Early Eocene infructescences from Argentine Patagonia expand the biogeography of Malvoideae.

PREMISE: Fossil infructescences and isolated fruits with characters of Malvoideae, a subfamily of Malvaceae (mallow family), were collected from early Eocene sediments in Chubut, Argentina. The main goals of this research are to describe and place these fossils systematically, and to explore their biogeographical implications. METHODS: Fossils were collected at the Laguna del Hunco site, Huitrera Formation, Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina. They were prepared, photographed, and compared with extant and fossil infructescences and fruits of various families using herbarium material and literature. RESULTS: The infructescences are panicles with alternate arrangement of fruits. They bear the fruits on short pedicels that are subtended by a bract; the fruits display an infracarpelar disk and split to the base into five ovate sections interpreted as mericarps. Each mericarp is characterized by an acute apex and the presence of a longitudinal ridge. The isolated fruits show the same features as those on the infructescences. The fossils share unique features with members of the cosmopolitan family Malvaceae, subfamily Malvoideae. CONCLUSIONS: The fossils have a unique combination of characters that does not conform to any previously described genus, justifying the erection of a new genus and species, Uiher karuen. This new taxon constitutes the first known Malvoideae reproductive fossils of the Southern Hemisphere, expanding the distribution of Malvoideae during the early Eocene.

Fish and tips: Historical and projected changes in commercial fish species' habitat suitability in the Southern Hemisphere.

Global warming has significantly altered fish distribution patterns in the ocean, shifting towards higher latitudes and deeper waters. This is particularly relevant in high-latitude marine ecosystems, where climate-driven environmental changes are occurring at higher rates than the global average. Species Distribution Models (SDMs) are increasingly being used for predicting distributional shifts in habitat suitability for marine species as a response to climate change. Here, we used SDMs to project habitat suitability changes for a range of high-latitude, pelagic and benthopelagic commercial fish species and crustaceans (10 species); from 1850 to two future climate change scenarios (SSP1-2.6: low climate forcing; and SSP5-8.5: high climate forcing). The study includes 11 Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) spanning South America, Southern Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. We identified declining and southward-shifting patterns in suitable habitat areas for most species, particularly under the SSP5-8.5 scenario and for some species such as Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) in South America, or snoek (Thyrsites atun) off Southern Africa. Geographical constraints will likely result in species from Southern Africa, Australia, and New Zealand facing the most pronounced habitat losses due to rising sea surface temperatures (SST). In contrast, South American species might encounter greater opportunities for migrating southward. Additionally, the SSP5-8.5 scenario predicts that South America will be more environmentally stable compared to other regions. Overall, our findings suggest that the Patagonian shelf could serve as a climate refuge, due to higher environmental stability highlighting the importance of proactive management strategies in this area for species conservation. This study significantly contributes to fisheries and conservation management, providing valuable insights for future protection efforts in the Southern Hemisphere.

New insights into the reproduction and migration of the porbeagle shark Lamna nasus (Bonnaterre 1788) in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean.

The objective of this study was to estimate the reproductive parameters of porbeagle shark in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean and thus characterize the adult fraction of this population. Therefore, 1012 specimens were measured by scientific observers on board the commercial trawl fleet operating south of 50° S. The size range of the specimens was from 77 to 292 cm fork length (LF). The mean size at maturity was estimated to be 153 cm LF for males and 172 cm LF for females. Porbeagle shark catches were recorded throughout the year, with the highest frequency occurring between November and June. The presence of pregnant females was observed from December to July, along with an increase in the average size of embryos in each litter. The information presented in this study improves the knowledge of the reproductive biology and allows to propose a migratory pattern of adult porbeagle females in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. The likely seasonal increase in vulnerability of this shark to austral trawl fishery, despite all conservation management measures established in Argentina, underscores the importance of promoting its proper management and conservation given the need to improve understanding of porbeagle population dynamics in the Southern Hemisphere.

Concentration of fifty-six elements in excreta of penguins from the Antarctic Peninsula area.

Seabird feces as indicators of the exposure to environmental contaminants have been studied worldwide. Penguins are indicator species for marine pollution, but their role as biovectors of rare earth elements (REEs) to ecosystems have been little studied. The present study quantified the concentration of REEs and trace elements (TEs) in feces of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua). Adult penguin excreta from Fildes Bay (King George Island) and Yelcho Base (Palmer Archipelago) were collected and then analyzed by ICP-MS. Among REEs, levels ranged from 0.0038 to 1.02 µg g-1 d.w. for Lu and Ce, respectively. For TEs, the levels varied widely through the sample set, with Al, Fe, Sr, Zn and Ti as the highest mean levels, particularly at Fildes Bay. The data show that gentoo penguins act as a biovector organism by transporting TEs and REEs from the sea to land via excreta, reaffirming that this species acts as an important biovector organism in Antarctic ecosystems. The potential impacts of this process on Antarctic ecosystems needs further research.

Differentiation of influenza B lineages circulating in different regions of Brazil, 2014-2016, using molecular assay.

Background: Two antigenically and genetically distinct lineages of influenza B viruses (B/Victoria and B/Yamagata) have been co-circulating worldwide since 2002. Virological surveillance is essential to differentiate between both lineages with a view to the annual updating of the B component for the trivalent or quadrivalent influenza vaccine composition. Methods: The samples analyzed in the present study were collected by influenza sentinel units located in the Southeast, Midwest, North, and Northeast regions of Brazil, part of the National Influenza Virus Surveillance Network, coordinated by the Ministry of Health of Brazil. A total of 870 influenza B positive samples by reverse transcription real - time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), collected during 2014, 2015, and 2016 influenza seasons, were submitted to the influenza B lineage genotyping panel for characterization as B/Yamagata or Victoria lineages using RT-qPCR. Results: Of the 197 samples analyzed in 2014, a total of 160 (81 %) corresponded to the B/Yamagata lineage, 19 (10 %) to the B/Victoria lineage, and 18 (9 %) to indeterminate lineages. Of the 190 samples analyzed in 2015, a total of 124 (65 %) corresponded to the B/Yamagata lineage; 55 (29 %) to the B/Victoria lineage, whereas 11 (6 %) were of indeterminate lineages. Of the 483 samples analyzed in 2016, a total of 297 (62 %) corresponded to the B /Victoria lineage; 174 (36 %) to the B/Yamagata lineage and 12 (2 %) to indeterminate lineages. This cross-sectional study revealed influenza B virus (IBV) infection in all age groups, and among them, the highest prevalence was observed in individuals between 11 and 49 years of age Our findings demonstrate the match between influenza B virus lineages recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the trivalent vaccine composition to be used in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) and the predominant circulating viruses during the 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons.

Semen Quality and Freezability Analyses in the Ejaculates of Two Poitou Donkeys in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Baudet du Poitou is a vanishing donkey breed recognized for engendering robust working mules. In Chile, only two pure breed Poitou males exist, which belong to the Chilean army and are used for mule production. We performed an extensive sperm and seminal analysis of these two jackasses aged 3 and 6 years and investigated the use of a simple hypometabolic extender for sperm cryopreservation. Computer-assisted sperm analysis showed high motility, velocity, and linearity in sperm movement. The seminal plasma analysis revealed that sodium and chloride were the main electrolytes, and globulins were the main metabolites. Active and variable enzymatic activity was observed. New information is reported about gamma-glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, zinc, and magnesium concentrations in seminal plasma of Poitou donkeys. Ejaculates among jackasses showed some variability due to individual variability and different stages in sexual maturation according to age. The freezability index analysis based in viability, total motility and progressive motility with Botucrio extender (57.1 ± 11.0%; 56.6 ± 20.0%; and 22.6 ± 10.3%, respectively) were significantly higher (p < 0.05, p < 0.0001, and p < 0.0001, respectively) than with HM-0 extender (42,6 ± 11.4%; 14.9 ± 5.1%; and 1.0 ± 2.5%, respectively). We report new information on Poitou donkey semen and cryopreservation in the Southern Hemisphere that could be useful in donkey breeding and conservation programs to develop strategies that improve the effectiveness of population management of this breed.

Thaxterogaster revisited: A phylogenetic and taxonomic overview of sequestrate Cortinarius from Patagonia.

In the Patagonian region, Cortinarius is the most diverse and abundant genus of ectomycorrhizal fungi with at least 250 species. Sequestrate forms were until recently documented within the genus Thaxterogaster, a genus now known to be polyphyletic, and many were consequently transferred to Cortinarius. Original descriptions were mostly available in German and Spanish and interpretations of morphological structures outdated. Despite recent advances in Cortinarius systematics, the current classification, diversity, and ecology of sequestrate "cortinarioid" fungi in Patagonia remain unclear. The objective of this study was to provide an update on sequestrate Cortinarius of southern South America. We documented each species with morphological descriptions, photographs, basidiospore scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, and molecular characterization using nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS) and nuc 28S rDNA (28S) sequence data. Original descriptions of taxa were also translated to English and revised based on fresh collections. We documented 24 species from Patagonia based on molecular data and conducted morphological and phylogenetic analysis for 18 previously described species based on type and reference specimens. In addition, we formally described two new species. Four additional taxa were provisionally determined as new but require further study. New ITS sequence data were produced from eight type specimens. We also provide a new name, Cortinarius gloiodes, nom. nov., for the taxon previously described as Thaxterogaster gliocyclus. In addition to the species treated in detail, we provided additional reference information and discussion on six described species that remained incompletely known or for which no recent collections were found. Of the 24 taxa documented from Patagonia, 15 species were assigned to 12 current sections in the genus Cortinarius. Analysis of spore ultrastructure showed that sequestrate forms of Patagonian Cortinarius lack a true perisporium.

Radiocarbon bomb-peak signal in tree-rings from the tropical Andes register low latitude atmospheric dynamics in the Southern Hemisphere.

South American tropical climate is strongly related to the tropical low-pressure belt associated with the South American monsoon system. Despite its central societal role as a modulating agent of rainfall in tropical South America, its long-term dynamical variability is still poorly understood. Here we combine a new (and world's highest) tree-ring 14C record from the Altiplano plateau in the central Andes with other 14C records from the Southern Hemisphere during the second half of the 20th century in order to elucidate the latitudinal gradients associated with the dissemination of the bomb 14C signal. Our tree-ring 14C record faithfully captured the bomb signal of the 1960's with an excellent match to atmospheric 14C measured in New Zealand but with significant differences with a recent record from Southeast Brazil located at almost equal latitude. These results imply that the spreading of the bomb signal throughout the Southern Hemisphere was a complex process that depended on atmospheric dynamics and surface topography generating reversals on the expected north-south gradient in certain years. We applied air-parcel modeling based on climate data to disentangle their different geographical provenances and their preformed (reservoir affected) radiocarbon content. We found that air parcel trajectories arriving at the Altiplano during the bomb period were sourced i) from the boundary layer in contact with the Pacific Ocean (41%), ii) from the upper troposphere (air above the boundary layer, with no contact with oceanic or continental carbon reservoirs) (38%) and iii) from the Amazon basin (21%). Based on these results we estimated the ∆14C endmember values for the different carbon reservoirs affecting our record which suggest that the Amazon basin biospheric 14C isoflux could have been reversed from negative to positive as early as the beginning of the 1970's. This would imply a much faster carbon turnover rate in the Amazon than previously modelled.

Black and organic carbon fractions in fine particulate matter by sectors in the South Hemisphere emissions for decision-making on climate change and health effects.

Some databases report global emissions of certain pollutants. Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) project is one of these, which also records emissions by sources. In this study, the emissions of black and organic carbon and fine particulate matter from the EDGAR database were used as an input to process it in the Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) model. We showed the spatial distribution of the fraction of black and organic carbon in particulate matter from each source in the Southern Hemisphere. Also, we extracted these ratios for several cities in the domain of analysis. The results and methodology of this study could improve the emission inventories with bottom-up methodology in areas without information located at Southern Hemisphere. Also, it could be relevant to obtain better performance in air quality modeling at the local level for decision-making on climate change and health effects.

Six hundred years of South American tree rings reveal an increase in severe hydroclimatic events since mid-20th century.

South American (SA) societies are highly vulnerable to droughts and pluvials, but lack of long-term climate observations severely limits our understanding of the global processes driving climatic variability in the region. The number and quality of SA climate-sensitive tree ring chronologies have significantly increased in recent decades, now providing a robust network of 286 records for characterizing hydroclimate variability since 1400 CE. We combine this network with a self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) dataset to derive the South American Drought Atlas (SADA) over the continent south of 12°S. The gridded annual reconstruction of austral summer scPDSI is the most spatially complete estimate of SA hydroclimate to date, and well matches past historical dry/wet events. Relating the SADA to the Australia-New Zealand Drought Atlas, sea surface temperatures and atmospheric pressure fields, we determine that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) are strongly associated with spatially extended droughts and pluvials over the SADA domain during the past several centuries. SADA also exhibits more extended severe droughts and extreme pluvials since the mid-20th century. Extensive droughts are consistent with the observed 20th-century trend toward positive SAM anomalies concomitant with the weakening of midlatitude Westerlies, while low-level moisture transport intensified by global warming has favored extreme rainfall across the subtropics. The SADA thus provides a long-term context for observed hydroclimatic changes and for 21st-century Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projections that suggest SA will experience more frequent/severe droughts and rainfall events as a consequence of increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

Storyline description of Southern Hemisphere midlatitude circulation and precipitation response to greenhouse gas forcing.

As evidence of climate change strengthens, knowledge of its regional implications becomes an urgent need for decision making. Current understanding of regional precipitation changes is substantially limited by our understanding of the atmospheric circulation response to climate change, which to a high degree remains uncertain. This uncertainty is reflected in the wide spread in atmospheric circulation changes projected in multimodel ensembles, which cannot be directly interpreted in a probabilistic sense. The uncertainty can instead be represented by studying a discrete set of physically plausible storylines of atmospheric circulation changes. By mining CMIP5 model output, here we take this broader perspective and develop storylines for Southern Hemisphere (SH) midlatitude circulation changes, conditioned on the degree of global-mean warming, based on the climate responses of two remote drivers: the enhanced warming of the tropical upper troposphere and the strengthening of the stratospheric polar vortex. For the three continental domains in the SH, we analyse the precipitation changes under each storyline. To allow comparison with previous studies, we also link both circulation and precipitation changes with those of the Southern Annular Mode. Our results show that the response to tropical warming leads to a strengthening of the midlatitude westerly winds, whilst the response to a delayed breakdown (for DJF) or strengthening (for JJA) of the stratospheric vortex leads to a poleward shift of the westerly winds and the storm tracks. However, the circulation response is not zonally symmetric and the regional precipitation storylines for South America, South Africa, South of Australia and New Zealand exhibit quite specific dependencies on the two remote drivers, which are not well represented by changes in the Southern Annular Mode.

The Biogeographic Importance of Buoyancy in Macroalgae: A Case Study of the Southern Bull-Kelp Genus Durvillaea (Phaeophyceae), Including Descriptions of Two New Species1.

Long-distance dispersal plays a key role in evolution, facilitating allopatric divergence, range expansions, and species movement in response to environmental change. Even species that seem poorly suited to dispersal can sometimes travel long distances, for example via hitchhiking with other, more intrinsically dispersive species. In marine macroalgae, buoyancy can enable adults-and diverse hitchhikers-to drift long distances, but the evolution and role of this trait are poorly understood. The southern bull-kelp genus Durvillaea includes several non-buoyant and buoyant species, including some that have only recently been recognized. In revising the genus, we not only provide updated identification tools and describe two new species (D. incurvata comb. nov. from Chile and D. fenestrata sp. nov. from the Antipodes Islands), but also carry out biogeographic analyses to determine the evolutionary history of buoyancy in the genus. Although the ancestral state was resolved as non-buoyant, the distribution of species suggests that this trait has been both gained and lost, possibly more than once. We conclude that although buoyancy is a trait that can be useful for dispersal (creating evolutionary pressure for its gain), there is also evolutionary pressure for its loss as it restricts species to narrow environmental ranges (i.e., shallow depths).

Heterogeneity in influenza seasonality and vaccine effectiveness in Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa: early estimates of the 2019 influenza season.

We compared 2019 influenza seasonality and vaccine effectiveness (VE) in four southern hemisphere countries: Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. Influenza seasons differed in timing, duration, intensity and predominant circulating viruses. VE estimates were also heterogeneous, with all-ages point estimates ranging from 7-70% (I2: 33%) for A(H1N1)pdm09, 4-57% (I2: 49%) for A(H3N2) and 29-66% (I2: 0%) for B. Caution should be applied when attempting to use southern hemisphere data to predict the northern hemisphere influenza season.

In Colombia the Eurasian fungus Amanita muscaria is expanding its range into native, tropical Quercus humboldtii forests.

To meet a global demand for timber, tree plantations were established in South America during the first half of the 20th century. Extensive plantings of non-native species now are found in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. In Colombia, miscellaneous plantations were established in the 1950s, during a period of intensive local logging, when policies to limit deforestation in native Quercus humboldtii forests were established. One unforeseen consequence of planting non-native trees was the simultaneous introduction and subsequent persistence of ectomycorrhizal fungi. We sought to document the origins and spread of the introduced Amanita muscaria found in Colombian plantations of the Mexican species Pinus patula, North American species P. taeda, and Australian species Acacia melanoxylon and Eucalyptus globulus. In Colombia, Amanita muscaria is establishing a novel association with native Q. humboldtii and has spread to local Q. humboldtii forests. According to a Bayesian phylogeny and haplotype analysis based on the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8-ITS2 (ITS barcode), A. muscaria individuals found in four exotic plant species, and those colonizing Q. humboldtii roots, have a Eurasian origin and belong to two Eurasian haplotypes. This is the first time the spread of an introduced mutualist fungus into native Colombian Q. humboldtii forests is reported. To arrest its spread, we suggest the use of local inocula made up of native fungi, instead of inocula of introduced fungi.

First assessment of persistent organic pollutant contamination in blubber of Chilean blue whales from Isla de Chiloé, southern Chile.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were assessed for the first time in blue whales from the South Pacific Ocean. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its main metabolites (DDTs), were determined in 40 blubber samples from 36 free-ranging individuals and one stranded, dead animal along the coast of southern Chile between 2011 and 2013. PCBs were the most abundant pollutants (2.97-975 ng/g l.w.), followed by DDTs (3.50-537 ng/g l.w.), HCB (nd-77.5 ng/g l.w.) and PBDEs (nd-33.4 ng/g l.w). There was evidence of differences between sexes, with lower loads in females potentially due to pollutants passing to calves. POP concentrations were higher in specimens sampled in 2013; yet, between-year differences were only statistically significant for HCB and PBDEs. Lower chlorinated (penta > tetra > tri) and brominated (tetra > tri) congeners were the most prevalent among PCBs and PBDEs, respectively, mostly in agreement with findings previously reported in blue and other baleen whales. The present study provides evidence of lower levels of contamination by POPs in eastern South Pacific blue whales in comparison to those reported for the Northern Hemisphere.

The Gondwanan connection - Southern temperate Amanita lineages and the description of the first sequestrate species from the Americas.

Amanita is a diverse and cosmopolitan genus of ectomycorrhizal fungi. We describe Amanita nouhrae sp. nov., a new hypogeous ('truffle-like') species associated with Nothofagus antarctica in northern Patagonia. This constitutes the first report of a sequestrate Amanita from the Americas. Thick-walled basidiospores ornamented on the interior spore wall ('crassospores') were observed consistently in A. nouhrae and its sister epigeous taxon Amanita morenoi, a rarely collected but apparently common species from northern Patagonia that has sometimes been misidentified as the Australian taxon Amanita umbrinella. Nuclear 18S and 28S ribosomal DNA and mitochondrial 16S and 26S DNA placed these two species in a southern temperate clade within subgenus Amanita, together with other South American and Australian species. Based on a dated genus-level phylogeny, we estimate that the southern temperate clade may have originated near the Eocene/Oligocene boundary (ca. 35 Ma ± 10 Ma). This date suggests a broadly distributed ancestor in the Southern Hemisphere, which probably diversified as a result of continental drift, as well as the initiation of the Antarctic glaciation. By comparison, we show that this clade follows an exceptional biogeographic pattern within a genus otherwise seemingly dominated by Northern Hemisphere dispersal.

First record of Rhizoscyphus ericae in Southern Hemisphere's Ericaceae.

Ericoid mycorrhiza is arguably the least investigated mycorrhizal type, particularly when related to the number of potential hosts and the ecosystems they inhabit. Little is known about the global distribution of ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) fungi, and this holds true even for the prominent ErM mycobiont Rhizoscyphus ericae. Earlier studies suggested R. ericae might be low in abundance or absent in the roots of Southern Hemisphere's Ericaceae, and our previous investigations in two Argentine Patagonian forests supported this view. Here, we revisited the formerly investigated area, albeit at a higher altitude, and screened fungi inhabiting hair roots of Gaultheria caespitosa and Gaultheria pumila at a treeless alpine site using the same methods as previously. We obtained 234 isolates, most of them belonging to Ascomycota. In contrast to previous findings, however, among 37 detected operational taxonomic units (OTUs), OTU 1 (=R. ericae s. str.) comprised the highest number of isolates (87, ∼37 %). Most of the OTUs and isolates belonged to the Helotiales, and 82.5 % of isolates belonged to OTUs shared between both Gaultheria species. At the alpine site, ericoid mycorrhizal fungi dominated, followed by dark septate endophytes and aquatic hyphomycetes probably acting as root endophytes. Our results suggest that the distribution of R. ericae is influenced, among others, by factors related to altitude such as soil type and presence/absence and type of the neighboring vegetation. Our study is the first report on R. ericae colonizing Ericaceae roots in the Southern Hemisphere and extends the known range of this prominent ErM species to NW Patagonia.

UVER and UV index at high altitude in Northwestern Argentina.

Measurements of ultraviolet erythemal radiation (UVER) made during two years at three sites located at altitudes over 1000ma.s.l. in Northwestern Argentina (Salta, San Carlos, and El Rosal) have been used to estimate and analyze the UV Index (UVI) and the cumulative doses at these locations. For the UVER irradiance, data of January (maximum values) and June (minimum values) have been analyzed as representative of the year for all locations. The UVI reaches extreme (>11) values in >20% of the analyzed days in Salta (1190ma.s.l.), while these are reached in San Carlos (1611ma.s.l.) and El Rosal (3355ma.s.l.) in >40% of the analyzed days. Finally, the cumulative doses over an average year have also been studied for each location. The doses received during austral summer and autumn are of the same order, and represent one third of the annual dose, while the doses received during austral winter and spring represent one sixth of the annual dose approximately.

Preliminar results of paleontological salvage at Belo Monte Powerplant construction

Abstract In this paper some preliminary fossil specimens are presented. They represent a collection sampled by Belo Montes Programa de Salvamento do Patrimônio Paleontológico (PSPP), which includes unprecedented invertebrate fauna and fossil vertebrates from Pitinga, Jatapu, Manacapuru, Maecuru e Alter do Chão formations from Amazonas basin, Brazil. The Belo Monte paleontological salvage was able to recover 495 microfossil samples and 1744 macrofossil samples on 30 months of sampling activities, and it is still ongoing. The macrofossils identified are possible plant remains, ichnofossils, graptolites, brachiopods, molluscs, athropods, Agnatha, palynomorphs (miosphores, acritarchs, algae cysts, fungi spores and unidentified types) and unidentified fossils. However, deep scientific research is not part of the scope of the program, and this collection must be further studied by researchers who visit Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, where the fossils will be housed. More material will be collected until the end of the program. The collection sampled allows a mosaic composition with the necessary elements to assign, in later papers, taxonomic features which may lead to accurate species identification and palaeoenvironmental interpretations.

Resumo Neste artigo são apresentados de forma preliminar alguns espécimes fósseis representativos do acervo coletado no Programa de Salvamento do Patrimônio Paleontológico (PSPP) da UHE Belo Monte, que inclui fauna vertebrada e invertebrada inédita das formações Pitinga, Jatapu, Manacapuru, Maecuru e Alter do Chão, da bacia do Amazonas, Brasil. No salvamento paleontológico de Belo Monte foi possível recuperar 495 amostras para microfósseis e 1744 amostras com macrofósseis em 30 meses de amostragem, que ainda continua em andamento. Os macrofósseis identificados são possíveis restos de plantas, icnofósseis, graptolitos, braquiópodes, moluscos, artópodes, Agnatha, palinomorfos (miósporos, acritarcas, cistos de alga, esporos de fungo e tipos indeterminados) além de fósseis não identificados. No entanto, pesquisa científica aprofundada não é parte do escopo do programa, e esta coleção deve ser estudada no futuro por pesquisadores pela visita ao Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, onde os fósseis ficarão depositados. Mais material será coletado até o fim de 2015. A assemblagem coletada permite a composição de mosaico com elementos necessários para a definição, em artigos futuros, características taxonômicas que levarão à identificação precisa de espécies e interpretações paleoambientais.