Quaternary Coastal and Marine Invertebrates from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5380/qeg.v18i1.103684Keywords:
Coastal plain; Mollusks; Taxonomy; Concheiros; Ecological interactions.Abstract
The Rio Grande do Sul Coastal Plain (RSCP) has a rich Quaternary fossil record that reflects the climatic and eustatic oscillations of the period. Fossils of mollusks (gastropods and bivalves), vertebrates, and marine invertebrates occur in biodetrital accumulations known as "concheiros", in outcrops such as the Arroio Chuí, and in coastal lagoons. The Rio Grande do Sul coast presents a unique configuration formed by four Lagoon-Barrier systems and alluvial fans. Recent studies highlight traces of bioerosion, biofouling, and parasitism in mollusk shells, revealing past ecological interactions. Although fossil invertebrates are the most abundant and diverse group, there is a gap in the compilation of information on them. This work compiles and systematizes records of Quaternary fossil invertebrates from Rio Grande do Sul through bibliographic research and analysis of the collection of Geology and Paleontology Laboratory (LGP/FURG). Taxa distributed across six phyla were cataloged: Cnidaria (one species); Bryozoa (three taxa); Annelida (Serpulidae); Mollusca (40 gastropods and 45 bivalves identified to species level); Arthropoda (Decapoda, Cirripedia); and Echinodermata (two species). The fauna represents coastal environments and shallow continental shelf. Cnidaria, Bryozoa, and Annelida are poorly studied groups and deserve detailed analysis in future works.
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