Note: In 2012, the
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted Convention (norm), convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific name, scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the I ...
was amended, with new regulations allowing the publication of new names and nomenclatural acts in zoology after 2011, in works "produced in an edition containing simultaneously obtainable copies by a method that assures (...) widely accessible electronic copies with fixed content and layout", provided that the work is registered in
ZooBank
ZooBank is an open access website intended to be the official International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) registry of zoological nomenclature. Any nomenclatural acts (e.g. publications that create or change a taxonomic name) publis ...
before it is published, the work itself states the date of publication with evidence that registration has occurred, and the ZooBank registration states both the name of an electronic archive intended to preserve the work and the ISSN or ISBN associated with the work.
New scientific names appearing in electronic works are not required to be registered in ZooBank, only the works themselves are.
Works containing descriptions of some of the taxa listed below were not printed on paper in 2012; however, the taxa that were described in works which were registered in ZooBank in 2012 are listed as valid.
Plants
Arthropods
The following is a summary of the arthropods described in 2012
*41 arachnids
*105 crustaceans
*362 insects
*5 merostomatans
*51 trilobites
*9 other arthropods
Bryozoans
Brachiopods
Molluscs
The following is a summary of the Molluscs described in 2012
* 54 ammonites
* 14 other cephalopods
* 52 gastropods
* 15 other molluscs
Echinoderms
Ascidians
Conodonts
Fishes
During 2012, 81 new species of fish were described.
Amphibians
Research
* A study of the braincase of ''
Eocaecilia micropodia
''Eocaecilia'' is an extinct genus of gymnophionan amphibian from the early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona, United States. One species is described, ''Eocaecilia micropodia''.
''Eocaecilia'' shared some characteristics with salamanders a ...
'' and a phylogenetic analysis of non-
amniote
Amniotes are tetrapod vertebrate animals belonging to the clade Amniota, a large group that comprises the vast majority of living terrestrial animal, terrestrial and semiaquatic vertebrates. Amniotes evolution, evolved from amphibious Stem tet ...
tetrapod
A tetrapod (; from Ancient Greek :wiktionary:τετρα-#Ancient Greek, τετρα- ''(tetra-)'' 'four' and :wiktionary:πούς#Ancient Greek, πούς ''(poús)'' 'foot') is any four-Limb (anatomy), limbed vertebrate animal of the clade Tetr ...
s is published by Hillary C. Maddin, Farish A. Jenkins Jr and Jason S. Anderson (2012).
* A study of anatomy and relationships of ''
Solenodonsaurus janenschi'' is published by Marylène Danto, Florian Witzmann and Johannes Müller (2012).
* A study of limb joint mobility of ''
Ichthyostega
''Ichthyostega'', from Ancient Greek ἰχθύς (''ikthús''), meaning "fish", and στέγη (''stégē''), meaning "roof", is an Extinction, extinct genus of limbed tetrapodomorpha, tetrapodomorphs from the Devonian, Late Devonian of what is ...
'' is published by Stephanie E. Pierce, Jennifer A. Clack and John R. Hutchinson (2012).
New taxa
Newly named basal tetrapods
Newly named temnospondyls
Newly named lepospondyls
Newly named lissamphibians
Parareptiles
Newly named parareptiles
Ichthyopterygians
Newly named ichthyosaurs
Lepidosauromorphs
Newly named saurosphargids
Newly named sauropterygians
Newly named rhynchocephalians
Squamates
Research
* A large phylogenetic analysis of living and fossil squamates is published by Jacques A. Gauthier ''et al.'' (2012).
* A study of squamate diversity in North America during the latest Cretaceous (
Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian ( ) is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age (uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage) of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or Upper Cretaceous series (s ...
) and the impact of
Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event
The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event, also known as the K–T extinction, was the extinction event, mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth approximately 66 million years ago. The event cau ...
on the diversity of the group is published by Nicholas R. Longrich, Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar and Jacques A. Gauthier (2012).
New taxa
Turtles
Research
* A large phylogenetic analysis of basal turtles is published by Jérémy Anquetin (2012).
New taxa
Archosauromorphs
Newly named basal archosauromorphs
Archosaurs
The following is a summary of the archosaurs described in 2012
* 8 pseudosuchians
* 1 basal dinosauriform
* 40 non-avian dinosaurs
* 64 birds
* 9 pterosaurs
* 1 archosaur of uncertain phylogenetic placement
Synapsids
Non-mammalian synapsids
Research
* A phylogenetic analysis of basal synapsids is published by Roger B. J. Benson (2012).
New taxa
Mammals
The following is a summary of the mammals described in 2012
* 9 non-eutherian Mammals
* 24 eutherian Mammals
Other animals
Other organisms
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2012 In Paleontology
2010s in paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure ge ...