Taxonomic diversity of euripterids in the palaeozoic basins of Brazil: Implications for the evolution of the group in Gondwana

• Grant number: 24/17495-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Paleozoology
• Principal Investigator: Renato Pirani Ghilardi
• Grantee: Mateus Bocate Franco
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Eurypterids, also known as 'sea scorpions,' are extinct arthropods belonging to the subphylum Chelicerata, which dominated marine environments during the Paleozoic. Despite the vast geographical distribution of these organisms, records in Gondwana, particularly in Brazil, remain fragmented and under-studied, limiting our understanding of the diversity of these organisms. The present study aims to fill this gap by reviewing the fossil records of eurypterids in the main Paleozoic intracratonic basins of Brazil and describing new specimens found in recent campaigns in the Paraná and Parecis Basins. Furthermore, this study seeks to contextualize the Brazilian fossils within a broader paleobiogeographical perspective by investigating the dispersal routes of these organisms in Gondwana. A detailed analysis of the samples will enable a better understanding of the evolution and decline of eurypterids in the Devonian, contributing to knowledge about the environmental dynamics of the time and its implications for marine biodiversity.