Sandro Marcelo Scheffler

Volume of the 29th Brazilian Congress of Paleontology

Brazilian invertebrate fossils in American collections. Large areas of fossiliferous sedimentary rocks with an abundance of macroinvertebrates are found in Brazilian territory, especially in the Paleozoic layers of the three largest intracratonic basins in Brazil: Paraná, Amazonas and Parnaíba. Between the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, large expeditions to the interior of Brazil took place, collecting a significant number of specimens. Some of these expeditions were led by American researchers, and at the end of these expeditions, the collected material was sent to the United States of America, either to be deposited permanently in the collection of that country or on loan. The objective of this study was to survey the Brazilian specimens currently held in three collections: the National Museum of Natural History/Smithsonian Insti- tution, the New York State Museum and the Cincinnati Museum Center. More than 2,000 Brazilian specimens were found, with ages ranging from the Silurian to the Cenozoic. These represent a valuable collection of scientific and historical importance. The study of this material, combined with the possibility of comparing it with material from other parts of the world, which these collections also have, provides a unique opportunity for refined taxonomic identification and, consequently, unprecedented paleobiogeographic and paleoenvironmental inferences about Gondwana and its relations with different parts of the globe. Finally, it is worth noting that all the material presented here left Brazil legally.

Pteriomorph bivalves constituted an important and diverse group within marine palaeocommunities of Western Gondwana during the Silurian–Devonian, being represented by the genera Actinopteria, Lepto...

Established in 1818, the National Museum [Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (MN)] is the oldest scientific institution in Brazil and one of the most significant repositories of Natural History Collections in the Global South. This article provides an updated overview of the current status of Natural History Collections in the MN (organized into five major areas: Entomology, Invertebrates, Vertebrates, Botany, and Palaeontology) in the aftermath of the devastating 2018 fire that affected drastically the MN palace, herein called Paço de São Cristovão. We highlight important post-disaster actions, such as the rescue of items within the Paço de São Cristovão, staff rearrangements, collection donations, and the publishing of the Collection Management Policy of Museu Nacional. In 2024, six years after the disaster, the MN opened new modular buildings with laboratories, working cabinets, and collection storage facilities, in a new campus (Campus de Pesquisa e Ensino do Museu Nacional/UFRJ). We also discuss recent advances in digitization efforts, which include photographs, particularly concerning historical and type specimens, implementation of an institutional collection management program, and the establishment of the Laboratory of Digital Collections, Museu Nacional (COLDIGI/MN), a hub for digital infrastructure development and planning. These initiatives reaffirm the commitment by MN to best practices in both physical and digital curation, aimed at enhancing research, preservation, and public access to its collections. The trajectory of the Museum demonstrates that resilience, combined with knowledge, skills, and shared dedication, can transform tragedy into a powerful opportunity for institutional strengthening and global scientific leadership.

The Pirabas Formation, a representative geological unit of the Brazilian marine Cenozoic, assembles a rich and diverse fossil record, which includes Comatulida crinoids, components of the faunal assembly of the Pirabas Sea. Samples from the B-17 Mine outcropping, Municipality of Capanema, and the Atalaia Beach, Municipality of Salinópolis, Pará State were analyzed, and hundreds of disarticulated ossicles of crinoid comatulids were found. Centrodorsals of crinoids of the species Sievertsella polonica Radwanska, Discometra rhodanica (Fontannes), of the genus Kiimetra Shibata & Oji, and the family ?Zygometridae were herein identified. The taxa have affinities with those already recorded in the Miocene of the Caribbean biogeographic province and are consistent with the faunal interchange that has existed between the Tropical East Pacific and the Tropical West Atlantic regions. The material suggests the Pirabas Sea as a center of origin for some taxa, while also strengthening possible connections from the Atlantic to the Central Paratethys, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean. Keywords: Pirabas Sea, Cenozoic, Miocene, echinoderms, crinoids, paleobiogeography.

Beurlenia araripensis was described in 1991 based on a single specimen recovered from the Crato Formation, Araripe Basin, with the type specimen deposited in the Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro in 2001. Following the 2018 fire at the museum the holotype was presumed lost, but it was recovered during rescue operations between 2018 and 2022, and fortuitously recognized in 2024. The original description, based on an almost complete specimen, lacked key diagnostic features, which has led to systematic uncertainties. A recent recovery of exceptionally well-preserved specimens, including material repatriated from France, allows for a reevaluation of the species' morphology and systematic status. These new specimens, combined with earlier analyses, provide more detailed insights into key characters, particularly the rostrum and carapacial tooth position. The present analysis clarifies the morphology of B. araripensis, leading to an updated diagnosis of the genus and a comprehensive comparison with related Palaemonidae genera.