Abstract
The first occurrence of stereospondyl remains in the Santa Maria Formation (Middle/Upper Triassic) of the Paraná Basin is reported. The material is fragmentary but indicates the presence of large stereospondyls in the Carnian of this unit. The lack of informative characters is an obstacle, but the specimens probably belong to metoposaurids, trematosaurids or mastodonsauroids. Most South American reports of stereospondyls record fragmentary remains (except for the Argentinean chigutisaurids, and the Brazilian Australerpeton cosgriffi—a rhinesuchoid, and Sangaia lavinai—a rhytidosteid), and this situation constrains generalized attempts to understand their likely sequence of occupation in this part of Gondwana during the upper Palaeozoic and lower Mesozoic. Nevertheless, this new record is important, since it increases the representation of stereospondyls in southern Brazil. Moreover, it expands their biostratigraphic range in the Rosário do Sul Group.
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