Vertebrate paleontology in Brazil — a review (original) (raw)
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Análisis paleontológicos a través límite Ediacárico-Cámbrico, Grupo Alto Corumbá, Brasil
Estudios Geologicos-madrid, 2019
This work presents the results of a palaeontological analysis focused on twenty-six species sampled in five sections of the Tamengo and Guaicurus formations, Corumbá and Ladário regions: Corcal and Laginha quarries, Porto Sobramil, Porto Figueiras and Ecoparque Cacimba. Besides, palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental inferences are presented based on the occurrence of this fossil assemblage. Cloudina carinata Cortijo et al., 2010, previously documented in Spain and Siberia, presents an unprecedented occurrence in the American continent, in siltstones of the Tamengo Formation at Porto Figueiras section, Municipality of Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. The biota of the Tamengo Formation is updated and composed of three biomineralizing metazoans, including poriferan spicules, putative sponge gemmule, and a sessile epibiontic prokaryotic colony. The present work also deals with the taxonomy and stratigraphic distribution of four ichnospecies and three vendotaenid species that integrate the updated benthic fauna for the upper portion of Corumbá Group. The species diversity of the
Touro Passo Creek is one of the most important fossiliferous late Pleistocene localities from southern Brazil. Although fossil vertebrates collected from this locality have been studied since the 1970s, several questions remain open. This paper provides a review of the knowledge on this subject accumulated since the original proposition of the Touro Passo Formation in 1976. The fossil assemblages of Touro Passo Creek show a predominance of mammals, and among them, artiodactyls and cingulates are the most diverse. The available absolute ages indicate that the fine-grained lithological levels (at least) were deposited during humid conditions of the Last Glacial Maximum, within oxygen isotope stages 3 and 2. The mammal assemblages contain a mixture of intertropical and pampean taxa. The large span of time that encompasses the deposition of the Touro Passo Creek beds could have contributed to this faunal mixture.
We summarize here the Late Cretaceous vertebrate record of the Triângulo Mineiro (western portion of the Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil). All the specimens come from the Bauru Group (Bauru Basin) from the Adamantina (Campanian), Uberaba (Campanian) and Marília (Maastrichtian) formations. Vertebrate-bearing sites are distributed throughout the Triângulo Mineiro, but the Uberaba County has the largest diversity of Late Cretaceous vertebrate from the Bauru Group, mainly concentrated in the Serra da Galga Member of the Marília Formation. So far, the following taxa have been recognized in the Triângulo Mineiro, from the Adamantina Formation: Amiiformes indet., cf. Atractosteus sp. (Lepisosteiformes), Mesoeucrocodylia indet., Sphagesaurus sp. (Sphagesauridae), Campinasuchus dinizi and Pissarrachampsa sera (Baurusuchidae), Maxakalisaurus topai (Titanosauria), Titanosauria indet., and Abelisauridae indet.; from the Uberaba Formation: Titanosauria indet. and Megaraptora indet.; from the Marília Formation: Ceratodus sp. (Dipnoi), Vidalamiine indet. (Amiiformes), Lepisosteiformes indet., Siluriformes indet., Characiformes indet., Perciformes indet., Baurubatrachus pricei and Uberabatrachus carvalhoi (Neobatrachia), Cambaremys langertoni, Peiropemys mezzalirai and Pricemys caiera (Podocnemididae) and Podocnemididae indet., Pristiguana brasiliensis (Iguania), Itasuchus jesuinoi (Trematochampsidae), Labidiosuchus amicum (Notosuchia), Peirosaurus torminni and Uberabasuchus terrificus (Peirosauridae), Trigonosaurus pricei, Baurutitan brittoi, Uberabatitan ribeiroi, Aeolosaurini indet. (Titanosauria), Abelisauroidea indet., Abelisauridae indet., cf. Carcharodontosauridae indet., Maniraptora indet., Avialae indet., and Enantiornithes indet. The Triângulo Mineiro region has a great paleontological potential which will generate future results amplifying the diversity and knowledge of the Late Cretaceous vertebrates of Brazil.
Geological and Paleontological Sites of Brazil
2011
© Ruchkys,U.A.; Renger,F.E.; Noce,C.M.; Machado,M.M.M. 2007. Serra da Piedade, Iron Quadrangle, state of Minas Gerais: from the myth of Sabarabuçu towards the historical, geological, natural and religious heritage. In: Winge,M.; Schobbenhaus,C.; Berbert-Born,M.; Queiroz,E.T.; Campos,D.A.; Souza,C.R.G.; Fernandes,A.C.S. (Edit.) Geological and Palaeontological Sites of Brazil. Available on line 01/03/2007 at the address: http://www.unb.br/ig/sigep/sitio129/sitio129english.pdf [actually http://sigep.cprm.gov.br/sitio129/sitio129english.pdf ]
Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 2020
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Brief review of dinosaur studies and perspectives in Brazil
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 2000
Dinosaur research is developing at very high rates around the world resulting in several new discoveries that are improving our understanding of this terrestrial reptilian clade. Except for the last couple years, the studies of Brazilian dinosaurs have not followed this expansive trend, despite the high potential of several dinosaur localities. So far there are only eight described taxa, four in the last year, representing theropod, sauropod, and one possible prosauropod taxa. Except for footprints, there are no records of ornithischian dinosaurs in the country what is at least partially explainable by the lack of continuous vertebrate fossil collecting program in the country. More funding is necessary to improve the research activities in this field.
The Adamantina Formation (Bauru Group), between Lucélia and Irapuru municipalities (northwestern São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil), has been in the last years a very important area for collecting Upper Cretaceous fossil vertebrates. So far, the main groups recovered include Testudines, Crocodyliformes and Dinosauria (Theropoda and Titanosauria). The fossil material is usually disarticulated and fragmented and was collected from very fine-grained sandstones, with muddy matrix and cross-stratification and lamination. Testudines are represented by fragments of carapaces and plastrons. Crocodyliformes are composed only of fragmented osteological remains and isolated teeth. Maniraptora is especially represented by isolated teeth, allowing the identification of the Dromaeosaurinae, Velociraptorinae and Troodontidae clades, in addition to some probable endemic groups. Titanosauria is the most representative and abundant group in these fossil localities, however materials are mainly fragments of ribs and some appendicular bones, without diagnostic osteological elements, like caudal vertebrae. The lithological characteristics of the outcrops suggest a paleoenvironment of braided rivers, in an arid climate, with few vegetation cover.
Quaternary International, 2011
The carbonate caves of the Upper Ribeira Valley, southeastern São Paulo State, Brazil, preserve an abundant fossil record of Pleistocene-Holocene South American megafauna. Nevertheless, in comparison with other localities of the country, its paleontological knowledge still can be considered sparse and in need of further research. This work presents an update taxonomic survey of the megafauna material collected since the beginning of the explorations in the area. Based on this, it discusses paleobiogeographic and paleoecological questions. The fossil megafauna of the Upper Ribeira karst region include: Eremotherium laurillardi, Nothrotherium maquinense, Lestodon armatus, Catonyx cuvieri, 'Ocnopus gracilis', Ahytherium aff. aureum, Glyptodon clavipes, G. reticulatus, Hoplophorus cf., Toxodon spp., Stegomastodon waringi, Equidae (Hippidion cf.), Tapirus terrestris, Panthera onca and Smilodon populator. Only P. onca and T. terrestris still remain in the region. Despite the occurrence of some typical taxa of the pampean paleobiogeographical province, the fossil assemblage recorded shows greater affinity to the mega-mammal community of the intertropical region. The ecology of species found suggests the previous occurrence of fairly different environmental settings than the existing one in the area. There were more temperate climates e both dry and wet e until the current mesophytic forest was finally established. The studied material does not show any kind of chrono-correlation, given the type of genesis of the cave accumulations. These fossils depict different faunistic moments related to climate changes during the Quaternary. To better understand the information provided by these deposits, efforts on dating and detailed taphonomic investigations should be conducted. The studies of the Quaternary fauna in the state of São Paulo fill an important gap in the intricate biogeographical history of the South American megafauna.