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

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 assumed that it is arbitrary or not well constrained, probably rooted in the confusion of concepts between what authors refer to as an "evolutionary trend" and the use of architectural criteria merely for a taxonomic identification. Comparison with other regions is also impacted; they look inappropriate, particularly because they do not consider the biogeographic gradients that permitted the alveolinoids to develop endemic assemblages through the Cenomanian Tethys.