Fossil taxa described in 2018

Avimimus ( ), meaning "bird mimic" (Latin avis = bird + mimus = mimic), is a genus of oviraptorosaurian theropod dinosaur, named for its bird-like characteristics, that lived in the late Cretaceous in what is now Mongolia, during the Maastrichtian.

thumb|Comparison of Maraapunisaurus (left) with the rebbachisaurids Rebbachisaurus (center) and Histriasaurus (right). thumb|Neural spine of Maraapunisaurus as drawn by E.D. Cope with parts labeled. The key rebbachisaurid features are the spinopostzygapophyseal laminae that extends dorsomedially from the postzygapophyses to join and form the postspinal lamina, and the pneumatic neural spine and arch. Other rebbachisaurid features include the rather simple ("attenuated") structure of the neural spine and the respective inclinations of the centrodiapophyseal lamina and the postzygodiapophyseal l

Caihong () is a genus of small paravian theropod dinosaur from China that lived during the Late Jurassic period.

Saltriovenator (meaning "Saltrio hunter") is a genus of ceratosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic in what is now Italy. The type and only species is Saltriovenator zanellai; in the past, the species had been known under the informal name "saltriosaur". Although a full skeleton has not yet been discovered, Saltriovenator is thought to have been a large, bipedal carnivore similar to Ceratosaurus.

Bannykus is an extinct genus of alvarezsauroid from the Early Cretaceous Bayin-Gobi Formation of Inner Mongolia, China. It includes one species, Bannykus wulatensis.

Lingwulong is a genus of diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of what is now Lingwu, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China. The type and only species is L. shenqi, known from several partial skeletons. It is one of the earliest neosauropods ever discovered, as well as the only definitive diplodocoid from east Asia.

Mansourasaurus ("Mansoura lizard") is a genus of herbivorous lithostrotian sauropod dinosaur from the Quseir Formation of Egypt. The type and only species is Mansourasaurus shahinae.

Arkansaurus (meaning "Arkansas lizard") is an extinct genus of ornithomimosaurian theropod dinosaur that lived during the Aptian and Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous in what is now North America. The type and only species is Arkansaurus fridayi.

Ingentia is a genus of early sauropodiform dinosaur, sometimes considered a basal sauropod, from the Late Triassic (late Norian-Rhaetian) of Argentina. The type specimen of Ingentia, PVSJ 1086, was discovered in the Quebrada del Barro Formation of northwestern Argentina. It was described in 2018 by Cecilia Apaldetti, Ricardo Nestor Martínez, Ignacio Alejandro Cerda, Diego Pol and Oscar Alcober who named the type and only species Ingentia prima, meaning "first huge one", as the taxon was one of the first very large sauropodomorphs to evolve, along with its close relative Lessemsaurus. A second

Dynamoterror (meaning "powerful terror") is a monospecific genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur from New Mexico that lived during the Late Cretaceous (lower Campanian age, 78 Ma) in what is now the upper Allison Member of the Menefee Formation. The type and only species, Dynamoterror dynastes, is known from a subadult or adult individual about 9 metres (30 feet) long with an incomplete associated skeleton. It was named in 2018 by Andrew T. McDonald, Douglas G. Wolfe and Alton C. Dooley, Jr. Dynamoterror was closely related to Teratophoneus and Lythronax.

Tratayenia is an extinct genus of megaraptoran theropod dinosaurs known from remains found in the Late Cretaceous (Santonian age) Bajo de la Carpa Formation of Argentina. The type and only species, Tratayenia rosalesi, was described in March 2018.

Acantholipan is a genus of herbivorous nodosaurid dinosaur from Mexico from the early Santonian age of the Late Cretaceous. It includes one species, Acantholipan gonzalezi.

Stanleycaris ("Stanley's shrimp") is an extinct genus of hurdiid radiodont from the Cambrian (Stage 3 to Miaolingian). The type species is Stanleycaris hirpex. Stanleycaris was described from the Stephen Formation near the Stanley Glacier and Burgess Shale locality of Canada, as well as Wheeler Formation of United States. A second species, S. qingjiangensis is known from the Qingjiang biota of China. The genus was characterized by the rake-like frontal appendages with robust inner spines.

Akainacephalus (meaning "thorn head") is a monospecific genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur from southern Utah that lived during the Late Cretaceous (late Campanian, 76.26 Ma) in what is now the Horse Mountain Gryposaur Quarry of the Kaiparowits Formation. The type and only species, Akainacephalus johnsoni, is known from the most complete ankylosaur specimen ever discovered from southern Laramidia, including a complete skull, tail club, a number of osteoderms, limb elements and part of its pelvis, among other remains. It was described in 2018 by Jelle P. Wiersma and Randall B. Irmis. It is closely

Barbaridactylus is a nyctosaurid pterosaur from the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco, a basin that dates back to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous. It was published in 2018 by paleontologists Nicholas R. Longrich, David M. Martill, and Brian Andres. In the same publication, two other pterosaurs from the same basin were described: Alcione and Simurghia. The type and only species is B. grandis.

Bagualosaurus is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Candelária Sequence (Uppermost Santa Maria Formation) of Brazil, dating to around 230 million years ago, in the Carnian of the Late Triassic. It includes one species, Bagualosaurus agudoensis.

Volgatitan (meaning "Volga giant") is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of the Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia. The type and only species is Volgatitan simbirskiensis, known from seven from a single individual. It is the oldest known titanosaur from the northern hemisphere, and is considered important for being related to the Lognkosauria, a group known only from South America later in the Late Cretaceous. It was first described in November 2018 by Russian palaeontologists Alexander Averianov and Vladimir Efimov. It is estimated to have weighed about .

Caelestiventus ( , meaning "heavenly wind") is a pterosaur genus from the Late Triassic (latest Norian or Rhaetian) found in western North America. The type species, Caelestiventus hanseni, honors Robin Hansen, the Bureau of Land Management geologist (BLM), who facilitated access to the excavation site.

Crittendenceratops (meaning "horned face from the Fort Crittenden Formation") is a genus of horned centrosaurine ceratopsid dinosaur from the late Campanian Fort Crittenden Formation of Arizona. It contains a single species, C. krzyzanowskii, and represents the first dinosaur taxon from that formation to receive a formal scientific name.

Burianosaurus is an extinct genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived during the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period in what is now the Czech Republic, being the first validly named dinosaur from that country. The type species, B. augustai, was named in 2017; the genus name honours the Czech palaeoartist Zdeněk Burian, and the species name honours the Czech palaeontologist Josef Augusta. The holotype specimen is a femur discovered in sediments belonging to the Peruc-Korycany Formation in 2003, which was described as possibly belonging to an iguanodont in 2005.

Ledumahadi (meaning "giant thunderclap" in Sesotho language) is a genus of lessemsaurid sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Early Jurassic Elliot Formation in Free State Province, South Africa. The type and only species is L. mafube, known from a singular incomplete postcranial specimen. A quadruped, it was one of the first giant sauropodomorphs, reaching a weight of around , despite not having evolved columnar limbs like its later huge relatives.

Xiyunykus (meaning "western claw"; "xiyu" is Mandarin for "west" and refers to Western China where it was found) is a genus of alvarezsauroid theropod from the Early Cretaceous-aged Tugulu Group of what is now China. Only one species has been described, Xiyunykus pengi.

Bayannurosaurus is a non-hadrosauriform ankylopollexian ornithopod described in 2018 by Xu Xing. It lived during the early Aptian period, being found in the Bayin-Gobi Formation of China. The genus includes the type species Bayannurosaurus perfectus. A phylogenetic analysis of Bayannurosaurus indicates that it is more derived than Hypselospinus, yet less derived than Ouranosaurus and just outside of the Hadrosauriformes. It was a large iguanodontian, measuring up to in total body length. The genus name Bayannurosaurus comes from Bayannur, the area where it was found, while the species name per

Patagopelta (meaning "Patagonian shield") is an extinct genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (upper Campanian–lower Maastrichtian) Allen Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, P. cristata, known from several partial skeletons, isolated bones, and osteoderms. While originally described as a member of the family Nodosauridae, later discoveries provided support for parankylosaurian affinities. Patagopelta is a small armored dinosaur, comparable in size to the 'dwarf' nodosaurid Struthiosaurus, at about long. It is larger, more robust, and more heavily arm

Simurghia is a genus of pterosaur from the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco, a basin that dates to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago. It was published in 2018 by paleontologists Nicholas R. Longrich, David M. Martill, and Brian Andres, along with two other pterosaurs from the same basin: Alcione and Barbaridactylus. The type species is S. robusta. A possible second species, S. ("Nyctosaurus") lamegoi, is known from the Campanian-Maastrichtian age strata of Brazil.

Sachicasaurus is an extinct genus of brachauchenine pliosaurid known from the Barremian of the Paja Formation, Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the Colombian Eastern Ranges of the Andes. The type species is S. vitae.

Macrocollum is a genus of unaysaurid sauropodomorph dinosaur that lived during the Late Triassic period (early Norian) in what is now Brazil. It is one of the oldest dinosaurs known.

species of hominoid

Choyrodon is a genus of hadrosauroid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Khuren Dukh Formation of Mongolia. The type and only species is Choyrodon barsboldi. The generic name is derived from the city of Choyr, and -odon, from Latin for tooth; the specific name barsboldi honours paleontologist Rinchen Barsbold. The material consists of a holotype partial skull and cervical ribs, with two other partial skulls both with associated postcranial material. It was found to be the sister taxon of Eolambia.

Mistralazhdarcho is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the Campanian and Maastrichtian ages of the Late Cretaceous period in what is now France. A rich fossil site was discovered in 1992 by paleontologist Xavier Valentin at Velaux–La Bastide Neuve, in the south of France. Pterosaur fossil remains would be subsequently uncovered in the site. They were found in a layer of the Aix-en-Provence Basin at Velaux–La Bastide Neuve and consist of a partial skeleton that includes the skull. These remains would later be made the holotype specimen of the new genus and type species Mistralazh

Xericeps is an extinct genus of alanqid pterosaur from the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. It was discovered from the Kem Kem Beds of southeastern Morocco.

Anomalipes (meaning "unusual foot") is an extinct genus of caenagnathid oviraptorosaurian dinosaurs known from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian age) Wangshi Group of China. The genus contains a single species, Anomalipes zhaoi, known from a partial hindlimb.

Ascendonanus (meaning "climbing dwarf") is an extinct genus of possible varanopid amniote from the Early Permian of Germany. It is one of the earliest specialized arboreal (tree-living) tetrapods currently known and outwardly resembled a small lizard. The animal was about 40 cm long, with strongly curved claws, short limbs, a slender, elongated trunk, and a long tail. It would have preyed on insects and other small arthropods.

Mirarce (meaning "wonderful winged messenger") is a genus of enantornithe bird from the Late Cretaceous of Utah. It contains a single species, M. eatoni. It was similar in size to modern turkeys.

Tethydraco is a genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period (Maastrichtian stage) of what is now the area of present Morocco, about 66 million years ago. Tethydraco was originally assigned to the family Pteranodontidae. Some researchers argued that subsequently described material suggests that it may have been an azhdarchid, and possibly synonymous with Phosphatodraco, though this has been disputed. The type and only species is T. regalis.

Anhuilong (meaning "Anhui dragon") is a genus of mamenchisaurid dinosaur known from the Hongqin Formation of Anhui province, China. The genus contains a single species, Anhuilong diboensis.

Jinyunpelta ("Jinyun shield") is a genus of herbivorous ankylosaurine thyreophoran dinosaur from the Cretaceous Liangtoutang Formation of Jinyun County, Zhejiang, China; it has one species, the type species J. sinensis. This species is the basalmost ankylosaur known to have had a proper tail club.

Weewarrasaurus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the Griman Creek Formation near Lightning Ridge, in New South Wales, Australia. The type and only species is W. pobeni, known from the holotype, an isolated preserved in opal, as well as a secondary referred dentary. It is thought to have co-existed with multiple other ornithopods of different sizes and lineages.

Lavocatisaurus (meaning "René Lavocat's lizard") is a genus of sauropod in the family Rebbachisauridae from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian to Albian) Rayoso Formation of the Neuquén Basin, northern Patagonia, Argentina.

Mongolostegus (meaning "Mongolian roof") is an extinct genus of stegosaurian dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian ages) Dzunbain Formation of Mongolia. The genus contains a single species, Mongolostegus exspectabilis, known from a fragmentary single specimen representing the first stegosaur named from Mongolia. It is one of the youngest known stegosaurs, along with Yanbeilong and an unnamed species from the Hekou Group of China. In contrast to these taxa, which are members of the late-diverging stegosaur subfamily Stegosaurinae, Mongolostegus may have affinities to more basal tax

Baalsaurus (named after the dinosaur fossil site Baal in Argentina, which in turn is named after the ancient Phoenician god Baal) is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina. The type and only known species is B. mansillai, with the specific name honoring the discoverer Juan Eduardo Mansilla, a museum technician at the Geology and Paleontology Museum of the National University of Comahue. thumb|Paleoart|Life restoration The holotype specimen, MUCPv-1460, is a mostly complete right dentary that was found in rocks of the upper

Adynomosaurus is a genus of lambeosaurine dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of what is now Catalonia, Spain. First discovered in 2012, it was named in 2019 with the type and only species being Adynomosaurus arcanus. It is only known from scant material, but is distinguished from other hadrosaurs by its weakly developed shoulder blade which would have had underdeveloped musculature, which lends it its scientific name, partially from the Greek word for "weak". Its exact relationships with other hadrosaurs remain unresolved, with it not consistently being recovered as a relative of any other spec

Qiupanykus (IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet|, meaning "claw from the Qiupa Formation") is an extinct genus of alvarezsaurid theropod from the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Henan Province, China. The type and only species is Q. zhangi, named for Shuancheng Zhang, who assisted in finding the fossils of Qiupanykus. ==Discovery== thumb|left|A map of the Qiupa Formation with a corresponding stratigraphic chart The Qiupa Formation is located in the Tantou Basin which is in Luanchuan County of the Henan province in China. Lithological correlation of the local strata has dated the Qiupa Form

Yizhousaurus (meaning "Yizhou lizard", after the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Region) is a genus of basal sauropodiform dinosaurs which existed in what is now Lufeng Formation, Yunnan Province of southern China during the lower Jurassic period. Identified from a nearly complete and exquisitely preserved skeleton, it is the most complete basal sauropod currently known with intact skull. Although its name was revealed in a 2010 Geological Society of America abstract by Sankar Chatterjee, T. Wang, S.G. Pan, Z. Dong, X.C. Wu, and Paul Upchurch, it wasn't validly named and described until 2018. The type

Sibirotitan ("Siberian titan") is a genus of somphospondyl sauropod from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian age) Ilek Formation of Russia. The type and only species is S. astrosacralis.

Nochnitsa is an extinct genus of gorgonopsian therapsids who lived during an uncertain stage of the Permian in what is now European Russia. Only one species is known, N. geminidens, described in 2018 from a single specimen including a complete skull and some postcranial remains, discovered in the red beds of Kotelnich, Kirov Oblast. The genus is named in reference to Nocnitsa, a nocturnal creature from Slavic mythology. This name is intended as a parallel to the Gorgons, which are named after many genera among gorgonopsians, as well as for the nocturnal behavior inferred for the animal. The on

Gorynychus is a genus of therocephalian from the mid-Permian from Kotelnich, Russia. The genus contains two species, G. masyutinae and G. sundyrensis. It was named after the three-headed dragon Zmey Gorynych (Змей Горыныч) from Russian mythology.

Mandasuchus is an extinct genus of loricatan pseudosuchian from the Manda Formation of Tanzania, which dates back to the Anisian stage of the Middle Triassic. It was a quadrupedal carnivore with a relatively long neck. Although this genus was first mentioned by Alan Charig in 1956, a formal description was not published until 2018.

Diluvicursor ("flood runner") is a genus of small ornithischian from the Lower Albian (Early Cretaceous) of Australia. It is known from one species, the type species D. pickeringi. The two known specimens, a vertebra and a partial juvenile postcranium discovered in 2005 from the Eumeralla Formation, are known, and they were named in early 2018.

extinct species of thresher shark

Invictarx (meaning "unconquerable fortress") is a monospecific genus of nodosaurid dinosaur from New Mexico that lived during the Late Cretaceous (lower Campanian, 78.5 Ma) in what is now the upper Allison Member of the Menefee Formation. The type and only species, Invictarx zephyri, is known from three isolated, incomplete postcranial skeletons. It was named in 2018 by Andrew T. McDonald and Douglas G. Wolfe. Invictarx shares similarities with Glyptodontopelta from the Naashoibito member of the Ojo Alamo Formation, New Mexico.

Electrorana is an extinct genus of frog that lived in what is now Myanmar during the mid-Cretaceous, around 99 million years ago. The type species and only species is Electrorana limoae. The generic name is derived from the Latin (amber) and (frog), while the specific epithet is given in honour of Mrs. Mo Li, who purchased and provided the specimens for study.

Platypelta is an extinct genus of herbivorous ankylosaurid dinosaurs within the subfamily Ankylosaurinae. It is known from the Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation (early Late Campanian stage, about 77.5-76.5 Ma ago) of southern Alberta, Canada. The type species is Platypelta coombsi.

Serradraco is a genus of Early Cretaceous pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Valanginian aged Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation in England. Named by Rigal et al. in 2018 with the description of a second specimen, it contains a single species, S. sagittirostris, which was formerly considered a species of Lonchodectes, L. sagittirostris. Although it has been interpreted as a probable lonchodectid, a subsequent study suggested it did not belong in Lonchodectidae.

Vulcanops jennyworthyae is an extinct species of bat that lived during the Miocene in New Zealand, a large burrowing microchiropteran that probably ate arthropods and plant material around twenty million years before present. It is the type and only described species of the genus Vulcanops.

Eorhynchochelys (meaning "dawn-beaked turtle" in Greek) is an extinct genus of stem-turtle from the Late Triassic Xiaowa Formation (or Wayao Member of the Falang Formation) of southwestern China.

Cifelliodon is an extinct genus of mammaliaform known from the Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation in Utah, United States, dated to the Early Cretaceous. It contains the species Cifelliodon wahkarmoosuch, described in 2018 based on an isolated skull. This specimen is well preserved and large for a mammaliaform of its time period. Its teeth have been compared to those of the hammer-headed bat, a fruit-eater, while CT scans of the inner skull indicate a highly developed sense of smell. Some of its features resemble those of earlier mammaliamorphs of the Triassic, while others are s

Klobiodon is a genus of rhamphorhynchid pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic Taynton Limestone Formation of Oxfordshire, England.

Gordodon (meaning "fat tooth", referring to its large incisor-like front teeth) is an extinct genus of non-mammalian synapsid that lived during the Early Permian of what is now Otero County, New Mexico. It was a member of the herbivorous sail-backed family Edaphosauridae and contains only a single species, the type species G. kraineri. Gordodon is unusual among early synapsids for its teeth, which were arranged similarly to those of modern mammals and unlike the simple, uniform lizard-like teeth of other early herbivorous synapsids. Gordodon had large incisor-like teeth at the front, followed

Chimerarachne is a genus of extinct arachnids, containing five known species. Fossils of Chimerarachne were discovered in Burmese amber from Myanmar which dates to the mid-Cretaceous, about 100 million years ago. It is thought to be closely related to spiders, but outside any living spider clade. The earliest spider fossils are from the Carboniferous, requiring at least a 170 myr ghost lineage with no fossil record. The size of the animal is quite small, being only in body length, with the tail being about in length. These fossils resemble spiders in having two of their key defining features: