Paleontological research in Mexico: A brief account of current studies from the Sociedad Mexicana de Paleontología

This Special Issue entitled Paleontological studies developed in the Sociedad Mexicana de Paleontología, is an initiative of the “Sociedad Mexicana de Paleontología” (SOMEXPAL) in collaboration with the Journal of South American Earth Sciences (Elsevier), in order to highlight recent trends in the field carried out by members of this society. All diverse contributions cover all major research topics in Mexican paleontology such as: paleobotany, invertebrate paleontology, vertebrate paleontology, micropaleontology and geochemical analysis applied to paleontology. The recent paleontological studies here reported combine classical taxonomic descriptions coupled to software and digital innovations that produce a more complete paleobiological interpretation of fossils. This volume lists 24 original contributions from approximately 20 Mexican localities that roughly represents 15–20% of the most studied localities distributed in 10 states of Mexico. While this volume presents emblematic outcrops that continue to produce fresh fossil discoveries, some contributions incorporate new sedimentary settings from early Paleozoic through Quaternary environments waiting to be studied by young specialists. Although contributions concentrated in this volume are just a sample of the great variety of paleontological studies across Mexico, most articles critically address the use of fossils for paleoenvironmental reconstructions in several localities of Mexico. Finally, this special issue acknowledges the earlier work by pioneer paleontologists, and highlights at the same time, areas where paleontological data is rather scarce being great opportunities to carry out future research.