Comment on: “Evolutionary trend of Cenomanian alveolinids from Zagros Basin, SW of Iran” by Dousti Mohajer et al. (2021) in Geological Journal

Abstract

The results achieved in "Evolutionary trend of Cenomanian alveolinids from Zagros Basin, SW of Iran" by Dousti Mohajer et al. (2021), Geological Journal, are here critically discussed. According to the data published in that study, the identification of alveolinoids in the thin section and the relative evolutionary model given could be considered as not accurate or not well supported, weakening the potential of such a foraminiferal group for thorough consideration on its phylogeny and evolution. Dousti Mohajer et al. (2021) studied a Cenomanian shallow-water succession from the Sarvak Formation of the Interior Fars Zone (Iran, Zagros Zone) to identify the alveolinoid fauna and discuss their relative evolutionary relationships through time. The stratigraphic occurrences of such alveolinoids seem frequently hampered by incorrect identifications that are mostly based on a very flimsy taxonomic ground. This makes the dataset inconsistent for any subsequent phylogenetic or evolutionary study. Consequently, the evolutionary discussion given by the authors is impacted. It is