2023 in reptile paleontology

This list of fossil reptiles described in 2023 is a list of new taxa of fossil reptiles that were described during the year 2023, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to reptile paleontology that occurred in 2023.

List of years in reptile paleontology
In archosaur paleontology
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
In paleontology
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
+...

Squamates
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Location Notes Images

Bifurcodentodon[1]

Gen. et sp. nov

Čerňanský et al.

Eocene (Ypresian)

 Belgium

An iguanian belonging to the group Pleurodonta. The type species is B. ragei.

Carentonosaurus algorensis[2]

Sp. nov

Valid

Cabezuelo-Hernández & Pérez-García

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)

Arenas de Utrillas Formation

 Spain

A member of Pythonomorpha.
Eryx linxiaensis[3] Sp. nov. Shi et al. Miocene Liushu Formation  China A species of Eryx.

Squamate research
  • Redescription of Palaeogekko risgoviensis is published by Villa (2023), who confirms the validity of this species as a distinct taxon, and interprets it as a non-eublepharid gekkonoid of uncertain affinities.[4]
  • Loréal et al. (2023) describe new fossil material of Pseudopus pannonicus from the Neogene localities across Moldova, Russia and Ukraine, including fossils from the Turolian localities Gaverdovsky and Volchaya Balka in North Caucasus representing the easternmost or some of the easternmost known occurrences of this species, and revise the diagnostic features of P. pannonicus.[5]
  • LeBlanc et al. (2023) report that tooth replacement in extant snakes occurs by resorption of dentine by odontoclasts from within the pulp of the tooth, and that this mechanism was already present in Yurlunggur and Portugalophis.[6]
  • Shi et al. (2023) describe an assemblage of early Pliocene snake fossils entombed with the mammalian fauna from Houxushan (Queshan, Henan, China), and interpret the studied fossils as indicative of a warmer and more humid climate in this region during the early Pliocene.[7]
  • Georgalis et al. (2023) describe fossil material of lizards and snakes from the Miocene localities in Anatolia (Turkey), including fossil remains tentatively referred to chameleons, potentially representing the oldest occurrences of chameleons from Asia reported to date.[8]

Ichthyosauromorphs
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Location Notes Images

Ichthyosauromorph research

Sauropterygians
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Country Notes Images

Luopingosaurus[11]

Gen. et sp. nov

Valid

Xu et al.

Middle Triassic (Anisian)

Guanling Formation

 China

A member of the family Pachypleurosauridae. The type species is L. imparilis.

Sauropterygian research
  • An aggregation of bones of at least three individuals of Keichousaurus hui, interpreted as a likely regurgitalith probably produced by a near-shore sauropterygian such as Nothosaurus or Lariosaurus, is described from the Middle Triassic Xingyi Fauna (Guizhou, China) by Ye, Sun & Yao (2023).[12]
  • A study on the skeletal anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of Luskhan itilensis is published by Fischer et al. (2023).[13]
  • D'Angelo et al. (2023) describe a mature elasmosaurid specimen from the Maastrichtian Calafate Formation (Argentina), with histological features of the phalanx and vertebral apophysis otherwise found in juvenile individuals, and interpret this finding as contradicting the hypotheses that proposed that the maturation of elasmosaurid involved a shift in bone density which was related to migration from coastal waters to the open sea.[14]
  • O'Gorman & Otero (2023) revise the fossil material of Late Cretaceous short-necked plesiosaurs from New Zealand, and argue that only one specimen from the Tahora Formation and one from the Conway Formation can be confidently referred to the family Polycotylidae, while another specimen from the Conway Formation and one specimen from uncertain locality can be referred to this family with doubts.[15]

Turtles
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Location Notes Images

Abalakemys[16]

Gen. et sp. nov

Valid

Pérez-García

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)

Farin-Doutchi Formation

 Niger

A member of the family Bothremydidae. The type species is A. chapmanae.

Astrochelys rogerbouri[17]

Sp. nov

Valid

Kehlmaier et al.

Holocene

 Madagascar

A tortoise, a species of Astrochelys.
Khargachelys[18] Gen. et sp. nov AbdelGawad et al. Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Quseir Formation  Egypt A member of Bothremydidae. The type species is K. caironensis

Podocnemis tatacoensis[19]

Sp. nov

Valid

Cadena & Vanegas

Miocene (Serravallian)

La Victoria Formation

 Colombia

A species of Podocnemis.

Turtle research
  • Tong et al. (2023) describe a skull of a member of the species Solemys gaudryi from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Bastide Neuve locality (Var, France), providing new information on the skull anatomy of helochelydrid turtles.[20]
  • Pérez-García, Camilo & Ortega (2023) describe new fossil material of Hylaeochelys kappa from the Tithonian Freixial Formation (Portugal), providing new information on the anatomy and intraspecific variability in this species.[21]
  • Martín-Jiménez & Pérez-García (2023) present the reconstruction of the skull and neuroanatomical structures of the holotype of Euraxemys essweini.[22]
  • A study on the ecology of Araripemys barretoi is published by Batista, Carvalho & de la Fuente (2023).[23]
  • Martín-Jiménez & Pérez-García (2023) provide a three-dimensional reconstruction of the anatomical and neuroanatomical cranial structures of Neochelys arenarum.[24]
  • Smith, Berg & Adrian (2023) describe a well-preserved skull of a specimen of Plesiobaena antiqua from the Judith River Formation (Montana, United States), providing new information on the morphology of the middle and inner ear and endocast of baenids.[25]
  • Description of the anatomy of the skull and mandible of Plastomenus thomasii, and a study on the phylogenetic relationships and the evolutionary history of softshell turtles, is published by Evers, Chapelle & Joyce (2023).[26]
  • A study on the long bone microstructure of Protostega gigas is published by Wilson (2023), who interprets her findings as indicating that P. gigas, unlike the more basal protostegid Desmatochelys, had rapid bone growth patterns similar to those of extant leatherback sea turtles.[27]
  • Fossil material of a sea turtle is described from the Lutetian Santiago Formation, California by Poust, Holroyd & Deméré (2023), providing evidence of the presence of sea turtles in North Pacific during the middle Eocene.[28]
  • Zvonok, Benitsky & Danilov (2023) describe new fossil material of Tasbacka aldabergeni from the Paleogene (Paleocene or Ypresian) Kudinovka locality (Rostov Oblast, Russia), including the most complete postcranial skeleton of a member of this species, providing new information on its anatomy.[29]
  • A study on the diversification of tortoises throughout their evolutionary history is published by Silveira et al. (2023).[30]
  • A study on the bone histology of fossil and extant angulate tortoises from South Africa, providing evidence of impact of environmental conditions on the growth of studied tortoises, is published by Bhat, Chinsamy & Parkington (2023).[31]
  • A study on the relationship of body size to climate and on the role of metabolism in governing size in turtles is published by Parker et al. (2023), who report that the Plio-Pleistocene fossil record of turtles from the Shungura Formation (Ethiopia) included tortoises which were significantly larger than any extant African taxon, but aquatic turtles did not reach significantly larger maximum sizes than extant eastern African turtles; the authors find the studied fossil record of turtles to be consistent with habitat reconstructions for the Shungura Formation, interpret it as indicating that temperature-dependent metabolism likely wasn't a dominant factor for body size sorting in turtles from the Shungura Formation, and argue that the extinction of the largest eastern African tortoises may have been driven, in part, by human exploitation.[32]

Archosauriformes

Archosaurs
Main article: 2023 in archosaur paleontology

Other archosauriforms
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Location Notes Images

Colossosuchus[33]

Gen. et sp. nov

Datta & Ray

Late Triassic

Tiki Formation

 India

A mystriosuchine phytosaur. The type species is C. techniensis.
Mystriosuchus alleroq[34] Sp. nov López-Rojas et al. Late Triassic Malmros Klint Formation  Greenland A mystriosuchine phytosaur.

Archosauriform research
  • A study on the locomotor capabilities of Euparkeria capensis is published by Demuth, Wiseman & Hutchinson (2023), who conclude that it is unlikely that Euparkeria was facultatively bipedal, and was probably quadrupedal.[35]

Other reptiles
Name Novelty Status Authors Age Type locality Location Notes Images

Rutiotomodon[36]

Gen. et sp. nov

Valid

Sues & Schoch

Middle Triassic (Ladinian)

Erfurt Formation

 Germany

A member of the family Trilophosauridae. The type species is R. tytthos.

Other reptile research
  • Van den Brandt et al. (2023) provide the first volumetric body mass estimate of Bradysaurus baini.[37]
  • A study on the structure and placement of the osteoderm cover of Scutosaurus tuberculatus is published by Boyarinova & Golubev (2023).[38]
  • A study on the morphology of the femora of members of Drepanosauromorpha, interpreted as indicative of increased capacity for femoral adduction and protraction relative to most other Permo-Triassic diapsids, is published by Pritchard et al. (2023).[39]
  • Roese-Miron et al. (2023) compare the endocasts of Clevosaurus brasiliensis and extant tuatara, reporting that the reptilian encephalization quotient of C. brasiliensis in much lower than that of the tuatara, and providing evidence of a previously undocumented neuroanatomical diversity among rhynchocephalians.[40]
  • Redescription of the skull of the holotype of Bentonyx sidensis, including description of previously obscured anatomical details, is published by Sethapanichsakul, Coram & Benton (2023).[41]

Reptiles in general
  • A study on the relationship between femoral microstructure and posture in extant reptiles, and on its implications for the reconstruction of the posture of extinct reptiles, is published by Gônet et al. (2023), who find that the posture can be reliably inferred for extinct reptile taxa that preceded and followed the quadruped/biped and sprawling/erect transitions, but also that the inferences are more questionable for taxa contemporary with these transitions.[42]
  • Zverkov et al. (2023) describe Late Cretaceous reptile fossils from the Pyasina River, Tanama River and Kheta River basins (Siberia, Russia), representing the northernmost Cretaceous Eurasian occurrences of plesiosaurs, turtles and possibly mosasaurids reported to date, and including immature plesiosaur fossils which might indicate that the Late Cretaceous shallow waters in the studied area were a breeding and nursery area for plesiosaurs.[43]

References
  1. Čerňanský, A.; Smith, R.; Smith, T.; Folie, A. (2023). "Iguanian lizards (Acrodonta and Pleurodonta) from the earliest Eocene (MP 7) of Dormaal, Belgium: the first stages of these iconic reptiles in Europe". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e2184696. doi:10.1080/02724634.2023.2184696.
  2. Cabezuelo-Hernández, A.; Pérez-García, A. (2023). "A New Species of the Pythonomorph Carentonosaurus from the Cenomanian of Algora (Guadalajara, Central Spain)". Animals. 13 (7). 1197. doi:10.3390/ani13071197.
  3. Shi, J.; Li, Q.; Stidham, T. A.; Zhang, C.; Jiangzuo, Q.; Chen, M.; Ni, X. (2023). "Evolutionary and biogeographic implications of an Erycine snake (Serpentes, Erycidae, Eryx) from the Upper Miocene Linxia Basin, Gansu Province, China". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 111491. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111491.
  4. Villa, A. (2023). "A redescription of Palaeogekko risgoviensis (Squamata, Gekkota) from the Middle Miocene of Germany, with new data on its morphology". PeerJ. 11. e14717. doi:10.7717/peerj.14717. PMC 9841909. PMID 36655047.
  5. Loréal, E.; Syromyatnikova, E. V.; Danilov, I. G.; Čerňanský, A. (2023). "The easternmost record of the largest anguine lizard that has ever lived – Pseudopus pannonicus (Squamata, Anguidae): new fossils from the late Neogene of Eastern Europe". Fossil Record. 26 (1): 51–84. doi:10.3897/fr.26.100059.
  6. LeBlanc, A. R. H.; Palci, A.; Anthwal, N.; Tucker, A. S.; Araújo, R.; Pereira, M. F. C.; Caldwell, M. W. (2023). "A conserved tooth resorption mechanism in modern and fossil snakes". Nature Communications. 14. 742. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-36422-2. PMC 9918488. PMID 36765054.
  7. Shi, J.; Wang, Y.; Messenger, K. R.; Jiangzuo, Q.; Chen, Y.; Jin, C. (2023). "Early Pliocene fossil snakes (Squamata, Colubroidea) with various teeth from the fissure deposit from Queshan, Henan, China". Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2022.2161382.
  8. Georgalis, G. L.; Čerňanský, A.; Göktaş, F.; Alpagut, B.; Şarbak, A.; Mayda, S. (2023). "The antiquity of Asian chameleons—first potential Chamaeleonidae and associated squamate fauna from the Lower and Middle Miocene of Anatolia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e2160644. doi:10.1080/02724634.2022.2160644.
  9. Kear, B. P.; Engelschiøn, V. S.; Hammer, Ø.; Roberts, A. J.; Hurum, J. H. (2023). "Earliest Triassic ichthyosaur fossils push back oceanic reptile origins". Current Biology. 33 (5): R178–R179. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.053.
  10. Zverkov, N. G.; Arkhangelsky, M. S.; Stenshin, I. M. (2023). "New Data on Late Jurassic Ichthyosaurs of the Genus Grendelius from European Russia". Paleontological Journal. 56 (11): 1459–1481. doi:10.1134/S003103012211020X.
  11. Xu, G.-H.; Shang, Q.-H.; Wang, W.; Ren, Y.; Lei, H.; Liao, J.-L.; Zhao, L.-J.; Li, C. (2023). "A new long-snouted marine reptile from the Middle Triassic of China illuminates pachypleurosauroid evolution". Scientific Reports. 13 (1). 16. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-24930-y. PMC 9816097. PMID 36604433.
  12. Ye, X.-J.; Sun, Z.-Y.; Yao, M.-T. (2023). "A Keichousaurus-bearing regurgitalite from the Middle Triassic Xingyi Fauna, Dingxiao of Xingyi City, Guizhou, South China". Palaeoworld. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2023.03.009.
  13. Fischer, V.; Benson, R. B. J.; Zverkov, N. G.; Arkhangelsky, M. S.; Stenshin, I. M.; Uspensky, G. N.; Prilepskaya, N. E. (2023). "Anatomy and relationships of the bizarre Early Cretaceous pliosaurid Luskhan itilensis". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac108.
  14. D'Angelo, J. S.; Marsà, J. A. G.; Agnolín, F. L.; Novas, F. E. (2023). "Biological implications of the bone microstructure of a new elasmosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauroidea) from the uppermost Cretaceous of Patagonia". Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2023.2180744.
  15. O'Gorman, J. P.; Otero, R. A. (2023). "Revision of the short-necked Cretaceous plesiosaurians from New Zealand". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 22 (6): 77–90. doi:10.5852/cr-palevol2023v22a6.
  16. Pérez-García, A. (2023). "The Ornamented Shell of a New Bothremydid Turtle from the Uppermost Cretaceous of Niger". Diversity. 15 (3). 375. doi:10.3390/d15030375.
  17. Kehlmaier, C.; Graciá, E.; Ali, J. R.; Campbell, P. D.; Chapman, S. D.; Deepak, V.; Ihlow, F.; Jalil, N.-E.; Pierre-Huyet, L.; Samonds, K. E.; Vences, M.; Fritz, U. (2023). "Ancient DNA elucidates the lost world of western Indian Ocean giant tortoises and reveals a new extinct species from Madagascar". Science Advances. 9 (2). eabq2574. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abq2574. PMC 9833658. PMID 36630487.
  18. AbdelGawad, Mohamed; Pérez-García, Adán; Hirayama, Ren; Mohesn, Sara; Tantawy, Abdel-Aziz; Abu El-Kheir, Gebely (2023). "The First Side-Necked Turtle (Pleurodira, Bothremydidae) from the Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of Egypt". Diversity. 15 (2): 284. doi:10.3390/d15020284. ISSN 1424-2818.
  19. Cadena, E.-A.; Vanegas, R. D. (2023). "A new fossil turtle ends the controversy on the occurrence of the extant genus Podocnemis Wagler, 1830 at the Miocene fauna of La Venta, Colombia". Geodiversitas. 45 (3): 127–138. doi:10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a3.
  20. Tong, H.; Buffetaut, E.; Méchin, P.; Méchin-Salessy, A.; Claude, J. (2023). "A Solemys Skull from the Late Cretaceous of Southern France". Diversity. 15 (1). 58. doi:10.3390/d15010058.
  21. Pérez-García, A.; Camilo, B.; Ortega, F. (2023). "New Data on the Poorly Known Jurassic Record of the Turtle Hylaeochelys (Thalassochelydia), Based on New Finds from Portugal". Diversity. 15 (2). 167. doi:10.3390/d15020167.
  22. Martín-Jiménez, M.; Pérez-García, A. (2023). "Neuroanatomical Study and Three-Dimensional Cranial Reconstruction of the Brazilian Albian Pleurodiran Turtle Euraxemys essweini". Diversity. 15 (3). 374. doi:10.3390/d15030374.
  23. Batista, D. L.; Carvalho, I. S.; de la Fuente, M. S. (2023). "Araripemys barretoi: Paleoecological analysis of a pelomedusoid Chelonia from the Lower Cretaceous of Araripe and Parnaíba basins, Brazil". Cretaceous Research. 148. 105503. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105503.
  24. Martín-Jiménez, M.; Pérez-García, A. (2023). "Neuroanatomical study of the podocnemidid turtle Neochelys arenarum (Pleurodira), from the early Eocene of France". The Anatomical Record. doi:10.1002/ar.25217. PMID 36974769.
  25. Smith, H. F.; Berg, M.; Adrian, B. (2023). "A well-preserved cranium from the Judith River Formation (Montana, USA) reveals the inner ear and neuroanatomy of a Campanian baenid turtle". The Anatomical Record. doi:10.1002/ar.25185. PMID 36899495.
  26. Evers, S. W.; Chapelle, K. E. J.; Joyce, W. G. (2023). "Cranial and mandibular anatomy of Plastomenus thomasii and a new time-tree of trionychid evolution". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 142. 1. doi:10.1186/s13358-023-00267-5.
  27. Wilson, L. E. (2023). "Rapid growth in Late Cretaceous sea turtles reveals life history strategies similar to extant leatherbacks". PeerJ. 11. e14864. doi:10.7717/peerj.14864. PMC 9924133. PMID 36793890.
  28. Poust, A. W.; Holroyd, P. A.; Deméré, T. A. (2023). "An Eocene sea turtle from the eastern North Pacific fills a Paleogene gap". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 68 (1): 47–51. doi:10.4202/app.01034.2022.
  29. Zvonok, E. A.; Benitsky, K. S.; Danilov, I. G. (2023). "Морская черепаха Tasbacka aldabergeni Nessov, 1987 из нижнепалеогеновых отложений местонахождения Кудиновка (Ростовская область, Россия)". Paleontological Journal. 57 (2): 100–114.
  30. Silveira, I. O.; Liparini, A.; Martinez, P. A.; Eduardo, A. A. (2023). "The global Cenozoic diversification process of tortoises (Testudinidae)". The Anatomical Record. doi:10.1002/ar.25182. PMID 36951396.
  31. Bhat, M. S.; Chinsamy, A.; Parkington, J. (2023). "Bone histology of Neogene angulate tortoises (Testudines: Testudinidae) from South Africa: palaeobiological and skeletochronological implications". Royal Society Open Science. 10 (3). 230064. doi:10.1098/rsos.230064. PMC 9993054.
  32. Parker, A. K.; Müller, J.; Boisserie, J.-R.; Head, J. J. (2023). "The utility of body size as a functional trait to link the past and present in a diverse reptile clade". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 120 (7). e2201948119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2201948119. PMC 9964042. PMID 36745796.
  33. Datta, D.; Ray, S. (2023). "A giant phytosaur (Diapsida, Archosauria) from the Upper Triassic of India with new insights on phytosaur migration, endemism and extinction". Papers in Palaeontology. 9 (1). e1476. doi:10.1002/spp2.1476.
  34. López-Rojas, Víctor; Clemmensen, Lars B.; Milàn, Jesper; Wings, Oliver; Klein, Nicole; Mateus, Octávio (2023-03-24). "A new phytosaur species (Archosauriformes) from the Upper Triassic of Jameson Land, central East Greenland". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 0 (0): e2181086. doi:10.1080/02724634.2023.2181086. ISSN 0272-4634.
  35. Demuth, O. E.; Wiseman, A. L. A.; Hutchinson, J. R. (2023). "Quantitative biomechanical assessment of locomotor capabilities of the stem archosaur Euparkeria capensis". Royal Society Open Science. 10 (1). 221195. doi:10.1098/rsos.221195. PMC 9874271. PMID 36704253.
  36. Sues, H.-D.; Schoch, R. R. (2023). "A new Middle Triassic (Ladinian) trilophosaurid stem-archosaur from Germany increases diversity and temporal range of this clade". Royal Society Open Science. 10 (3). 230083. doi:10.1098/rsos.230083. PMC 10031418.
  37. Van den Brandt, M. J.; Day, M. O.; Manucci, F.; Viglietti, P. A.; Angielczyk, K. D.; Romano, M. (2023). "First volumetric body mass estimate and a new in vivo 3D reconstruction of the oldest Karoo pareiasaur Bradysaurus baini, and body size evolution in Pareiasauria". Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2023.2175211.
  38. Boyarinova, E. I.; Golubev, V. K. (2023). "Topographic Morphology of the Postcranial Osteoderm Cover of an Adult Scutosaurus tuberculatus (Amalitzky) (Pareiasaurina) from the Late Permian of Eastern Europe". Paleontological Journal. 56 (11): 1437–1458. doi:10.1134/S003103012211003X.
  39. Pritchard, A. C.; Irmis, R. B.; Olori, J. C.; Nesbitt, S. J.; Smith, N. D.; Stocker, M. R.; Turner, A. H. (2023). "The femora of Drepanosauromorpha (Reptilia: Diapsida): Implications for the functional evolution of the thigh of Sauropsida". The Anatomical Record. doi:10.1002/ar.25160. PMID 36847780.
  40. Roese-Miron, L.; Jones, M. E. H.; Ferreira, J. D.; Hsiou, A. S. (2023). "Virtual endocasts of Clevosaurus brasiliensis and the tuatara: Rhynchocephalian neuroanatomy and the oldest endocranial record for Lepidosauria". The Anatomical Record. doi:10.1002/ar.25212. PMID 36951279.
  41. Sethapanichsakul, T.; Coram, R. A.; Benton, M. J. (2023). "New information on the cranial anatomy of the Middle Triassic rhynchosaurian reptile Bentonyx sidensis". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 68 (1): 53–62. doi:10.4202/app.01019.2022.
  42. Gônet, J.; Bardin, J.; Girondot, M.; Hutchinson, J. R.; Laurin, M. (2023). "Locomotor and postural diversity among reptiles viewed through the prism of femoral microanatomy: Palaeobiological implications for some Permian and Mesozoic taxa". Journal of Anatomy. doi:10.1111/joa.13833. PMID 36807199.
  43. Zverkov, N. G.; Rogov, M. A.; Zakharov, V. A.; Danilov, I. G.; Grigoriev, D. V.; M., Košťák (2023). "Northernmost occurrences of plesiosaurs and turtles in the Upper Cretaceous of Eurasia". Cretaceous Research. 148. 105537. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105537.
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