TAXONOMIC, SYSTEMATIC, AND PALEOECOLOGIC REVIEW OF GONORYNCHIFORMES FROM THE QUIRICÓ FORMATION, AREADO GROUP, LOWER CRETACEOUS, SÃO FRANCISCO BASIN, BRAZIL.
Fossil fish, phylogenetic systematics, Quiricó Formation, Gonorynchiformes, taxonomy
This text comprises the Doctoral Qualifying Exam which will be presented in three documents: 1. Updated Research Proposal, 2. Draft of the first manuscript entitled "GONORYNCHIFORMES FROM THE QUIRICÓ FORMATION, SÃO FRANCISCO BASIN, STATE OF MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL: DESCRIPTION, TAXONOMY, AND PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS," 3. Draft of the second manuscript entitled "PALEOECOLOGY, PALEOENVIRONMENT, AND CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHY OF GONORYNCHIFORMES PRESERVED IN PAPYRACEOUS SHALES OF THE QUIRICÓ FORMATION, LOWER CRETACEOUS, SÃO FRANCISCO BASIN, MINAS GERAIS." The updated research proposal includes a general introduction to the paleozoology of Dastilbe moraesi Silva-Santos, 1955, project justification, general and specific objectives, preliminary results, work plan with schedule, and bibliographic references and annexes. As for the preliminary results, it is worth noting that they are presented briefly since they are detailed in the drafts of the manuscripts being prepared. The draft of the first manuscript deals with the taxonomic description and systematic review of Dastilbe moraesi Silva-Santos, 1955. Although the species has been widely studied, complete information on its anatomy and its relationships with other Gonorynchiformes species is lacking. Therefore, this study is based on new evidence collected and analyzed between 2020-2022, which will be added to this taxonomic study and the phylogenetic relationships of Gonorynchiformes (Annex I). The draft of the second manuscript refers to the study of the paleoenvironment and paleoecological relationships of Dastilbe moraesi Silva-Santos, 1955, based on unpublished discoveries such as the record of stomach contents exceptionally preserved in papyraceous shales, containing a high-density mass inside the fossilized fish Dastilbe moraesi Silva-Santos, 1955. These fossils were compressedly preserved along with papyraceous shales of the Quiricó Formation, Lower Cretaceous, São Francisco Basin, Aptian of Brazil. Images obtained by microtomography and geochemical tests indicate that this mass is related to the stomach contents.