right whale Balaenella brachyrhynus and evidence of Carcharodon plicatilis feeding on a member of the genus Casatia.[27]
Ray-finned fishes
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acanthophleges[28] | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale | Early Eocene (Ypresian) | Chiusole Formation |  Italy |
A member of the family Euzaphlegidae. The type species is A. lessiniae. | |
|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Ordóñez et al. |
Late Jurassic (Tithonian) |
A member of Ellimmichthyiformes belonging to the family Ancashichthyidae. The type species is A. brevis Ordóñez & Arratia. |
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|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Ordóñez et al. |
Late Jurassic (Tithonian) |
Tinajones Formation |
A member of Ellimmichthyiformes, the type genus of the new family Ancashichthyidae. The type species is A. peruensis Ordóñez & Arratia. |
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| Bolcaichthys solanensis[28] | Sp. nov | Valid | Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale | Early Eocene (Ypresian) | Chiusole Formation | Italy |
A member of the order Clupeiformes; a species of Bolcaichthys. | |
| Contemptor[28] | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale | Early Eocene (Ypresian) | Chiusole Formation | Italy |
A member of the family Gempylidae. The type species is C. mastinoi. | |
|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans, Moritz & Goedert |
Oligocene |
A species of Coryphaenoides. |
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| Eomastix[28] | Gen. et sp. nov | Preoccupied | Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale | Early Eocene (Ypresian) | Chiusole Formation | Italy |
A member of the family Trichiuridae. The type species is E. zabimaru. The genus Eomastix is preoccupied by the fly Eomastix Jaschhof, 2009. | |
|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Ribeiro et al. |
Early Cretaceous |
A member of Acanthomorpha of uncertain affinities. The type species is G. decollatus. |
| |||
|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Gottfried et al. |
Red Bluff Tuff Formation |
A member of the family Megalopidae. The type species is I. koehleri. |
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| Lepidoclupea[28] | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale | Early Eocene (Ypresian) | Chiusole Formation | Italy |
A member of the family Dussumieriidae. The type species is L. renga. | |
|
Sp. nov |
Kanarkina, Zverkov & Varenov |
Late Jurassic |
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|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Franceschi, Marramà & Carnevale |
Early Jurassic (Sinemurian) |
A member of Palaeoniscimorpha. The type species is O. marianii. |
 | |||
|
Sp. nov |
Decat et al. |
Miocene |
A member of the family Erythrinidae. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Pimentel et al. |
Late Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) |
A member of Elopiformes belonging to the family Phyllodontidae. |
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|
Gen. et comb. nov |
Kanarkina, Zverkov & Varenov |
Middle Jurassic (Callovian) |
A member of Pachycormiformes belonging to the family Protosphyraenidae. The type species is "Hypsocormus" tenuirostris Woodward (1889) |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Franceschi, Marramà & Carnevale |
Early Jurassic (Sinemurian) |
Moltrasio Formation |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Franceschi, Marramà & Carnevale |
Early Jurassic (Sinemurian) |
Moltrasio Formation |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Xu et al. |
Middle Triassic (Anisian) |
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| Sabbathichthys[28] | Sp. nov | Valid | Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale | Early Eocene (Ypresian) | Chiusole Formation | Italy |
A member of the family Phosichthyidae. The type species is S. osbournei. | |
|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Hamada et al. |
Miocene |
A species of Spirinchus. |
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| Thyrsitoides cangrandei[28] | Sp. nov | Valid | Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale | Early Eocene (Ypresian) | Chiusole Formation | Italy |
A member of the family Gempylidae; a species of Thyrsitoides. | |
| Veronaphleges ambrosii[28] | Sp. nov | Valid | Calzoni, Giusberti & Carnevale | Early Eocene (Ypresian) | Chiusole Formation | Italy |
A member of the family Euzaphlegidae; a species of Veronaphleges. | |
|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Abu El-Kheir et al. |
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) |
A member of the family Saurodontidae. Genus includes new species W. anbaawyi. |
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| Zealandorhynchus[40] | Gen. et sp. nov | Rust et al. | Eocene | Kurinui Formation |  New Zealand |
A billfish. The type species is Z. fordycei. Announced in 2025; the final article version was published in 2026. |
Otolith taxa
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Stringer et al. |
Paleocene |
A bonefish of uncertain generic placement. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
A species of Artediellus. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Stringer et al. |
Paleocene |
Aquia Formation |
A species of Centropomus. |
|||
|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
Brejning Formation |
A species of Coelorinchus. |
|||
|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
A member of the family Ambassidae. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
Brejning Formation |
A species of Enchelyopus. |
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|
Gen. et comb. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Eocene to Miocene |
A medusafish. The type species is "Mupus" neumanni Schwarzhans (1974); genus also includes "Scombrops" sinuosus Stinton (1965). |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Stringer et al. |
Paleocene |
Aquia Formation |
A cusk-eel. |
|||
|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
Brejning Formation |
A species of Lampanyctus. |
|||
|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
A species of Lampanyctus. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
Brejning Formation |
A species of Lophiodes. |
|||
|
Gen. et comb. nov |
Valid |
Stringer et al. |
Paleocene |
Aquia Formation |
A member of the family Serranidae. Genus includes M. remensis. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
Brejning Formation |
A species of Myoxocephalus. |
|||
|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
A species of Nomeus. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
Brejning Formation |
A member of the family Umbridae. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
Brejning Formation |
A member of the family Gadidae. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Gegg & Reichenbacher |
Miocene (Burdigalian) |
Possibly a species of Parambassis. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
A species of Paraulopus. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Stringer et al. |
Paleocene |
Aquia Formation |
||||
|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Stringer et al. |
Paleocene |
Aquia Formation |
A member of the family Scombridae. Genus includes new species P. triangulum. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
A species of Sardinella. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Gaemers & Schwarzhans in Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
A species of Trisopterus. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Gaemers & Schwarzhans in Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
A species of Trisopterus. |
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|
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Gaemers & Schwarzhans in Schwarzhans et al. |
Oligocene |
A species of Trisopterus. |
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Ray-finned fish research
- Vanhaesebroucke & Cloutier (2026) study the morphological variation among Devonian and Carboniferous ray-finned fishes, and interpret their diversification as most likely driven by adaptations to diverse feeding strategies.[44]
- Murray et al. (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of bichirs from the Maastrichtian Maevarano Formation (Madagascar), representing the first known record of the group outside of South America and continental Africa.[45]
- Zhang et al. (2026) report the first fossil evidence of presence of Saurichthys in the Early Triassic Nanzhang-Yuan'an fauna (China).[46]
- Friedman & Giles (2026) study the cranial anatomy of Chondrosteus acipenseroides and reevaluate purported anatomical evidence of affinities of fishes such as saurichthyiforms, Birgeria, Errolichthys, coccolepidids and Eochondrosteus with Acipenseriformes, finding no compelling evidence for placement of taxa other than chondrosteids in the acipenseriform stem group.[47]
- Stack, Kligman & Stricklin (2026) provide new information on the anatomy of tubercles from the snout of Redfieldius gracilis, and interpret the studied structures as dermal odontodes that evolved independently from those seen in living fishes.[48]
- Tintori et al. (2026) redescribe "Peltopleurus" orientalis on the basis of data from new fossil material from the Ladinian strata of the Falang Formation (China), and assign the studied species to the genus Habroichthys.[49]
- Taxonomic revision and a study on the affinities of Macromesodon and Apomesodon is published by Ebert (2026).[50]
- Unwin et al. (2026) argue that the holotype of purported pterosaur Bakiribu waridza is actually fossil material of an indeterminate ray-finned fish (possibly an amiid).[51]
- Cooper & Maxwell (2026) redescribe Sauropsis longimana, interpret it as the sole species belonging to the genus Sauropsis, and transfer "Sauropsis" depressus to the genus Simocormus.[52]
- Drumheller et al. (2026) report the discovery of a fish tooth embedded in a cervical vertebra of a specimen of Polycotylus latipinnis from the Cretaceous Mooreville Chalk (Alabama, United States), interpreted as likely evidence of an attack by Xiphactinus.[53]
- Veiga et al. (2026) consider Tharrhias castellanoi to be a nomen dubium, and assign its fossil material to Tharrhias cf. araripis.[54]
- Yang et al. (2026) describe fossil material of an indeterminate cyprinid and an indeterminate member of Barbini from the Miocene strata of the Dingqing Formation (Lunpola Basin, Tibet, China), interpreted as indicative of greater diversity of cyprinids in the hinterland of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau during the early–middle Miocene compared to the present.[55]
- Panzeri et al. (2026) describe cranial anatomy of Arhinolemur scalabrinii, and interpret Megaleporinus as a junior synonym of Arhinolemur.[56]
- Caron et al. (2026) report the discovery of fossil material of a member of the genus Yuskaichthys from the Paleocene Santa Lucía Formation (Bolivia), extending known geographic and temporal range ot the genus.[57]
- Tennenbaum et al. (2026) identify microfossil teeth indistinguishable from those of extant members of the genus Cyclothone in the Eocene strata from Campbell Plateau south of New Zealand, representing the oldest record of the genus or its stem lineage reported to date.[58]
- Redescription of the anatomy and a study on the affinities of Palaeocentrotus boggildi is published by Schrøder, Lindow & Carnevale (2026).[59]
- The largest diodontid tooth plate batteries reported to date are described from the Pliocene Yorktown Formation on the continental shelf of Onslow Bay (North Carolina, United States) by Maisch et al. (2026).[60]
- The first fossil record of Arothron sp. is reported from the Pleistocene strata of the Liuchungchi Formation (Taiwan) by Lee et al. (2026).[61]
- Kovalchuk et al (2026) document the paleofauna of a Middle Miocene-aged locality in Rivne Oblast, Ukraine, identifying 5 genera and 3 families of ray-finned fish, and finding evidence that it represented a marginal freshwater habitat on the outskirts of the Forecarpathian Basin.[62]
- Singh et al. (2026) report the first discovery of freshwater fish otoliths otoliths from the upper Pliocene strata of the Mohand section of Siwaliks (Uttar Pradesh, India).[63]
Lobe-finned fishes
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Gess & Ahlberg |
Devonian (Famennian) |
A member of the family Onychodontidae. The type species is A. mallinsonia. |
 | ||||
|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Manuelli et al. |
Middle Triassic |
A coelacanth belonging to the group Latimerioidei. The type species is L. eucingulata. |
.png) | ||||
|
Sp. nov |
Norton et al. |
Early Cretaceous (Albian) |
A latimeriid coelacanth. |
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|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Luo et al. |
Early Jurassic (Sinemurian) |
A lungfish belonging to the group Ceratodontoidei. The type species is S. fortunus. |
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Lobe-finned fish research
- Gouiric-Cavalli et al. (2026) report the discovery of new actinistian material from the Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) strata from the San Juan Province (Argentina), representing the oldest record of the group in southwestern Gondwana reported to date.[68]
- A study on the articulation between the palatoquadrate and the neurocranium in Youngolepis, Diabolepis and Paleolophus, providing evidence of stepwise evolution of lungfish cranial organization that was likely driven by biomechanical demands associated with durophagy, is published by Qiao et al. (2026).[69]
- Pawlak et al. (2026) identify lungfish aestivation burrows in the Triassic strata of the Ørsted Dal Formation (Greenland), interpreted as indicative of a seasonally dry climate in the studied area during the late Norian.[70]
- Leong & Liu (2026) interpret Tinirau clackae as a member of the family Tristichopteridae, and interpret Bruehnopteron murphyi as a junior synonym of T. clackae.[71]
- Redescription of the anatomy and a study on the affinities of Koharalepis jarviki is published by Mensforth et al. (2026).[72]
- Redescription of Megalichthys pygmaeus, based on data from new fossil material from the Carboniferous Scottish Lower Coal Measures Formation (United Kingdom), is published by Elliott (2026).[73]