The study of fossil macroinvertebrates from the Santana Group, Brazil: Legal and ethical challenges and neocolonial legacies in paleontology

Fossil invertebrates from the Araripe Basin, located in Northeast Brazil, have long been the focus of extensive scientific research.The region's precarious socioeconomic conditions, nonetheless, are frequently exploited by individuals involved in the illicit extraction and trafficking of fossils, resulting in their transfer abroad and subsequent deposition in foreign collections.Such specimens are often studied and described with minimal or no collaboration with scientists from their region of origin, a practice commonly characterized as "parachute science" -one of the many manifestations of "scientific colonialism".This study presents a comprehensive literature review of publications concerning fossil invertebrates from the Santana Group (Araripe Basin).We compiled an updated inventory detailing the known repositories of these species, aiming to assess the extent to which they have been subject to such practices.Our findings reveal nearly five hundred described species, with approximately half of the holotypes deposited in institutions across Europe, Asia, and North America.Furthermore, over two hundred species were described in publications that did not include any Brazilian scientists as co-authors.We also examine the potential mechanisms by which these specimens may have been removed from the country and propose strategies to prevent and mitigate the ongoing loss of Brazil's cultural and scientific heritage.