Brazilian researchers have identified a previously unknown species of ancient marine mollusc from a fossil estimated to be around 400 million years old, shedding new light on life in Earth’s prehistoric oceans long before the emergence of dinosaurs.
The discovery was made in the state of Parana, southern Brazil, during a scientific investigation into fossil records from the Devonian Period, one of the most important chapters in the evolution of marine biodiversity. The newly identified species has been named Actinopteria grahni, as reported by Metrópoles, a TV BRICS partner.
Researchers initially set out to investigate specimens belonging to a known species from the same genus. However, detailed fieldwork at a palaeontological site in Ponta Grossa led to the recovery of additional fossil samples displaying distinctive anatomical characteristics.
Subsequent comparative analysis revealed that the specimens represented a previously undocumented species. Scientists examined the fossil’s morphology and compared it with related molluscs, confirming its unique evolutionary identity.
The newly identified organism lived approximately 400 million years ago, making it significantly older than the earliest known dinosaurs. Its existence dates back to a period when much of the region was covered by shallow seas that supported a rich variety of marine life.
According to the research team, the discovery contributes to a better understanding of ancient ecosystems and the distribution of marine species across prehistoric sedimentary basins. Fossils from this period provide valuable evidence of how marine organisms evolved, adapted, and dispersed across different environments hundreds of millions of years ago.
The finding also highlights the scientific importance of Brazil’s fossil-rich geological formations, which continue to reveal new information about the history of life on Earth. Researchers believe that ongoing exploration of these sites could lead to further discoveries and help reconstruct patterns of biodiversity from some of the planet’s earliest complex ecosystems.