TY - JOUR
T1 - Late Cretaceous mosasaurids of northeastern Brazil
T2 - a summary of their record and a paleobiogeographical survey
AU - Candeiro, Carlos Roberto A.
AU - Foffa, Davide
AU - Brusatte, Stephen L.
AU - Fernández, Marta
AU - Filho, José Alexandre Diniz
AU - Vidal, Luciano S.
AU - Dias, Tamires Do Carmo
AU - Lima, Isabela
AU - Silva, Tatiane
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025, Servicio Nacional de Geologia y Mineria. All rights reserved.
PY - 2025/1/1
Y1 - 2025/1/1
N2 - The coastal region of northeastern Brazil holds one of the most important records of mosasaurids from the Late Cretaceous of South America. Analysis of these discoveries allowed us to create a picture of the composition of the fauna, as well as the diversity and paleobiogeography of these clades. In the region, the mosasaurid fossils are contained in Cenomanian to Maastrichtian geological units of epicontinental marine origin, in the Cotinguiba (Sergipe-Alagoas Basin), Alcântara (São Luís Basin), Itamaracá (Paraíba Basin), Calumbi (Sergipe-Alagoas Basin), and Gramame (Paraíba Basin) formations. Paleogeographic data corroborate that these deposits represent low-latitude equatorial environments. The Brazilian fauna is represented by fourteen taxa from one family (Mosasauridae), two subfamilies (Mosasaurinae: Prognathodontini, Globidensini and Mosasaurini; Plioplatecarpinae: Plioplatecarpini), and some indeterminate mosasaurid specimens. Mosasaurids from the northeastern region of Brazil resemble Late Cretaceous marine reptiles from western Africa (Angola, Congo, and Morocco), suggesting faunal continuity in the seaway that bridged these areas. The study of this marine fauna is crucial to understanding the evolutionary and paleobiogeographic history of the group during the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean.
AB - The coastal region of northeastern Brazil holds one of the most important records of mosasaurids from the Late Cretaceous of South America. Analysis of these discoveries allowed us to create a picture of the composition of the fauna, as well as the diversity and paleobiogeography of these clades. In the region, the mosasaurid fossils are contained in Cenomanian to Maastrichtian geological units of epicontinental marine origin, in the Cotinguiba (Sergipe-Alagoas Basin), Alcântara (São Luís Basin), Itamaracá (Paraíba Basin), Calumbi (Sergipe-Alagoas Basin), and Gramame (Paraíba Basin) formations. Paleogeographic data corroborate that these deposits represent low-latitude equatorial environments. The Brazilian fauna is represented by fourteen taxa from one family (Mosasauridae), two subfamilies (Mosasaurinae: Prognathodontini, Globidensini and Mosasaurini; Plioplatecarpinae: Plioplatecarpini), and some indeterminate mosasaurid specimens. Mosasaurids from the northeastern region of Brazil resemble Late Cretaceous marine reptiles from western Africa (Angola, Congo, and Morocco), suggesting faunal continuity in the seaway that bridged these areas. The study of this marine fauna is crucial to understanding the evolutionary and paleobiogeographic history of the group during the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean.
KW - Distribution
KW - Late Cretaceous
KW - Marine reptiles
KW - Northeastern Brazil
U2 - 10.5027/andgeov52n1-3333
DO - 10.5027/andgeov52n1-3333
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:105004674921
SN - 0718-7092
VL - 52
SP - 150
EP - 161
JO - Andean Geology
JF - Andean Geology
IS - 1
ER -