Lameta Formation

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The Lameta Formation, also known as the Infratrappean Beds (not to be confused with the contemporaneous Intertrappean Beds), is a sedimentary geological formation found in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, India, associated with the Deccan Traps.[1] It is of the Maastrichtian age (Late Cretaceous), and is notable for its dinosaur fossils.

History

The first fossils found in the Lameta Formation were discovered between 1917 and 1919.[2]

The Lameta Formation was first identified in 1981 by geologists working for the Geological Survey of India (GSI), G. N. Dwivedi and Dhananjay Mahendrakumar Mohabey, after being given limestone structures–later recognised as dinosaur eggs–by workers of the ACC Cement Quarry in the village of Rahioli near the city Balasinor in the Gujarat state of western India.[3]

Lithology

File:Rajasaurus en las traps del decán.jpg
Paleoart of the Deccan trap illustrating the paleoenvironment of Lameta formation

The formation is underlain by the Lower Cretaceous sedimentary "Upper Gondwana Sequence" also known as the Jabalpur Formation, and is overlain by the Deccan Traps basalt. The Lameta Formation is only exposed at the surface as small isolated outcrops associated with the Satpura Fault. The lithology of the formation, depending on the outcrop, consists of alternating clay, siltstone and sandstone facies, deposited in fluvial and lacustrine conditions. The environment at the time of deposition has alternatively been considered semi-arid, or tropical humid.[4][5]

Fossil content

Many dubious names have been created for isolated bones, but several genera of dinosaurs from these rocks are well-supported, including the titanosaur sauropods Isisaurus and Jainosaurus and the Abelisaurs Indosaurus, Indosuchus, and Rajasaurus and the Noasaurids Laevisuchus and ‘’Jubbulpuria’’..[6] Synapsids are also known form the formation, such as the possibly late surviving Avashishta,possibly the last known non- mammalian synapsid the possibly youngest known stegosaurian ichnogenus Deltapodus, madtsoiid snakes and other fossils.

Dinosaurs

File:Morning hunting in India.jpg
Dinosaurs of Lameta Formation in which a group of Rajasaurus (Middle) hunting an Isisaurus (Middle) with an Indosuchus (bottom left) watching it with her chicks and a Laevisuchus (Bottom right) running with two Jainosaurus (Top Left) in the background

Template:Paleobiota-key-compact

Ornithischians

Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
Ankylosauria? Indeterminate Rahioli Isolated vertebrae, scapulocoracoid, humerus, femur, and several armor fragments such as hollow lateral spikes and solid dorsal scutes.[7] Described as a nodosaurid, but the limb bones are titanosaurian.[8]
Brachypodosaurus B. gravis Chota Simla Hill "Humerus."[9] May not be dinosaurian
Ceratopsia? Indeterminate Kheda Horncore base. Originally described as a ceratopsian horncore,[10] but likely represents a theropod limb element or a dorsal rib of a theropod or a titanosauriform.[11]
Deltapodus[12] sp. Jetholi Solitary footprint. A Possible Late Cretaceous Stegosaur, Like Dravidosaurus.
Hypsilophodontidae?[13] Indeterminate. Vikarabad. Teeth. Hypsilophodontidae is not a natural grouping.
Ornithischia?[14] Indeterminate Kheda GSI/GC/2905 Originally identified as an indeterminate ornithischian braincase. Later found out to be a Titanosaur dorsal vertebra.[15]
Spheroolithus? sp. Polgaon,

Tidkepar

Egg fossils. Questionably assigned to this genus[16]

Sauropods

Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
Isisaurus I. colberti Dongargaon Hill Holotype skeleton consists of cervical, dorsal, sacral, caudal vertebrae, ribs, pelvis, scapula, coracoid, left forelimb, and other bones. Other specimens, such as the skull, hindlimb, and foot bones, are unknown. A lithostrotian titanosaur.
File:Isisaurus colberti life restoration.png
Isisaurus
File:Jainosaurus septentrionalis life restoration.png
Jainosaurus
File:Fossils in the Indian Museum, Kolkata 13.jpg
Megaloolithus
Jainosaurus J. septentrionalis Bara Simla "Basicranium and partial postcranial skeleton."[17] A titanosaur
J. cf. septentrionalis Chhota Simla Partial skeleton including a rib fragrement, caudal centrum, humeri, radius and an articulated left limb.[18]
Titanosaurus T. blanfordi
  • Panchgaon
  • Pisdura Hill
 Caudal vertebrae.[19] A dubious genus of titanosaur.[20]
T. indicus Pisdura Hill Caudal Vertebrae, two partial rami of haemapophysis, partial left tibia, partial right fibula, and a partial referred femur.[2]
T.? rahioliensis[21] Rahioli Village About 34 teeth in total. Might not belong to this genus.
Megaloolithus[22] M. cylindricus Chui Hill, Bara Simla, Nand region, Pavan, Ghorpend, Bagh Caves, Dhar, Indwan, Kadwal, Dholiya Raipuriya village, Akhada village, Jhaba village, Padlya village, Jhabua, Dohad, Jhalod, Garadi, Kheda, Rahioli, Dholi Dungri. Multiple specimens consist of fossilized egg shells that are covered in volcanic sediments Sauropod egg fossils
M. dhoridungriensis
M. jabalpurensis
M. khempurensis
M. megadermus
M. problematica
M. walpurensis
M. sp.
Titanosauriform[23] Indeterminate Ukala. Dorsal vertebrae, parts of the ilia and pelvis, and limb bones. A titanosauriform.
Sauropoda[24] indeterminate Rahioli Several Humeri The humeri ranges from 70 to 85 cm in length, they have gracility index that ranges from 73 to 78.
Titanosauria[25] indeterminate Temple Hill, Rahioli disarticulated remains. Discovered alongside the Rajasaurus holotype.

Theropods

Abelisaurs
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
Abelisauroidea Indeterminate Multiple specimens.[26] Could be referred to Abelisauridae or Noasauridae.[27]
File:Rajasaurus restoration.jpg
Rajasaurus
File:Indosuchus.jpg
Indosuchus
File:Rahiolisaurus restoration.png
Rahiolisaurus
Abelisauridae Indeterminate Multiple specimens. Include form similar to Majungasaurus and forms similar to Carnotaurus.[26]
Compsosuchus C. solus Bara Simla "Vertebrae" Previously considered a Noasaurid now considered an indeterminate Abelisaurid[28]
Indosaurus I. matleyi Bara Simla Partial skeleton, including a partial skull.[29] An abelisaurid
Dryptosauroides D. grandis Bara Simla "Vertebrae."[30] An abelisaurd
Ellipsoolithus[31] E. khedaensis Kheda Eggs Theropod egg fossils.
Indosuchus I. raptorius Bara Simla Cranial remains, including two braincases, as well as a nearly complete skeleton.[29] An abelisaurid
Ornithomimoides O. barasimlensis Bara Simla "Vertebrae."[30] An abelisaurid[32]
O. mobilis Bara Simla "Vertebrae"[30]
Orthogoniosaurus O. matleyi Bara Simla "Tooth"[30] An abelisaurid[33]
Rahiolisaurus R. gujaratensis Rahioli Village Cervical, dorsal, sacral, and caudal vertebrae, portions of pectoral and pelvic girdles, and several hind limb bones of different individuals. An Abelisaurid
Rajasaurus R. narmadensis Temple Hill, Rahioli A partial skeleton consists of maxillae, premaxillae, braincase, and quadrate bone on the skull; and spine, hip bone, legs, and tail in post-cranial remains. An Abelisaurid
Noasaurids
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
Laevisuchus L. indicus Bara Simla Only vertebrae.[29] A noasaurid.
Noasaurinae Indeterminate Pisdura Hill A partial dentary.[32] A noasaurine noasaurid.
Noasauridae Indeterminate Multiple specimens.[26] May include femora from very large individuals.[27]
Other Theropods
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
Coeluroides C. largus Bara Simla "Isolated vertebrae."[30] A Indeterminate theropod also known from Dabrazhin Formation of Kazakhstan
Jubbulpuria J. tenuis Bara Simla "Vertebrae."[30] Likely junior synonym of Laevisuchus[32]
?Megalosaurus Type A-E Rahioli Several teeth [21] The overall length of the teeths ranges from 0.7 to 6 cm, all were originally identified as belonging to Megalosaurus,(beside GSI Type No. 19988 as it was identified as a Majungasaurus tooth).[21] However a specimen(GSI Type No. 19996) may instead represent a troodontid.[34]
Ornithomimidae?[35] Indeterminate Bara Simla Ceratosaurian taxa from the Lameta Formation have been erroneously referred to ornithomimdae.
Theropoda Indeterminate GSI K27/572, fragmentary cervical vertebra. Initially described as allosauroid. But the researchers didn't classify it as an abelisaurid, possibly representing a member of a clade outside of abelisauroidea, the preserved height of the vertebra is 16 cm.[26]
Trachoolithus[36] T. faticanus Bara Simla Eggs. Theropod egg fossils.

Indeterminate or chimaeric taxa

Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
"Dubeynarainsaurus" "D. sahni" Sirolkhal "Partial dentary with associated teeth."[37] May instead be a later cretaceous pterosaur,[37] proposed to be either belonging to the Infratrappean or Intertrappean beds, although if it were a pterosaur it would not be Maastrichtian.[38] File:Dubeynarainsaurus holotype.png
Lametasaurus L. indicus Bara Simla "Sacrum, ilia, tibia."[30] "Sacrum, ilia, tibia, spines, armor."[39] Includes crocodylomorph, titanosaur scutes and possibly ankylosaurian osteoderms.[8] Also includes abelisaurid material now removed from the type and is being assigned to the Rajasaurus.[3]

Reptiles

Snakes

Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
Madtsoia M. pisdurensis[40] Pidura Hill Upper A madtsoiid snake.
Sanajeh S. indicus Dholi Dungri A skull, precloaca vertebrae and ribs. A madtsoiid snake.
File:Sanajeh attacking sauropod.png
Sanajeh about to attack a titanosaur hatchling

Crocodylomorphs

Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
Dyrosauridae[41][13][42] Indeterminate. Kisalpuri and Vikarabad. Vertebrae, eggs and teeth. Non-Phosphatosaurinae Dyrosaurid Crocodylomorphs.

Turtles

Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
Jainemys J. pisdurensis Pisdura hill A bothremydid side-necked turtle.
Pelomedusidae[43][44] Indeterminate A turtle.

Mammals

Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
Avashishta A. bacharamensis[45] Bacharam A Haramiyida Mammal.

Mollusca

Genus Species Location Notes
Mollusca Indeterminate
Gastropoda Indeterminate
Viviparus V. normalis
Physa P. sp.
Paludina P. deccanensis
Lymnaea L. subulata
Unio U. sp.

See also

References

  1. ↑ New mammals from the Naskal intertrappean site and the age of India's earliest eutherians. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology({Template:Date).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 F. v. Huene and C. A. Matley, (1933), "The Cretaceous Saurischia and Ornithischia of the Central Provinces of India", Palaeontologica Indica (New Series), Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India 21(1): 1-74
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 A new abelisaurid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Lameta Formation (Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) of India. Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology University of Michigan({Template:Year).
  4. ↑ Lithofacies architecture and depositional environment of Late Cretaceous Lameta Formation, central India. Arabian Journal of Geosciences({Template:Date).
  5. ↑ Palaeosols and palaeoclimate reconstruction of the Maastrichtian Lameta Formation, Central India. Cretaceous Research({Template:Date).
  6. ↑ Weishampel et al., 2004, pp.517-606
  7. ↑ [{{{url}}} The Age of Dinosaurs in the Land of Gonds]. Springer International Publishing(2020).
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ornithischian remains from the Chorrillo Formation (Upper Cretaceous), southern Patagonia, Argentina, and their implications on ornithischian paleobiogeography in the Southern Hemisphere. Cretaceous Research({Template:Date).
  9. ↑ "Table 17.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 367.
  10. ↑ Discovery of Dinosaurian Horncore from the Infra-Trappean Rocks of Kheda District, Gujarat. Current Science({Template:Date).
  11. ↑ From Dinosaurs to Dyrosaurids (Crocodyliformes): Removal of the Post-Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) Record of Ornithischia from Africa. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology({Template:Date).
  12. ↑ Purported latest bone of a plated dinosaur (Ornithischia: Stegosauria), a "dermal plate" from the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of southern India. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen({Template:Date).
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Microvertebrates from the infratrappean beds of Rangareddi District, Andhra Pradesh and their biostratigraphic significance.
  14. ↑ D. M. Mohabey. 1989. The braincase of a dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Lameta Formation, Kheda District, Gujarat, western India. Indian Journal of Earth Sciences 16(2):132-135.
  15. ↑ Wilson, J.A.; Malkani, M. S.; Gingerich, P. D. 2004. A Sauropod Braincase from the Pab Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) of Balochistan, Pakistan. Gondwana Geological Magazine, Special Volume 8:101-109.
  16. ↑ Indian Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Nesting Sites and Their Systematic Studies. Springer International Publishing(2020).
  17. ↑ "Table 13.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 269.
  18. ↑ An associated partial skeleton of Jainosaurus cf. septentrionalis (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Chhota Simla, Central India. Palaeontology({Template:Date).
  19. ↑ "Table 13.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 270.
  20. ↑ A revision ofTitanosaurusLydekker (dinosauria - sauropoda), the first dinosaur genus with a 'Gondwanan' distribution. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology({Template:Date).
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Dinosaur Teeth from Lameta Group (Upper Cretaceous) of Kheda District, Gujarat. Journal Geological Society of India({Template:Date).
  22. ↑ Discussion: Oospecies Diversity, Biomineralization Aspects, Taphonomical, Biostratigraphical, Palaeoenvironmental, Palaeoecological and Palaeobiogeographical Inferences of the Dinosaur-Bearing Lameta Formation of Peninsular India. Springer International Publishing(2020).
  23. ↑ Deccan Continental Flood Basalt Eruption Terminated Indian Dinosaurs before the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary. ResearchGate.
  24. ↑ Sauropod dinosaur humeri from Lameta Group (Upper Cretaceous-? Palaeocene) of Kheda district, Gujarat. Journal of the Paleontological Society of India({Template:Date).
  25. ↑ Wilson, J. A., P. C. Sereno, S. Srivastava, D. K. Bhatt, A. Khosla, and A. Sahni. 2003. "A new abelisaurid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Lameta Formation (Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) of India", Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology of the University of Michigan, 31:6
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Cretaceous theropods from India: A review of specimens described by Huene and Matley (1933). Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales({Template:Date).
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Ceratosauria.
  28. ↑ A review of small-bodied theropod dinosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of India, with description of new cranial remains of a noasaurid (Theropoda: Abelisauria). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology({Template:Year).
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 "Table 3.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 49.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 30.5 30.6 "Table 3.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 50.
  31. ↑ D. M. Mohabey. 1998. Systematics of Indian Upper Cretaceous dinosaur and chelonian eggshells. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 18(2):348-362
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 A review of small-bodied theropod dinosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of India, with description of new cranial remains of a noasaurid (Theropoda: Abelisauria). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology({Template:Date).
  33. ↑ The history of dinosaur collecting in Central India, 1828-1947. ResearchGate.
  34. ↑ Troodontidae.
  35. ↑ Weishampel, et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution." Pp. 517-607.
  36. ↑ Trachoolithus in the Paleobiology Database
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 A note on the occurrence of Pterosauria in India. Current Science({Template:Date).
  38. ↑ A review of the Jurassic and Cretaceous Gondwanan pterosaur record. Gondwana Research({Template:Date).
  39. ↑ "Table 17.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 368.
  40. ↑ A new species of the snake Madtsoia from the Upper Cretaceous of India and its paleobiogeographic implications. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology({Template:Year).
  41. ↑ Rana, R. S. 1987. Dyrosaurid crocodile (Mesosuchia) from the infratrap pean beds of Vikarabad, Hyderabad District, Andhra-Pradesh. Cur rent Science 56:532-534
  42. ↑ Crocodilian Nest in a Late Cretaceous Sauropod Hatchery from the Type Lameta Ghat Locality, Jabalpur, India. PLOS ONE({Template:Date).
  43. ↑ D. M. Mohabey. 1990. Discovery of dinosaur nesting site in Maharashtra. Gondwana Geological Magazine 3:32-34.
  44. ↑ S. L. Jain and A. Sahni. 1983. Some Upper Cretaceous vertebrates from central India and their palaeogeographic implications. In H. K. Maheshwari (ed.), Proceedings of the Symposium on "Cretaceous of India: Palaeoecology, Palaeogeography and Time Boundaries", Lucknow. Indian Association of Palynostratigraphers 66-83.
  45. ↑ A Possible Late Cretaceous "Haramiyidan" from India. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology({Template:Date).

Bibliography

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