Fauna marinha fóssil de Cambaí Grande/RS sob uma perspectiva da divulgação científica

Abstract

Permian marine assemblages of the Paraná Basin include records of bivalve faunas in the three states of southern Brazil, such as faunas of the Taciba Formation (Itararé Group) of the Teixeira Soares, PR, and Bela Vista do Sul (Mafra), SC, as well as those of the Rio Bonito Formation (Guatá Group) of the Taió/Itaiópolis, SC; and Cambaí Grande, RS. However, among the mentioned faunas, only the Cambaí Grande did not have a taxonomic identity known, since its discovery in the 1950’s. Taxonomic studies, especially paleontological ones, are often restricted to the academic community, mainly due to the specific scientific language used. Nevertheless, in recent years, paleoart has become an increasingly effective tool for scientific outreach, especially in representing extinct vertebrate animals as dinosaurs, and very rarely invertebrates. The present study aimed to provide a taxonomic description of the bivalve fauna from Cambaí Grande outcrop, accompanied by a paleontological reconstruction of the fauna, as well as the production of four scientific dissemination videos about the main steps involved in this search. The analyzed material comes from a fossiliferous outcrop in the Vila Nova do Sul municipality, near the municipality of São Gabriel/RS, recorded in the Rio Bonito Formation. The 45 fossil bivalve samples studied belong to the scientific collections of UFRGS and UNISINOS, which were loaned for this research, and the taxonomic analysis was conducted at the Paleontology Laboratory of UTFPR, Ponta Grossa campus. Results indicated 5 species from 5 distinct families: Heteropecten cambahyensis Martins, 1951; Pleurophorella sp.; Schizodus aff. fitzroyensis Dickins, 1963; Atomodesma sp.; Myonia sp., and an indeterminate taxon, which indicate taxonomic affinity with the mentioned Early Permian assemblages, especially that of Teixeira Soares, with which shares all the genera. The reconstruction of the studied fauna was illustrated with graphite pencil of the taxa, represented in their probable living environment, a shallow marine setting with moderate energy. The main steps of the paleontological reconstruction of the fauna were recorded in scientific dissemination videos that are available on YouTube. In addition to contributing to the understanding of the taxonomic identity of the Cambaí Grande fauna, it is hoped that the videos will spark the interest of the general public, highlighting the importance of fossils for understanding evolution and inspiring the idea that science can be understood in much ways, such as Paleoart.