2026 in arthropod paleontology
| List of years in arthropod paleontology |
|---|
This list records new taxa of fossil arthropods that were announced or described in 2026 (for insects, see 2026 in paleoentomology). Other peer-reviewed publications on discoveries related to arthropod paleontology which occurred in that year are also detailed here.
Chelicerates
Arachnids
Araneae
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rovnopholcomma[1] |
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Eskov et al. |
A spider belonging to the family Theridiidae. Genus includes new species R. wunderlichi. |
Opiliones
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Balticolasma[2] |
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Bartel et al. |
Eocene |
Baltic amber |
Europe (Baltic Sea region) |
A harvestman belonging to the family Nemastomatidae. The type species is B. wunderlichi. |
Opiliones research
- A harvestman with pedipalp morphology distinct from those of other fossil and extant members of the group is described from the Eocene Baltic amber by Gerbe et al. (2026).[3]
Scorpiones
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chaerilobuthus muelleri[4] |
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Lourenço in Lourenço & Velten |
Cretaceous |
Kachin amber |
A scorpion belonging to the family Chaerilobuthidae. |
Xiphosurans
Xiphosuran research
- Fossils of large-bodied horseshoe crabs, associated with trace fossils assigned to the new ichnospecies Selenichnites sursumdeorsum, are described from the Ordovician (Darriwilian) Saq Formation (Saudi Arabia) by Bicknell et al. (2026), who interpret the presence of the studied specimens in a nearshore environment and their preservation in storm-deposited layers as possible evidence of similarity of spawning behaviors of Ordovician and modern horseshoe crabs.[5]
- Feng et al. (2026) report trace fossils from the Lower Triassic Daye Formation (China) interpreted as evidence of predation of horseshoe crabs on polychaetes.[6]
Crustaceans
Malacostracans
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bittnerilia lucentumensis[7] |
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Artal, Onetti & Àlex |
Eocene |
A crab belonging to the family Calappidae. |
|||
|
Latheticocarcinus sergeevi[8] |
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Mychko & Schweitzer |
Paleocene (Thanetian) |
Saratov Formation |
A crab belonging to the family Homolidae. |
||
|
Lucentiplax[9] |
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Ferratges |
Eocene |
A crab belonging to the family Euryplacidae. Genus includes new species L. bravoi. |
|||
|
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Mychko & Schweitzer |
Paleocene (Thanetian) |
Saratov Formation |
A crab belonging to the family Necrocarcinidae. The type species is V. longispinus. |
Malacostracan research
- Evidence of sexual dimorphism in the length and shape of the carapace of Soomicaris ordosensis is presented by Liu et al. (2026).[10]
- Revision of pygocephalomorphs belonging to the genus Pygocephalus from the Carboniferous strata from Nova Scotia (Canada) is published by Laville, Andréo & Atkins (2026).[11]
- Burrow casts interpreted as the first evidence of crayfish activity in the main Karoo Basin are reported from the Middle Triassic Burgersdorp Formation (South Africa) by Wolvaardt et al. (2026).[12]
- Bicknell et al. (2026) study the exoskeletal elemental composition of Bombur complicatus, Caryocaris curvilata, Mecochirus sp., Sculda syriaca and Tealliocaris woodwardi, reporting evidence of higher levels of phosphorus in the studied taxa compared with modern crustaceans, either resulting from diagenetic phosphatization of fossil crustaceans or reflecting genuine composition of their original exoskeletons.[13]
- A study on changes of diversity of decapod crustaceans throughout their evolutionary history, as indicated by their fossil record, is published by Schweitzer, De Grave & Hyžný (2026).[14]
Ostracods
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Brasacypris mourae[15] |
Sp. nov |
Almeida-Lima et al. |
||||||
|
Cypridea superposita[15] |
Sp. nov |
Almeida-Lima et al. |
||||||
|
Cypridea trapezoidalis[15] |
Sp. nov |
Almeida-Lima et al. |
||||||
|
Jhurancythere[16] |
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Kumari & Mahalakshmi in Kumari, Mahalakshmi & Muduli |
Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) |
Jhuran Formation |
A member of the family Cytherideidae. Genus includes new species J. austerata. Published online in 2026, but the issue date is listed as December 2025. |
||
|
Rhinocypris spinacurtis[15] |
Sp. nov |
Almeida-Lima et al. |
||||||
|
Theriosynoecum compressum[15] |
Sp. nov |
Almeida-Lima et al. |
Ostracod research
- Golfinopoulos et al. (2026) report the first discovery of ostracods from the Lower Jurassic strata exposed in Greece.[17]
- Evidence of impact of environmental changes in the Lake Pannon area on diversification of members of the genus Cyprideis during the middle and late Miocene is presented by Pipík, Gross & Starek (2026).[18]
Thecostracans
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Striatobalanus makiyamai[19] |
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Karasawa & Kobayashi |
Pleistocene |
A barnacle belonging to the family Balanidae. |
|||
|
Tubicinella nodai[19] |
Sp. nov |
Valid |
Karasawa & Kobayashi |
Pleistocene |
Shinzato Formation |
Other crustaceans
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Magnitocyclus trearnensis[20] |
Sp. nov |
Clark, Hoare & Privitera Murdoch |
Carboniferous (Viséan) |
Hurlet Limestone |
A member of Cyclida. |
|||
|
Weichangiops squamosus[21] |
Sp. nov |
in press |
Wang, Ren & Zhao |
A notostracan. |
Other crustacean research
- Wang et al provide an detailed description update for Weichangiops trangularis Yang & Hong, 1980 based on new fossil materials. The new fossils allow for the discussion of early Notostraca evolutionary processes.[21]
Insects
Trilobites
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Changqingia andersonorum[22] |
Sp. nov |
Smith et al. |
Coonigan Formation |
|||||
|
Dinesus shergoldi[22] |
Sp. nov |
Smith et al. |
Cambrian Stage 4 |
Coonigan Formation |
||||
|
Dinesus whitehousei[22] |
Sp. nov |
Smith et al. |
Cambrian Stage 4 |
Coonigan Formation |
||||
|
Sp. nov |
Smith et al. |
Cambrian Stage 4 |
Coonigan Formation |
|||||
|
Sp. nov |
Smith et al. |
Cambrian Stage 4 |
Coonigan Formation |
|||||
|
Onaraspis cymbricensis[22] |
Sp. nov |
Smith et al. |
Cambrian Stage 4 |
Coonigan Formation |
||||
|
Onchocephalus? warrisi[22] |
Sp. nov |
Smith et al. |
Cambrian Stage 4 |
Coonigan Formation |
||||
|
Pseudokotuia[23] |
Gen. et sp. nov |
Valid |
Ren et al. |
Cambrian (Paibian) |
Chaumitien Formation |
A member of the family Anomocaridae. Genus includes new species P. quadrata. The final version of the article naming it was published online in 2026, but the issue date is listed as December 2025. |
||
|
Sp. nov |
Smith et al. |
Cambrian Stage 4 |
Coonigan Formation |
|||||
|
Sp. nov |
Smith et al. |
Cambrian Stage 4 |
Coonigan Formation |
|||||
|
Xingrenaspis krusei[22] |
Sp. nov |
Smith et al. |
Cambrian Stage 4 |
Coonigan Formation |
Trilobite research
- Tortello et al. (2026) study the composition of two trilobite assemblages from the Umachiri Inlier of the Peruvian Altiplano, providing evidence of presence of cosmopolitan taxa in the Cambrian Llallahue Formation and presence of taxa with Gondwanan affinities in the Ordovician Umachiri Formation.[24]
- Beech et al. (2026) evaluate possible functions of cephalic brims of trilobites of the order Harpetida and the superfamily Trinucleioidea, finding no evidence that the brims were an adaptation that prevented sinking into soft sediments, and finding no evidence of clear evolutionary trend in the evolution of the brims that would make them more efficient at ploughing through sediments.[25]
- Vargas-Parra & Hopkins (2026) report evidence of decrease of modularity of the head Lonchodomas chaziensis across its metamorphosis from three to two modules, and evidence of mosaic shifts in shape and degree of integration of modules before and during metamorphosis.[26]
- Mahata & Pates (2026) revise the fossil record of abnormalities in specimens of Paradoxides davidis, and interpret the studied abnormalities as more likely resulting from injuries than from developmental aberrations.[27]
- Bicknell et al. (2026) revise the record of trilobite specimens with malformations from the collections of the Yale Peabody Museum.[28]
Other arthropods
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Country | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sp. nov |
Liu et al. |
Helinpu Formation |
||||||
|
Sp. nov |
In press |
Izquierdo-López et al. |
Cambrian |
A non-trilobite arthropod. |
||||
|
Sp. nov |
Sun, Zeng & Zhao |
Cambrian |
- Evidence from the study of the anatomy of Zonozoe drabowiensis and Zonoscutum solum, interpreted as supporting their placement within Artiopoda and strengthening the case for a their affinity with Vicissicaudata, is presented by Lustri et al. (2026).[32]
- Yang et al. (2026) provide new information on the morphology of Acanthomeridion serratum and study its phylogenetic affinities, recovering it as a member of Vicissicaudata closely related to Sidneyia.[33]
- Mai et al. (2026) revise Pisinnocaris subconigera and interpret it as a valid, distinct taxon within Fuxianhuiida.[34]
General research
- Lakeram et al. (2026) describe borings in a coal ball from the Carboniferous strata from the Mt. Rorah Coal Member of the Tradewater Formation (Illinois, United States), interpreted as produced by arthropods (possibly roachoid insects or millipedes) feeding on the roots of Psaronius, and report preservation of two types of arthropod-produced coprolites in the studied borings, including smaller pellets possibly produced by oribatid mites feeding on larger pellets.[35]
References
- ^ Eskov, K. Y.; Vorontsov, D. D.; Marusik, Y. M.; Perkovsky, E. E. (2026). "First pholcommatine cobweb spider from Eocene Rovno amber, with a delimitation of the subfamily Pholcommatinae (Araneae: Theridiidae)". Palaeoentomology. 9 (1): 45–55. doi:10.11646/palaeoentomology.9.1.6.
- ^ Bartel, C.; Mitov, P. G.; Dunlop, J. A.; Hammel, J. U. (2026). "3D analyses of the first ortholasmatine harvestmen from European Eocene ambers". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 71 (1): 95–107. doi:10.4202/app.01283.2025.
- ^ Gerbe, A.; Bartel, C.; Haug, C.; Arce, S. I.; Dunlop, J.; Haug, J. T. (2026). "An unusual harvestman from Eocene Baltic amber presenting a previously unknown morphology of the pedipalps". Fossil Record. 29 (1): 1–9. doi:10.3897/fr.29.174226.
- ^ Lourenço, W. R.; Velten, J. (2026). "New considerations about the outstanding variability of the genus Chaerilobuthus Lourenco & Beigel, 2011 (Scorpiones: Chaerilobuthidae) and the description of one more new species from Early Cretaceous Burmite". Faunitaxys. 14 (11): 1–6. doi:10.57800/faunitaxys-14(11).
- ^ Bicknell, R. D. C.; Kimmig, J.; Cuomo, C.; Goodman, A.; Edgecombe, G. D.; Issautier, B.; Freedman, J. (2026). "Ordovician horseshoe crab body and trace fossil association preserved in a unique taphonomic setting". Gondwana Research. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2025.11.011.
- ^ Feng, X.; Chen, Z.-Q.; Benton, M. J.; Bottjer, D. J.; Cribb, A. T.; Su, L.; Zhao, L.; Jiang, Y.; Zhao, H.; Yan, P.; Huang, Y. (2026). "Predator-prey interactions in the Early Triassic ocean". GSA Bulletin. doi:10.1130/B38121.1.
- ^ Artal, P.; Onetti, A.; Àlex, O. (2026). "A new calappid crab (Crustacea: Decapoda) from the Lutetian (middle Eocene) of Alicante (Spain)". Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum. 53 (1): 1–7. doi:10.50897/bmfm.53.1_1.
- ^ a b Mychko, E. V.; Schweitzer, C. E. (2026). "Discovery of decapods from the Paleocene of Russia (Saratov Oblast) with review of all known Paleocene decapods". Palaeontologia Electronica. 29 (1) 29.1.a9. doi:10.26879/1585.
- ^ Ferratges, F. A. (2026). "Paleobiogeographic implications of a new goneplacoid crab (Goneplacoidea, Euryplacidae) from the middle Eocene of Spain". Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2026.2621121.
- ^ Liu, Y.; Hegna, T. A.; Liu, Y.; Fan, R.; Zong, R.; Gong, Y. (2026). "Sexual dimorphism in a Late Ordovician caryocaridid (Malacostraca, Phyllocarida) identified by carapace geometric morphometrics". Paleobiology: 1–11. doi:10.1017/pab.2026.10092.
- ^ Laville, T.; Andréo, A.; Atkins, J. B. (2026). "Pygocephalid pancrustaceans from the late Carboniferous of Nova Scotia, Canada, with comments on the cuticular microstructures of Pygocephalamorpha". Atlantic Geoscience. 62: 1–20.
- ^ Wolvaardt, F. P.; Smith, R. M. H.; Hancox, P. J.; Browning, C.; Strong, M. (2026). "Palaeoenvironmental significance of vertebrate and invertebrate burrow casts in the Middle Triassic Burgersdorp Formation of the main Karoo Basin". Journal of African Earth Sciences 106048. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2026.106048.
- ^ Bicknell, R. D. C.; Smith, P. M.; Klompmaker, A. A.; Hegna, T. (2026). "Surveying the elemental composition of fossil malacostracan crustacean cuticle". American Museum Novitates. 4046: 1–36. hdl:2246/7530.
- ^ Schweitzer, C. E.; De Grave, S.; Hyžný, M. (2026). "Benchmarking the global biodiversity of decapod crustaceans in the fossil record". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 46 (1) ruag007. doi:10.1093/jcbiol/ruag007.
- ^ a b c d e de Almeida-Lima, D. S.; Piovesan, E. K.; Mendes Britto, D. M.; Sousa, A. S. (2026). "Taxonomy of Ostracods from the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Gondwanan Rift Basins of Northeastern Brazil". Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2585358.
- ^ Kumari, M.; Mahalakshmi, T.; Muduli, G. P. (2026). "A New Ostrocoda Genus Jhurancythere from the Kimmeridgian Beds of Jhuran Formation, Kachchh Basin, Gujarat, India". Paleontological Journal. 59 (7): 738–744. doi:10.1134/S0031030125600283.
- ^ Golfinopoulos, V.; Papadopoulou, P.; Zelilidis, A.; Iliopoulos, G. (2026). "Paleoenvironmental interpretation of the Lower Jurassic formations in the Ionian Basin: First record of benthic foraminifera and ostracods assemblages from Greece". Revue de Micropaléontologie. 90 100906. doi:10.1016/j.revmic.2026.100906.
- ^ Pipík, R.; Gross, M.; Starek, D. (2026). "Morphometric divergence in Cyprideis (Ostracoda) during the Middle and Late Miocene of the Central Paratethys realm". Journal of Micropalaeontology. 45 (1): 33–50. doi:10.5194/jm-45-33-2026.
- ^ a b Karasawa, H.; Kobayashi, N. (2026). "Some new records for cirripedes from the Pliocene–Pleistocene of Southwest Japan, with two new species of Balanomorpha". Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum. 53 (1): 9–21. doi:10.50897/bmfm.53.1_9.
- ^ Clark, N. D. L.; Hoare, G.; Privitera Murdoch, M. (2026). "A new occurrence of Britanniclus (Pancrustacea, Multicrustacea) from Blairskaith Quarry, East Dunbartonshire, and a redescription of Cyclidae from Trearne, North Ayrshire, from the Lower Limestone Formation (Brigantian, Visean, Carboniferous) of Scotland". Scottish Journal of Geology. doi:10.1144/sjg2025-016.
- ^ a b Wang, W.; Ren, D.; Zhao, Z. (2025). "New fossil notostracans (Branchiopoda, Notostraca) from the Lower Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China". Cretaceous Research. 178 106216. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106216.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Smith, P. M.; Jell, P. A.; Leu, M. R.; Zhen, Y. Y. (2026). "Trilobites from the Ordian (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4) First Discovery Limestone Member in western New South Wales, Australia". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. doi:10.1080/03115518.2026.2633798.
- ^ Ren, G.; Yuan, J.; Gao, J.; Wang, Y. (2026). "A New Genus Pseudokotuia (Trilobita: Anomocaridae) from the Chaumitien Formation (Cambrian Paibian Stage), Central Shandong, North China". Paleontological Journal. 59 (10): 1411–1416. Bibcode:2025PalJ..tmp....1G. doi:10.1134/S0031030124601695.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: bibcode (link) - ^ Tortello, F.; Hodgin, E. B.; Rábano, I.; Gutiérrez-Marco, J. C. (2026). "Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician trilobites from the Peruvian Altiplano and their significance to the Central Andean region of South America". Journal of Paleontology: 1–17. doi:10.1017/jpa.2025.10205.
- ^ Beech, J.; Hebdon, N.; Dorgan, K.; Soni, P.; Duncan, J. L.; Bottjer, D. J. (2026). "Organism–sediment interactions and the evolution of a unique trilobite morphology". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 293 (2063) 20252073. doi:10.1098/rspb.2025.2073. PMID 41592771.
- ^ Vargas-Parra, E. E.; Hopkins, M. J. (2026). "Modular reorganization of the trilobite Lonchodomas chaziensis demonstrates mosaic patterns of phenotypic change underlie metamorphosis". Evolution qpag018. doi:10.1093/evolut/qpag018. PMID 41614959.
- ^ Mahata, A.; Pates, S. (2026). "Revisiting abnormalities of trilobite Paradoxides davidis from Manuels River, Canada, alongside additional abnormal specimens from Porth-y-rhaw, Wales". Royal Society Open Science. 13 (2) 251904. doi:10.1098/rsos.251904.
- ^ Bicknell, R. D. C.; Utrup, J.; Cuomo, C.; Smith, P. M. (2026). "An atlas of malformed trilobites from North American repositories. Part 4. The Yale Peabody Museum". American Museum Novitates. 4047: 1–15. hdl:2246/7531.
- ^ Liu, C.; Pates, S.; Zhang, M.; Wu, Y.; Ma, J.; Fu, D.; Zhang, X. (2026). "3D morphology of the Cambrian bivalved arthropod Sunella informs about head segmentation, arthrodization, and arthropodization". Communications Biology. doi:10.1038/s42003-026-09909-z.
- ^ Izquierdo-López, A.; Liñán, E.; Gámez Vintaned, J. A.; Gozalo, R. (2025). "Cambrian (Stage 4–Drumian) non-trilobite arthropods from the Murero biota (Spain)". Journal of the Geological Society. 183 (1) jgs2025-095. doi:10.1144/jgs2025-095.
- ^ Sun, Z.; Zeng, H.; Zhao, F. (2026). "Middle Cambrian large bivalved arthropods from Shandong, North China and their paleogeographic implications". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 113594. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113594.
- ^ Lustri, L.; Laibl, L.; Collantes, L.; Bruthansová, J.; Nohejlová, M.; Liu, Y.; Pates, S. (2026). "A morphometric approach to the taxonomic dilemma of Zonozoe drabowiensis Barrande, 1872 and Zonoscutum solum Chlupáč, 1999 (Upper Ordovician, Czech Republic)". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 145: 145–155. doi:10.3897/sjp.145.179154.
- ^ Yang, Y.; Vannier, J.; Lhéritier, M.; Ou, Q. (2026). "Rethinking artiopod evolution: insights from the anatomy of Acanthomeridion from the early Cambrian of China". Royal Society Open Science. 13 (2) 250956. doi:10.1098/rsos.250956.
- ^ Mai, H.; Chen, H.; Chen, A.; Guo, J.; Hou, X.; Liu, Y. (2026). "Pisinnocaris subconigera—a valid species of early Cambrian fuxianhuiid". PeerJ. 14 e20483. doi:10.7717/peerj.20483.
- ^ Lakeram, S. R.; Donovan, M.; Labandeira, C. C.; Elrick, S. D.; Punyasena, S. W. (2026). "Coprolite-filled borings: insight into the life history of detritivorous Pennsylvanian terrestrial arthropods". Journal of Paleontology: 1–15. doi:10.1017/jpa.2025.10201.