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Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1948.

Arthropods

Newly named insects

Archosauromorphs

Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.

Name	Status	Authors		Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Lukousaurus	Valid taxon	Yang Zhongjian (as Young C. C.)		Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian)	Lower Lufeng Series	China	May be a crocodylomorph rather than a theropod.
Sinosaurus	Valid taxon	Yang Zhongjian (as Young C. C.)		Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian)	Lower Lufeng Series	China	A dilophosaurid. (Formerly Dilophosaurus sinensis)

Pterosaurs

New taxa

Synapsids

Non-mammalian

Name	Status	Authors	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Clelandina	Valid	Broom	Late Permian	Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone Dicynodon Assemblage Zone Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone	South Africa	A gorgonopsid.
Digalodon	Valid	Broom and Robinson	Late Permian	Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone	South Africa  Zambia	For a time considered a junior synonym, its validity was reinstated in 2015.
Koupia	Valid	Boonstra	Middle Permian	Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone	South Africa	A dicynodont.
Pardocephalus	Junior synonym	Broom	Late Permian	Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone	South Africa	A junior synonym of the gorgonopsid Aelurognathus
Robertia	Valid	Boonstra	Middle Permian	Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone	South Africa	A pylaecephalid. Like Diictodon, it was also a burrower.
Smilesaurus	Valid	Broom	Late Permian	Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone	South Africa	A junior synonym of the gorgonopsid Aelurognathus.
Tetracynodon	Valid	Broom and Robinson	Late Permian-Early Triassic	Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone	South Africa	A lycideopid therocephalian.

References

1. Gini-Newman, Garfield; Graham, Elizabeth (2001). Echoes from the past: world history to the 16th century. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ISBN 9780070887398. OCLC 46769716.
2. Kehlmaier, C; Dierick, M; Skevington, JH (2014). "Micro-CT studies of amber inclusions reveal internal genitalic features of big-headed flies, enabling a systematic placement of Metanephrocerus Aczel, 1948 (Insecta: Diptera: Pipunculidae)". Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny. 72 (1): 23–36.
3. Olshevsky, George. "Dinogeorge's Dinosaur Genera List". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
4. R. B. Irmis. 2004. First report of Megapnosaurus (Theropoda: Coelophysoidea) from China. PaleoBios 24(3):11-18
5. Young C.-C. 1948. On two new saurischians from Lufeng, Yunnan. Bull. Geol. Soc. China 28: pp. 75-90.

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