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In some instances, additional interpretations of tetrapod footprints need to be made taking into consideration the paleoenvironmental context. The extramorphological variation of the tetrapod footprints can be related to the behavioural and/or substrate conditions. We investigated ten specimens from the Candelária Sequence (Hyperodapedon Assemblage Zone) from southern Brazil that preserve a set of pentadactyl footprints and trackways, in both convex and concave reliefs, previously referred to the ichnogenus Dicynodontipus. Pace angulation values are lower than predicted for Dicynodontipus (<110°) and within the standard for Procolophonichnium. The trackmaker is inferred to be a therapsid (cynodont). The environmental context of the lake system, present in Candelária Sequence, made it difficult for small organisms to move. The organisms slipped and sank, allowing for the preservation of footprints in epi- and hyporeliefs of some specimens. • Occurrence of the ichnogenus Procolophonichnium in Late Triassic of Brazil. • Footprints in epi- and hyporelief in the same specimens was produced only by one organism. • Presence of digital arcade and the presence of sinusoidal tail traces suggest a cynodont as the most likely trackmaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rio Grande do Sul Coastal Plain (southern Brazil) is composed of extensive marine and continental deposits related to at least four lagoon-barrier systems of Pleistocene−Holocene age. Part of these deposits is currently submerged and passing through erosion processes by waves. Vertebrate and invertebrate body and trace fossils are constantly exhumed from these deposits and redeposited on the modern beach face. Among them, a total of 253 fragments of crustacean burrows were collected for this study. Two ichnospecies of Ophiomorpha Lundgren, 1891 were recognized (O. nodosa Lundgren, 1891 and O. puerilis Gibert et al., 2006), but most of the materials can only be assigned to the 'SOT' group (Spongeliomorpha de Saporta, 1887, Ophiomorpha, and Thalassinoides Ehrenberg, 1944), mainly because of the lack of a pelleted lining. The absence of pellets and, as a consequence, the ichnotaxonomy of these specimens, is related to taphonomical processes (exhumation, reworking, and transportation) that acted during formation of the ex situ assemblage. The paleoenvironmental dynamics and a taphonomical model are presented to demonstrate how these processes affected the trace fossils since their construction, through exhumation until deposition. Neoichnological observations led us to infer larger producers in comparison to the extant ghost shrimp Sergio mirim (Rodrigues, 1971). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New bioerosion traces produced by insects in bones are reported from the Hyperodapedon Assemblage Zone of the Santa Maria Supersequence (Carnian, Brazil). The bones are assigned to a single rhynchosaur Hyperodapedon mariensis individual and among the traces, the ichnogenera Osteocallis (Osteocallis mandibulus, Osteocallis infestans, and Osteocallis isp.) and Amphifaoichnus (Amphifaoichnus isp.) are recognized, along with two morphotypes of indiscrete traces: clusters of grooves and borings. All the traces are assigned to the action of insects exploring the rhynchosaur carcass. Osteocallis and associated clusters of grooves are interpreted as feeding traces, but whether they represent necrophagic or osteophagic behavior is still uncertain. The lack of direct evidence for the ethological interpretation of Amphifaoichnus precludes its sole correlation with osteophagy, and other possibilities, such as the construction of temporary domiciles related to feeding or sediment moisture, are discussed. The traces analyzed here indicate that the insects explored a buried carcass, challenging the automatic association of Osteocallis and prolonged subaerial exposure of bones, placing insects as relevant taphonomic agents that affect the preservation of vertebrate carcasses. Additionally, the first appearance record of Amphifaoichnus is expanded back more than 140 Ma, indicating that complex behaviors employed by insects in bone exploration were already established in the early Late Triassic, shortly after the oldest records of invertebrate bioerosion in bones on continental settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New bioerosion traces produced by insects in bones are reported from the Hyperodapedon Assemblage Zone of the Santa Maria Supersequence (Carnian, Brazil). The bones are assigned to a single rhynchosaur Hyperodapedon mariensis individual and among the traces, the ichnogenera Osteocallis (Osteocallis mandibulus, Osteocallis infestans, and Osteocallis isp.) and Amphifaoichnus (Amphifaoichnus isp.) are recognized, along with two morphotypes of indiscrete traces: clusters of grooves and borings. All the traces are assigned to the action of insects exploring the rhynchosaur carcass. Osteocallis and associated clusters of grooves are interpreted as feeding traces, but whether they represent necrophagic or osteophagic behavior is still uncertain. The lack of direct evidence for the ethological interpretation of Amphifaoichnus precludes its sole correlation with osteophagy, and other possibilities, such as the construction of temporary domiciles related to feeding or sediment moisture, are discussed. The traces analyzed here indicate that the insects explored a buried carcass, challenging the automatic association of Osteocallis and prolonged subaerial exposure of bones, placing insects as relevant taphonomic agents that affect the preservation of vertebrate carcasses. Additionally, the first appearance record of Amphifaoichnus is expanded back more than 140 Ma, indicating that complex behaviors employed by insects in bone exploration were already established in the early Late Triassic, shortly after the oldest records of invertebrate bioerosion in bones on continental settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial tetrapod coprolites are abundant in the Middle to Late Triassic of southern Brazil, but only few specimens have been described in just a couple of papers. Here we revisit the already‐known specimens and describe new materials, including their size, shape, external modifications, matrix composition and rare inclusions. Regarding size and shape, the measurements of 152 specimens show that the Triassic coprolites of Brazil follow a normal distribution, in which length and width are positively correlated variables, so that they are not useful for taxonomic purposes. Notwithstanding, two ichnotaxa, Santamariacopros elongatus and Rhynchocopros soutoi, were previously described from the Middle/Upper Triassic Santa Maria Formation, based mainly on morphological (length/width ratio) and preservational features, but we discuss here the validity of such taxa. Once the Santa Maria Formation encompasses at least three tetrapod Assemblage Zones (AZ), Dinodontosaurus AZ, Santacruzodon AZ and Hyperodapedon AZ (from the oldest to the youngest, respectively), it is difficult to attribute these coprolites to any specific animal producers. In addition, the rarity of inclusions and the carbonated composition of the coprolites, related to early diagenetic processes, complicate this attribution too. Nevertheless, some rare inclusions as a hair‐like structure and a parasite egg were found in this study. Although the coprotaxonomy fails to represent the Santa Maria Formation coprolites and the recognition of their producers is a problematic task, these fossil dungs are important elements in the knowledge of the Middle to Late Triassic environments of southern Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Guará Formation (Paraná Basin, southern Brazil) is an Upper Jurassic unit that yielded a dinosaur ichnoassemblage composed of theropod, ornithopod, and sauropod tracks. A new set of footprints is described herein and its major features are heteropody, paraxony, and both manual and pedal tetradactyly, among others. Using ichnological, osteological, and stratigraphic approaches, we interpret these tracks as produced by an ankylosaur dinosaur. The record of these armored dinosaurs in South America is scarce and restricted to the Cretaceous units of Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil. Therefore, the presence of these tracks in the Guará Formation provides the oldest evidence of ankylosaurs in western Gondwana and the first uncontroversial record of this group in Brazil. In addition, a comparison between the Guará Formation fossil record and other Kimmeridgian-Tithonian dinosaur-bearing units worldwide indicates that more efforts are needed to better understand the geographical distribution of Late Jurassic dinosaurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution, we report a distal portion of a left humerus that likely belongs to an indeterminate basal archosauromorph from the Guadalupian (mid-Permian) Rio do Rastro Formation (Paraná Basin) of southern Brazil. A precise taxonomy of the fragmented and isolated humerus UFRGS-PV-0546-P is not warranted at generic nor familiar level but, likely, this specimen belongs to an Archosauromorpha due to the lack of both the entepicondylar and the ectepicondylar foramina. The narrow distal end of the humerus, the rounded radial and ulnar condyles, and the moderately developed supinator process with a shallow ectepicondylar groove (not notched) are features reminiscent of tanystropheids rather than that of other archosauromorphs. This material likely represents the first and oldest Permian archosauromorph from South America and indicates the presence of this lineage before the P/T boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nasal cavity of living mammals is a unique structural complex among tetrapods, acquired along a series of major morphological transformations that occurred mainly during the Mesozoic Era, within the Synapsida clade. Particularly, non-mammaliaform cynodonts document several morphological changes in the skull, during the Triassic Period, that represent the first steps of the mammalian bauplan. We here explore the nasal cavity of five cynodont taxa, namely Thrinaxodon, Chiniquodon, Prozostrodon, Riograndia, and Brasilodon, in order to discuss the main changes within this skull region. We did not identify ossified turbinals in the nasal cavity of these taxa and if present, as non-ossified structures, they would not necessarily be associated with temperature control or the development of endothermy. We do, however, notice a complexification of the cartilage anchoring structures that divide the nasal cavity and separate it from the brain region in these forerunners of mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dicynodonts represent a speciose clade of non-mammalian synapsids that lived from the middle Permian to the Late Triassic, exhibiting a Pangaean distribution. The South American Norian fossil record is represented by two species: Jachaleria colorata from Argentina and J. candelariensis from Brazil. The Brazilian specimens come from a relatively small quarry located in the site known as Botucaraí or Botucaraí Hill (Candelária, Rio Grande do Sul). We describe here four dorsal vertebrae of a single individual referred to cf. Jachaleria candelariensis from a site named Alto Guarda Mor, located in the Faxinal do Soturno municipality, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This taxonomic proposal and the lithological features of the site support that the outcrop belongs to the Riograndia Assemblage Zone (AZ; Candelária Sequence, Santa Maria Supersequence). Although the specimen cannot be referred unambiguously to Jachaleria candelariensis due to the lack of cranial material, it likely represents the second record of the genus in the Triassic of Brazil. We further discuss the faunal composition and relative age of some sites referred to the Riograndia AZ, which exhibit odd faunal context likely representing an AZ between the top of the Hyperodapedon AZ and the base of the Riograndia AZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ichnological studies in modern settings can improve the interpretation of traces produced by ancient organisms and clarify which taphonomic agents operated in their paleoenvironments. This work analyzes examples from feeding structures produced by Chilean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) in a lagoon/barrier depositional system in southern Brazil, describing the registration and morphology of feeding structures produced by rotating stamping, while also following taphonomic alterations. Newly registered structures consist of a central mound of piled sediment and a peripheral trench of overlapping footprints. The 52 stamping structures sampled showed a variety of morphologies related to the type of taphonomic agent and to the degree of alteration. Departing from the newly produced structures, the changes recorded are due to factors such as tidal range, current energy, terrain slope, and aeolian activity. The erosion of the structure was minor on the flat terrains and peaked at the stepper surfaces where intermittent streams form. Our observations point to the preservation potential of modern flamingo traces and to its putative importance for paleoecological and paleobehavioral inferences. • Flamingos register complex structures by differential use of both legs and beak. • Rotating-stamping structures are prone to enter taphonomic pathways of preservation. • Low energy tide and vicinity to aeolian sediment sources boost preservation. • Modes of registration and preservation can enhance paleoenvironmental analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mato Grosso State is the main area of paleontological investigations in central Brazil, especially regarding Upper Cretaceous beds. Fossil collection in the surroundings of the Morro do Cambambe started as early as late nineteenth century, but prospections and studies are still ongoing. This contribution presents new dinosaur specimens recovered from Upper Cretaceous outcrops of the southeastern portion of Mato Grosso State. These remains enabled the first report of a megaraptoran theropod based on a vertebral centrum and the description of abelisaurid (a fragmentary tooth) and titanosaur remains (a tooth and a fragment of a dorsal vertebra). Based on the amount of compiled reports of tetrapod remains from Mato Grosso, mainly from meeting abstracts and technical reports, the evidence at hand indicates a diverse Upper Cretaceous tetrapod assemblage still poorly explored in comparison to other Upper Cretaceous units of Brazil and Gondwana, in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coprolites (fossil feces) provide important paleoecological information, such as diet of the producer, parasite infestation and gut microbiota, which cannot be accessed through body remains. The Upper Miocene Urumaco Formation, in western Venezuela, has a diverse vertebrate fauna composed of ground sloths, rodents, reptiles, fishes and amphibians, as well as coprolites. Here we describe 106 coprolites produced by a range of carnivorous and herbivorous vertebrates, classified into five different morphotypes based on their size and shape, suggesting different producers. Herbivorous morphotypes (M1, M2 and M5) are the most abundant (59%). The most common inclusions in these coprolites are Poaceae remains, although Eudicotyledoneae fragments, bacteria and cyanobacteria filaments were also found. The M1 morphotype has a bullet shape with longitudinal grooves; the M2 morphotype is rounded to oval, with at least one distinctive tapered end; and the M5 morphotype is a short cylinder with a rough surface, and rounded ends. In contrast, the morphotypes M3 and M4 are attributed by us to carnivores and have different inclusions. While M3 is a large cylinder with rounded ends and contains bacteria, nematode eggs and phytoliths, M4 is sausage-shaped and has muscle cells preserved inside. Based on the co-occurring fauna and the morphology of the coprolites, the probable producers were inferred as the following: M1, a rodent; M2, a notoungulate; M3, a crocodilian; M4, an indeterminate carnivore; and M5, a sirenian. The preservation of herbivorous and carnivorous coprolites with bacterial, parasitological and muscle remains in the same formation and even the same outcrop is rare in the geological record. This unique association and preservation suggests early lithification promoted by rapid burial, although the presence of the boring trace Gastrochaenolites in a single specimen indicates some degree of time-averaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triodus is a well-known genus of Xenacanthiformes, previously recorded from the late Bashkirian (Lower Pennsylvanian, Carboniferous) to the middle Artinskian (Cisuralian, Permian), mainly from Laurasian deposits (Europe and USA). For the first time, this genus is recorded from the Western Gondwana, based on isolated teeth that are referred to Triodus richterae sp. nov. The new species were found associated with other shark teeth (another xenacanthiforms and a possible euselachian), palaeoniscoid teeth and scales, labyrinthodont teeth, tetrapod bony remains, macroscopic charcoal and leaf fragments. This fossil assemblage was collected in a conglomerate layer from the Barro Alto site (São Gabriel municipality, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil), with an estimated Capitanian age, from the Morro Pelado Member, Rio do Rasto Formation, Paraná Basin. The new species has teeth with an almost oval base and the aboral surface has a smooth concavity and a rounded to horseshoe-shaped basal tubercle. The coronal surface of these teeth has a tricuspid crown, a rhomboid-shaped coronal button with rounded edges with a lingually directed shaft and some oral foramina predominantly situated at the lingual margin of the base and flanking the lingual shaft. The lateral cusps bear a variable number of non-branching vertical cristae, distributed from the apex to their proximal portion, making the transversal section of these cusps asterisk-shaped. Microstructurally, these teeth have both base and cusps composed of orthodentine with an opened pulp cavity. T. richterae sp. nov. represents the youngest species of Triodus , considering it comes from Capitanian (late Guadalupian) beds, which are at least 15 Ma younger than T. kraetschmeri , the previously youngest species of this genus. The depositional interpretation, as well as the fossil assemblage in the type locality of the new species and of the Rio do Rasto Formation as a whole, indicates another freshwater record for xenacanthid sharks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coprolites (fossil feces) are important sources of evidence of ancient food webs and ecosystems. Actinomycetes are a fundamental component in the decay of organic matter, and serve as catalysts for nutrient cycles. Recently, gas vesicles filled with numerous verrucose colonies of substrate mycelium of an actinomycete were discovered inside a fossilized spiral amphipolar fish coprolite recovered from mid–Permian deposits of Brazil. These colonies are composed of masses of substrate hyphae, some of which are undergoing segmentation. Arising from the colonies are chains of spores separated by narrow, elongate connectives. The fossil actinomycete is described below asPalaeostromatus diairetusgen. et sp. nov. and represents the oldest known actinomycete associated with vertebrate deposits. Since the colonies occur only inside the coprolite, eitherPalaeostromatus diairetusgen. et sp. nov. was part of the gut flora or it was acquired from a food source. The only other remains in the coprolite are eighteen paleoniscoid fish scales, which suggests that the producer was a carnivorous/omnivorous fish. This is the oldest record of a direct interaction between vertebrates and actinomycetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sharks are cartilaginous fish that appeared 245 million years ago and became a highly diversified group, occupying several niches successfully. On the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, shark fossils are commonly found ex situ associated with accumulations of biodetrital gravels along the current beach line. The present study consisted of a faunistic and paleobiologic survey of sharks from the Quaternary in the southern region of the Rio Grande do Sul Coastal Plain (RSCP), southern Brazil. Based on taxonomy, about 3611 fossilized shark teeth collected on the beaches of Cassino and Hermenegildo were analyzed. A total of 13 taxa were identified, among them cf. Carcharhinus brachyurus , cf. Carcharhinus leucas , cf. Carcharhinus longimanus , Carcharhinus sp., Carcharias taurus , Carcharodon carcharias , Galeocerdo cuvier , Galeorhinus galeus , Isurus oxyrinchus , Notorynchus cepedianus , Rhizoprionodon sp., Sphyrna sp. and Squatina sp. Besides the already known species, here we also report the presence of Carcharhinus brachyurus , Carcharhinus longimanus , Galeorhinus galeus , Rhizoprionodon sp. and Squatina sp. as the first fossil record in the Pleistocene of Brazil for these taxa in the region. The study showed that the fossil taxa identified are similar to those extant taxa that inhabit the coast of Rio Grande do Sul. Evidence of climate oscillations that occurred during the Quaternary can be seen throughout the presence of the species Carcharhinus leucas , Carcharodon carcharias, and Galeocerdo cuvier (when compared to the composition of the modern shark fauna). Since, currently, the occurrence of these species are given as rare in the region. The present study expanded the occurrence of fossil species on the coast of the state of Rio Grande do Sul and confirmed the occurrence of populations of Carcharias taurus , Carcharodon carcharias , Carcharhinus sp., and Carcharhinus leucas during the Quaternary. • 13 shark fossil taxa from the Quaternary were identified in the Rio Grande do Sul Coastal Plain. • There are similarities between the fossil and recent Quaternary shark fauna on the east coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. • Climatic fluctuations during the Quaternary would alter the distribution of shark taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coprolites provide information about the presence, diet, and feeding behavior of the producer, besides the trophic relationships between extinct taxa and the regional paleoclimatic context where these organisms lived. Here, we present a paleobiological and paleoecological investigation of a Late Pleistocene carnivore coprolite found in southern Brazil (Touro Passo Formation, Rio Grande do Sul). Our analyses include morphological and morphometric approaches employing scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and CT-scanning. The analyzed coprolite is cylindrical, measuring 180 mm in length and 40 mm maximum in diameter, and contains a high proportion of phosphorus and calcium. Interestingly, it presents a large quantity of 102 osteoderms attributed to a Pleistocene ground sloth (Mylodontidae indet.). The size and contents of the coprolite suggest that it was produced by a large carnivorous animal comparable to representatives of Smilodon or another large carnivore mammal. The structure of the osteoderms resembles the morphological pattern found in Mylodontidae, but they are smaller than those described for adult individuals, suggesting that the coprolite producer possibly fed on a juvenile ground sloth. Palynological analysis was also performed, and the low pollen content indicates accidental consumption of plants or pollen, through the viscera of the prey or with the ingestion of water. These paleoenvironmental data suggest that the coprolite producer may have inhabited floodplain regions near river courses, where the coprolite was deposited. These results help to understand the ecological dynamics during the Late Pleistocene of South America. • A record of one of the few coprolites in South American Pleistocene. • Multi-proxy analysis indicate a large carnivore producer (e.g. Smilodon). • More than 102 Mylodontidae osteoderms preserved in the matrix. • The palynological analysis indicates dry and cold grassland environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eocene Nanjemoy Formation crops out on the Maryland and Virginia Coastal Plain, along the eastern coast of the United States. This formation is composed of sands, silts and clays and is divided into the Potapaco and Woodstock members. Remains of fishes, reptiles, birds, mammals, molluscs, fruits and seeds are common in the Potapaco Member, in addition to vertebrate coprolites. Here, we present an analysis of more than 2000 coprolites from the Fisher/Sullivan Site in Virginia. The chemical composition (phosphatic) and the type of inclusions (fish bones) indicate that only scats of carnivorous animals were preserved. The analysed specimens were grouped into six morphotypes: (1) the cylindrical morphotype is a cylinder with rounded ends; (2) the segmented morphotype is a cylinder segmented with rounded ends, and occasionally one end is concave; (3) the oval morphotype represents a bean‐shaped coprolite; (4) the scroll morphotype is cylindrical to conical in lateral view and has coils seen only at the ends; (5) the folded morphotype is a spiral that is concentrically folded; and (6) the sinuous morphotype is serpentine, with rounded ends. Coprophagy‐related scrape traces occur in different morphotypes and represent both invertebrate burrows and bite traces made by fishes. The mineralogical and chemical analyses indicate an early precipitation of phosphate and pyrite minerals, probably induced by the microbial community. All coprolites at the Fisher/Sullivan Site were produced by fishes: carcharhiniform sharks for the scroll morphotype and lamniform sharks, probably the genus Carcharias, for the folded morphotype; the oval, cylindrical and segmented morphotypes were likely produced by actinopterygian fishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beds of free-living coated nodules (coralline algae, bryozoans, acervulinid foraminifera) create shallow-water carbonate biogenic benthic habitats, which are sensitive to human disturbance and slow to recover. Holocene bryoliths, ranging from sub-spheroidal, sub-discoidal to sub-ellipsoidal in shape, were found scattered in the foredunes in ca. 30-km stretch along the Hermenegildo and Concheiros do Albardão beaches on the southernmost coast of Brazil (Santa Vitória do Palmar municipality, Rio Grande do Sul State). The dominating bryozoan species forming the bryolith is Biflustra holocenica Vieira, Spotorno-Oliveira and Tâmega sp. nov. The inner bryolith arrangement, generally asymmetrical, shows multilamellar and circumrotatory growth of colonies that envelop the bivalve Ostrea puelchana. Bryozoans and subordinate corals characterize the outer bryolith surfaces. The ichnogenera Gastrochaenolites (made by the boring bivalve Lithophaga patagonica) and Caulostrepsis occur throughout the bryoliths, from the inner part up to the outer surface. The studied bryoliths, originated in a shoreface setting at ca. 7910–7620 cal. yr BP and during subsequent storm waves, were resedimented onto the foreshore and foredunes (to ca. 5700 cal. yr BP) where the bryoliths were finally fossilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The tetrapod footprint record of Permian eolian environments has long been underestimated because of overall poor preservation and its apparent monospecifity. The best known and most abundant Cisuralian record of tetrapod footprints is from the Coconino and De Chelly formations of Arizona, which, however, thus far encompassed only the ichnogenera Chelichnus and Dromopus. We revised the locomotion and taphonomy of these footprints and propose a new model, basing it on: 1) trackways changing direction, 2) trackways heading in different directions on the same surface, 3) trackways in situ, and 4) laboratory experiments with common wall lizards, Podarcis muralis. In all cases, the Chelichnus -like appearance of footprints is due to digit tip sliding on inclined depositional surfaces, masking the original footprint shape and orientation. Also, the trackway pattern and body position are largely influenced by the angle of inclination (dip) of the substrate being walked on. Based on an anatomy-consistent ichnotaxonomy, Chelichnus and Laoporus are here considered nomina dubia, and the footprints from the Coconino and De Chelly formations are revised and assigned to: parareptiles/captorhinomorph eureptiles (Erpetopus, Varanopus curvidactylus), bolosaurid parareptiles/ diapsid eureptiles (cf. Dromopus), varanopid synapsid (cf. Tambachichnium) and reptiliomorph amphibians (Amphisauropus, Ichniotherium sphaerodactylum). The ichnoassociation is dominated by parareptile/captorhinomorph tracks, similarly to all the late Cisuralian marginal marine, floodplain, alluvial fan and ephemeral lacustrine tetrapod ichnoassociations of North America, Europe and North Africa. A review of all the available data including the new results suggests a facies-crossing transition between an early-Cisuralian amphibian- and synapsid-dominated ichnofauna (Dromopus track biochron) and a late Cisuralian parareptile/captorhinomorph-dominated ichnofauna (Erpetopus track biochron) at low latitudes of Pangea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroscopic charcoal has been recovered from a bonebed from the Barro Alto outcrop, Middle Permian (Guadalupian), Rio do Rasto Formation, in the southernmost part of the Paraná Basin, Brazil. During this time, a global biotic crisis was taking place and changes in the palaeofloristic composition can be observed. Records of palaeowildfires from the Guadalupian Period are scarce on a global scale. In the Paraná Basin low plant diversity, compared to the entirety of Gondwana, persists and just a few plant bearing localities have so far been described from the northern part of the basin. In the studied locality, macroscopic charcoal could be detected in an outcropping bonebed and the occurrence of palaeo-wildfires was confirmed. Besides representing the first palaeobotanical data for the Guadalupian of the southern part of the Paraná Basin, the charcoal remains analyzed here are also a significant record of the local environmental conditions during the increase in aridity observed during the Guadalupian and Lopingian in Gondwana. This contributes to the understanding of regional changes that took place during this interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]