Metrics details We report the first occurrence of microfossils in Ediacaran strata of the Camaquã Basin The assemblage includes simple (Leiosphaeridia sp predominantly) and ornamented acritarchs associated with microbial mats They are related to the Ediacaran Complex Acanthomorph Palynoflora (ECAP) and Late Ediacaran Leiosphere Palynoflora (LELP) due to the similar morphology and time interval assigned to those assemblages though the observed specimens are a lot simpler and less diversified this case study reports Neoproterozoic cosmopolitan communities living in marine (basal unit) and lacustrine (middle units) settings Fossils within non-marine strata in the Precambrian record are rare this first finding of microfossils in the Camaquã Basin constitutes a new piece of the puzzle related to the history of the Panafrican-Brasiliano basins and shed some light on possible settings where the Ediacaran eukaryotes have evolved Given the particular importance of Neoproterozoic biota for the comprehension of the spreading of life across diverse ecological niches we register the first occurrence of Ediacaran organic-walled microfossils preserved in fine-grained siliciclastic strata of the Camaquã Basin most of the forms are simple and low-diversity but related to both marine and lacustrine settings hence representing cosmopolitan microorganisms Photomicrograph of sedimentary features and microfossil content (A) Fine-grained facies of Maricá Group seen under natural light showing a sphaeromorph acritarch (red arrow) and carbonate cement around the grains; (B) Fine-grained facies form Maricá Group seen under polarized light showing a sphaeromorph acritarch (red arrow) grains trapped (yellow arrows) by filamentous bacterial mats (blue arrows) and carbonate cement around the grains (green arrows) (C) Simple spherical microfossil (red arrow) and silt grains involved by filamentous bacterial mats (blue arrow) in the fine-grained facies of the Bom Jardim Group; (D) Siltstone of the Santa Bárbara Group displaying aligned grains of mica (yellow arrow) and opaque rounded microfossil (red arrow) inside a fossilized microbial mat Described palynological slides are kept in the Museu de História Geológica do Rio Grande do Sul - MHGEO – Unisinos Brazil – and assigned numbers according to the collection (ULVG – UNISINOS/Laboratório de História da Vida e da Terra - Lavigea) Location and geographic coordinates for each sample are presented in the Supplementary File One hundred forty nine complete specimens and dozens of fragments of sphaeromorphs were extracted from mudstones of the Maricá Bom Jardim and Santa Bárbara outcrops (see Supplementary File - Table ST1) commonly folded vesicles with smooth to shagrinate or granular wall surface The Camaquã Basin palynomorphs includes more than one leiosphaerid species but it is impossible to assert which species because the poor preservational quality precludes the identification of wall internal details and thickness Based on the size of the recovered specimens it is possible to associate then with two potential species: L the lack of diagnostic features about wall-thickness within this group of acritarchs makes difficult to ascribe them to species level acid-resistant microfossils consisting of spherical to sub-spherical vesicle bearing numerous hollow cylindrical processes distributed around the vesicle outline The processes are more or less of equal size (in a single specimen) differing in number between specimens and not very evenly distributed Six complete and dozens of fragmented vesicles appear in palynological material extracted from mudstones of the Maricá acid-resistant microfossils consisting of originally spherical to sub-spherical vesicles irregular in outline ornamented with long Diameter ranging from 50 to 150 µm and spines ranging from 10 to 20 µm The name derives from Latin irregularis – irregular Type species Lophosphaeridium rarum Timofeev Twenty-six entire and dozens of fragmented specimens extracted from mudstones of the Maricá Compactional folds present on some specimens The surface of the vesicle displays numerous tightly arranged small conical spines that are visible as evenly small hairs distributed around the vesicle outline Conical projections are approximately 10–15 µm long but it not possible to ascribe them to species level Type species Germinosphaera bispinosa Mikhailova Forty-two microfossils extracted from mudstones of Maricá acid-resistant spheroidal vesicles with one or more open-ended tubular and occasionally branched processes that communicate freely with the vesicle occasionally with a vase-shaped form with short or elongated processes The fine-grained strata of the Maricá Group record a short-distance transport of immature angular to sub-angular sediments deposited under wave action in a shallow marine setting (See Supplementary File) No micro (hematite coating) or macroscopic (desiccation cracks) features related to subaerial exposure were identified both Bom Jardim and Santa Bárbara groups also comprise immature short-distance transported sediments deposited in a subaqueous realm a much larger alluvial influence (relative to the Maricá Group) and associated hyperpycnal turbidity currents and rare (Bom Jardim Group) to common (Santa Bárbara Group) subaerial exposure of the depositional surface suggest continental deep- to shallow lacustrine settings (See Photographs in Supplementary File) eodiagenetic hematite coatings are widespread in both units Acritarchs view under transmitted light microscopy and (C) Santa Bárbara (sample ULVG 12511) groups; (D,E) Lophosphaeridium sp from (D) Maricá (sample ULVG 12518) and (E) Bom Jardim (sample 12495) groups; (F) Tanarium irregulare from Santa Bárbara Group (sample 12487); (G–J) original opaque (G) and illuminated (H) image and (J) Santa Bárbara (sample ULVG 12515) groups Acritarchs view on scanning electron microscopy from Maricá Group (sample ULVG 12509); (C,D) Leiosphaeridia sp (D) with filamentous bacteria from Bom Jardim Group (sample ULVG 12506); (E,F) Germinosphaera sp (F) from Santa Bárbara Group (sample ULVG 12508) with bacterial mats fragments Note folded microfossils due to compaction (B,C images) We demonstrate that the first find of body fossils in the Camaquã Basin add new information about the Ediacaran fossil record of South America and fill some gaps about microfossils existence and distribution in a Proto-Gondwana context Several Ediacaran basins as Nama (Namibia) Corumbá (Brazil) and others register body fossils related to ECAP and ELP assemblages Even simpler and less diversified that those assemblages the Camaquã Basin microfossils reported here include Camaquã Basin as hostess of Ediacaran life at southwestern Proto-Gondwana This time interval is compatible with the Santa Bárbara Group which reflect shallow-lacustrine conditions The first finding of body fossils in the Camaquã Basin adds new evidence about the Ediacaran fossil record of South America improves the dataset and complements the scenario of life within the Proto-Gondwana Based on their similar morphology and assigned time interval the reported microfossils could be ascribed to the Ediacaran Complex Acanthomorph Palynoflora (ECAP) and Late Ediacaran Leiosphere Palynoflora (LELP) even though the observed specimens are simpler and less diversified The finding of microfossils in marine and lacustrine strata and the profusion of Leiosphaerids suggest that both habitats were already colonized by cosmopolitan eukaryotes by the Late Ediacaran the lack of typical components of the Ediacara fauna suggest restrictive ecological conditions in both marine and lacustrine realms during the Camaquã Basin evolution the close relationship between microfossils and bacterial mats suggest a possible link between both components of the Camaquã Basin biota and their living conditions raw samples were mechanically disaggregated they were digested with HCl and HF for carbonate and silicate removal Boiling HCl was used for the removal of clay minerals Strewed kerogen was oxidized with concentrated HNO3 After filtration (10 µm filter size) and swirling to separate heavy minerals strew slides were prepared and examined under transmitted light microscope with interference contrast (Zeiss Axio Imager-A2) SEM-EDS (scanning electron microscopy plus energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) analyses were performed on gold-coated samples obtained from representative microfossil specimens SEM studies were executed at Instituto Tecnológico de Micropaleontologia - itt FOSSIL - of the Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos – UNISINOS (São Leopoldo City/Rio Grande do Sul State) at Laboratório de Conformação Nanométrica – Instituto de Física of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS (Porto Alegre/Rio Grande do Sul) using a JIP-4500 MultiBeam SEM-FIB equipment and at Laboratório Nacional de Nanotecnologia – LNNano - of the Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais – CNPEM (Campinas/São Paulo) All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article and in the Supplementary File Stromatolites in Precambrian Carbonates: Evolutionary Mileposts or Environmental Dipsticks Wrinkle structures: microbially mediated sedimentary structures common in subtidal siliciclastic settings at the Proterozoic Phanerozoic transition Microbial mats in terminal Proterozoic siliciclastics: Ediacaran death masks Preserved stable isotopic signature of subaerial diagenesis in the 1.2-b.y central Arizona: Implications for the timing and development of a terrestrial plant cover Palaeocology of a billion-year-old non-marine cyanobacterium from the Torridon Group and Nonesuch Formation Life on land in the Proterozoic: evidence from the Torridonian rocks of northwest Scotland The Geological Structure of the North-west Highlands of Scotland (eds Peach plate LII (Memoirs of the Geological Society of Great Britain New Pre-Paleozoic Nannofossils from the Stoer Formation (Torridonian) Informe preliminar sobre a ocorrência de traços fósseis nos sedimentitos basais das bacias do Camaquã e Santa Bárbara In Workshop Sobre Bacias Molássicas Brasilianas Estratigrafia de sequências e sistemas deposicionais das bacias do Camaquã e Santa Bárbara Preliminary report about trace fossils in Precabrian/Cambrian deposits of Southern Brazil In Circum-Atlantic Circum-Pacific Terrane Conference 2 A discussion and proposals concerning fossil dinoflagellates Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 49 Tasmanites Newton 1875 und Leiosphaeridia n Acritarchs from the type area of the Ordovician Caradoc Series TEM evidence for eukaryotic diversity in mid-Proterozoic oceans Late Precambrian thorny microfossils of the east of the Siberian Platform Neoproterozoic (Vendian) phytoplankton from the Siberian Platform The ancient Baltic flora and its stratigraphical significance: Vsesoyuznyi Neftyanoi Nauchno-Issledovatelskii Geologorazvedochnyi Institut On the interpretation and status of some hystrichosphere genera The acritarchs and chitinozoa from the Wenlock and Ludlow series of the Ludlow and Millichope areas Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society 124(528) New finds of the microfossils from the Upper Riphean deposits of the Krasnoyarsk region In: Current Problems of Modern Paleoalgology (Nauka Paleobiology of the Neoproterozoic Svanbergfjellet Formation Estágios evolutivos da Bacia do Camaquã (RS) Neoproterozoic biotic diversification: Snowball Earth or aftermath of the Acraman impact Global Change and Evolution: a focus on southwestern Gondwana American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists Foundation 1 Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian acritarchs and prasinophycean algae from Ohio Testate amoebae in the Neoproterozoic Era: evidence from vase-shaped microfossils in the Chuar Group Algal affinities of Ediacaran and Cambrian organic-walled microfossils with internal reproductive bodies: Tanarium and other morphotypes A modified palynological preparation technique for the extraction of large Neoproterozoic acanthomorph acritarchs and other acid insoluble microfossils (Geological Survey of Western Australia Record Download references This research was supported by the FAPERGS 01/2017 ARD Project entitled Geobiology of the Ediacaran Camaquã Basin (Brazil) (Grant Number 17/2551-0000 824-3) The first author thanks CAPES for her scholarship (Grant Number 88887.150701/2017-00) The third author acknowledges CNPq for the long-term support (Grant Number 308140/2014-1) UFRGS and CNPEM for providing lab facilities (SEM and X-ray) and field equipment Sebastian Willman (Uppsala University) for the discussions about the palynological material; Dr for valuable assistance and review of a first draft of this MS The authors also thank the editor for the assistance Rodrigo Scalise Horodyski & Paulo Sérgio Gomes Paim contributed with sedimentology and palaeontology research contributed with palaeontology data and P.S.G.P contributed with geology and sedimentology research and review The authors declare no competing interests Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Reprints and permissions Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-46304-7 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science The Brazilian Navy has finally confirmed the location of the Vital de Oliveiro a Brazilian troop transport ship torpedoed and sunk by a Nazi submarine during World War II The wreck was identified using advanced sonar imaging lying about 65 kilometres off the coast of Rio de Janeiro The Vital de Oliveiro was originally built in 1910 as a civilian ship named Itauba It joined the Brazilian Navy in 1931 and became a troop transport during World War II The ship was involved in transporting military personnel and supplies along the Brazilian coast during the war the ship was torpedoed by the German submarine U-861 and 100 of the 270 crew members onboard lost their lives Vital de Oliveiro became the only Brazilian military ship to be sunk by enemy forces during World War II the ship’s exact location remained unknown until 2011 when it was first found by divers Jose Luíz and Everaldo Popermeyer Meriguete The brothers had been called by a fisherman whose net had become stuck at the bottom of the ocean and with the help of deep-sea diver Domingos Afonso Jório it was confirmed that the net had caught on a cannon the exact identification of the wreck remained unclear for years the Brazilian Navy confirmed the wreck was indeed that of the Vital de Oliveiro The Navy used multibeam and side-scan sonar technology aboard an oceanographic research vessel to conclusively identify the wreck These sonar tools allowed researchers to visualise the hull and structural features of the ship Lieutenant Captain Caio Cezar Pereira Demilio of the Brazilian Navy stated that shipwrecks and other submerged structures are crucial material records of Brazil’s maritime history These discoveries help the country understand naval strategies and events like military confrontations and maritime disasters the Brazilian Navy lost two other warships during World War II sank in 1945 after accidentally detonating its depth charges during gunnery practice the research vessel that confirmed the wreck’s location was also named Vital de Oliveiro Disclaimer : The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only While we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct we make no representations or warranties of any kind suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of Do you have info to share with us ? Suggest a correction Marine Insight News Network is a premier source for up-to-date and insightful coverage of the maritime industry Marine Insight News Network prides itself on delivering accurate Signup today and get maritime ebooks submitted to your inbox directly.  © 2010 - 2025 Marine Insight — All Rights Reserved We respect your privacy and take protecting it very seriously The southern region of Brazil is characterized by high species diversity and endemism of freshwater fishes distributed across geographically isolated river basins Microglanis cottoideshas a widespread range across these river basins and occurs in sympatry with other endemic species of the genus (e.g cottoides and presented for the first time information about the molecular phylogeny of species in the genus cottoides currently forms a non-monophyletic group which includes populations endemic to the Uruguay River basin that are more closely related to M Based on an integrative approach using morphological and molecular data and the populations of the Uruguay River basin previously assigned to M The time-calibrated phylogeny indicates that the separation between inland and the coastal clades occurred in the Tertiary period and that the species within the coastal basins diverged in the Pliocene which overlaps with the diversification times estimated for the two inland species as well This pattern of diversification corroborates some previous studies with other fishes from the same region 30o54’5.6″S 52o05’18.9″W (Photo by O.A Median-joining networks and Bayesian phylogenetic tree of Micriglanis obtained with COI data (A) Median-Joining networks among haplotypes Each circle represents a unique haplotype with circle sizes being proportional to their frequencies The numbers between haplotypes correspond to mutational steps Haplotypes: H1 = Ribeira; H2 = Guaratuba + Paranaguá + Itapocu; H3 = Paranaguá; H4 = Paranaguá; H5 = Madre; H6 = Araranguá; H7 = Araranguá; H8 = M cibelae (Tramandaí); H10 = Patos (Camaquã); H11 = Negro + Uruguay; H12 = Uruguay; H13 = Uruguay; H14 = Microglanis sp Node bars represent the threshold time for each cladogenetic event The values above the branches indicate the posterior probability (pp) * Individuals collected in their respective type locality Link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0199963