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First report of a morulated Ascaridoidea (Nematoda) egg in an avian coprolite from the Paleogene of the Paraíba Valley, State of São Paulo, Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2024

G. Macêdo do Carmo Open the ORCID record for G. Macêdo do Carmo [Opens in a new window] ,
A. Hadassa da Silva Guilherme Luiz Open the ORCID record for A. Hadassa da Silva Guilherme Luiz [Opens in a new window] ,
J.F. Passos Open the ORCID record for J.F. Passos [Opens in a new window] ,
S. de Souza Lima Open the ORCID record for S. de Souza Lima [Opens in a new window] ,
Hermínio I. de Araújo-Júnior Open the ORCID record for Hermínio I. de Araújo-Júnior [Opens in a new window]  and
F.B. Pereira Open the ORCID record for F.B. Pereira [Opens in a new window]
G. Macêdo do Carmo*
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Presidente Antônio Carlos Ave., 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
A. Hadassa da Silva Guilherme Luiz
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, José Lourenço Kelmer Str., 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
J.F. Passos
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Presidente Antônio Carlos Ave., 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
S. de Souza Lima
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, José Lourenço Kelmer Str., 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
Hermínio I. de Araújo-Júnior
Affiliation:
Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Geologia, São Francisco Xavier Str., 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
F.B. Pereira
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Presidente Antônio Carlos Ave., 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
*
Corresponding author: G. Macêdo do Carmo; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Ascaridoidea (Nematoda) is a widespread superfamily of nematodes that comprises gastrointestinal parasites from all major groups of vertebrates. Although this taxon probably emerged in the Carboniferous, its Brazilian fossil record includes mostly eggs, found in ancient remains, collected in paleontological and archeological sites from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras. The Tremembé Formation (Oligocene of the Taubaté Basin) has become an important source for paleoparasitological studies in avian coprolites during the third decade of the 21st century, with reports of eggs only at only a single cell stage, of embryonic development. Here we present the first egg of Ascaridoidea preserved containing morula, from a bird coprolite recovered from the shales of the Tremembé Formation. Three coprolites, from the outcrop of Aligra Comércio de Argila S/A, Taubaté municipality (State of São Paulo), were rehydrated and subjected to spontaneous sedimentation. Based on morphological and morphometric features and diet and zoopaleontological context, the trace fossils were assigned to piscivorous birds. The egg found showed morphological characteristics typical of Ascaridoidea: namely spherical form, ornamented, and somewhat thick shell. Moreover, this superfamily includes several taxa that infect piscivorous birds and fish in heteroxenous life cycles and produce eggs with similar features as the egg found in the present study. The paleoparasitological information associated with the paleofaunistic diversity of birds and fish from the Tremembé Formation, reveal that the ancient Brazilian paleoenvironments provided subsidies for the rise and success of nematodes infecting these animals during the Paleogene.

Keywords

OligocenehelminthnematodaparasiteTremembé FormationTaubaté Basin
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 98 , 2024 , e60
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

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