Fossil Vertebrates from the Pranhita-Godavari Valley (India) and their Stratigraphic Correlation
2011; American Geophysical Union; Linguagem: Inglês
10.1029/gm041p0219
ISSN2328-8779
AutoresSohan L. Jain, Tapan Roychowdhury,
Tópico(s)Amphibian and Reptile Biology
ResumoLittle comprehensive information on Gondwana vertebrates from India is available which enables useful stratigraphic correlations with the world's better known faunas. In this context the Upper Gondwana sequence from the Pranhita-Godavari Valley presents a unique vertebrate faunal record. During the last 25 years, this faunal record has been considerably improved with the discovery of new faunas and better material than earlier records. A Middle Triassic age fauna (Yerrapalli fauna) in the valley consists of two large dicynodonts, two labyrinthodonts, a cynodont, a rhynchosaur, and a saurichthyid fish. In many respects this fauna is comparable to the Middle Triassic Manda beds of Tanzania. An Upper Triassic fauna (Maleri fauna) is represented by a labyrinthodont (Metoposaurus), a rhynchosaur (Paradapedon), a parasuchid (Parasuchus), a cynodont (Exaeretodon), and a protorosaur (Malerisaurus). In addition, fishes are represented by dipnoans and xenacanths. This fauna is comparable to several well-documented Upper Triassic faunas elsewhere. Another fauna (Dharmaram fauna), which may be Upper Norian to Rhaetian in age, has been found (but not described) that includes at least two prosauropods (a plateosaurid and a thecodondotosaurid) and at least two more archosaurs. This fauna is comparable to a Rhaetic fauna. An Early Jurassic fauna (Kota fauna) includes a large sauropod (Barapasaurus) a pterosaur (Compylognathoides), a? teleosaurid crocodile, and a few symmetrodont mammals besides a number of piscine members (Lepidotes, Paradapedium, Tetragonolepis, Indocoelacanthus and Pholidophorus). The presence of four distinct faunas from the Pranhita-Godavari Valley has suggested possibilities of meaningful stratigraphic correlations.
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