Naskal microvertebrate site (Cretaceous of India)

Also known as GSI Naskal quarry; 2016 Naskal site

Where: Andhra Pradesh, India (17.2° N, 77.9° E: paleocoordinates 28.0° S, 59.0° E)

• coordinate stated in text

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Late/Upper Maastrichtian (70.6 - 66.0 Ma)

• unnamed formation is one of the "Intertrappean Beds", below Deccan basal flow no. 5

•From Malarkodi et al. 2009: Reworked Late Maastrichtian species occur in the Intertrappean beds also and suggest that the reworked species were probably derived from the erosion of the Late Maastrichtian limestone (Infratrappean beds) that were deposited before the arrival of the lower trap lava flows (Keller et al., 2008). Late Maastrichtian age has been assigned to the Doddukuru Infratrappeans beds of the Rajahmundry area on the basis of occurrence of planktic foraminifera.

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fluvial-lacustrine; gray, yellow, calcareous mudstone and brown, gray, yellow mudstone

• "the inter-trappean sediments...are interpreted as distal floodplain-lacustrine deposits", also described as a "floodplain lake". Fossil-bearing layer is a calcisol.
• "gleyed mudstone, yellow mudstone, marlstone, chert, impure marlstone and calcareous mudstone". Main thickness is gleyed mudstone, "largely grey coloured and marked by yellowish-brown and brownish-black mottling at the bedding planes...weakly developed cross-bedding". Next is a "soft and friable mudstone" that lacks sedimentary structures and has "horizonal calcareous rhizoliths". Nest is "an impure mudstone bed...which possess different bands of light pink marlstone layers mottled with soft, chalky, light yellow calcareous material. The prevalence of burrowing and rooting activity characterizes this bed as an entisol." Fossil-bearing layer at top is a "calcareous mudstone...pinkish-white in the lower portion with white calcareous mottling and pinkish-grey in the upper portion with yellow mottling...multiple paleosol features, such as a lack of bedding structures, the prevalence of mottling, isolated and coalesced calcareous nodules, calcareous rhizoliths, calcretes, and the spongy nature of the sediments characterize this unit and qualify it as a calcisol."

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk, sieve,

Primary reference: G. V. R. Prasad and A. Sahni. 1988. First Cretaceous mammal from India. Nature 332:638-640 [J. Alroy/E. Leckey/E. Leckey]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taphonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 27014: authorized by Matthew Carrano, entered by Matthew Carrano on 12.11.2002, edited by Erin Leckey, Roger Benson, Terri Cleary, Grace Varnham and Philip Mannion

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
? Colophidia indet.8
vertebrae and dentary, originally reported in Rage and Prasad, 1992
Acrosphenodontia indet.2
GSI/ SR/PAL-NR-0101 (partial right dentary with teeth)
Striacolporites striatus
  -
Striacolporites striatus13 Sah and Kar 1970
Pteridopsida
  -
Cyathidites australis13 Couper 1953
Cingulatisporites sp.13 Thomson et al. 1953
Polypodiopsida
  - Marsileaceae
 Salviniales - Polypodiidae
Ariadnaesporites sp.6 Potonié 1956
"pollen"
Angiospermae
 Fabales - Fabaceae
Margocolporites sp.13 Ramanajuan 1966 legume
 Gunnerales -
 Mesangiosperms - Arecaceae
Palmaepollenites neyvelii13 Ramanujam 1966 palm
 Poales - Typhaceae
Sparganiaceaepollenites sp.13 Thiergart 1937
Magnoliopsida
  -
Echimonocolpites sp.13 der Hammen and de Mutis 1965
unclassified
  -
Charophyta indet.6 Migula 1890
Mollusca indet.3 Linnaeus 1758
Deuteropoda
  -
Ostracoda indet.6 Latreille 1802 ostracod
Chondrichthyes
 Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
Igdabatis indicus3 Prasad and Cappetta 1993 eagle ray
Amphibia
 Salientia -
Anura indet.10 Fischer von Waldheim 1813 frog
Anura indet.1 Fischer von Waldheim 1813 frog
several humeri some are fragments
Anura indet.1 Fischer von Waldheim 1813 frog
2 ilia, three more ilia reported by same authors in 1995
 Salientia - Hemisotidae
Hemisotidae indet.10 Frank and Ramus 1996 frog
 Salientia - Discoglossidae
Discoglossidae indet.10 Günther 1859 painted frog
 Salientia - Gobiatidae
"Gobiatinae indet." = Gobiatidae10, "? Gobiatinae indet." = Gobiatidae10
"Gobiatinae indet." = Gobiatidae10 Ročec and Nessov 1993 frog
"? Gobiatinae indet." = Gobiatidae10 Ročec and Nessov 1993 frog
 Salientia -
Ranoidea indet.10 Rafinesque 1814 frog
 Salientia - Leptodactylidae
Leptodactylidae indet.10 Stirton 1953 frog
 Salientia - Hylidae
? Hylidae indet.10 Rafinesque 1815 tree frog
Hylidae indet.3 Rafinesque 1815 tree frog
an ilium and a humerus
Mammalia
 Allotheria - Sudamericidae
Dakshina jederi12 Wilson et al. 2007 mammal
GSI/SR/PALN071, left mf4; GSI/SR/PAL-N210, left i1; GSI/SR/PAL-N212, right mf4; VPL/JU/NKIM/25, left mf4
 Theriamorpha - Adapisoriculidae
Deccanolestes sp.3 Prasad and Sahni 1988 eutherian
right M2
Deccanolestes robustus n. sp.7 Prasad et al. 1994 eutherian
dental material and an astragalus
Deccanolestes hislopi n. gen. n. sp. Prasad and Sahni 1988 eutherian
right lower p3 (holotype) right M1 and M3, three calcanea and two small astragali; two specimens reported by Boyer et al 2010 (Deccanolestes cf. hislopi): VPL/JU/NKIM/79 (distal left humerus); VPL/JU/NKIM/81 (proximal left ulna)
 Theriamorpha -
Indoclemensia naskalensis n. gen. n. sp.13 Wilson Mantilla et al. 2022 eutherian
GSI/SR/PAL-N031 - holotype; referred specimen: GSI/SR/PAL-N011
Indoclemensia magnus n. sp.13 Wilson Mantilla et al. 2022 eutherian
GSI/SR/PAL-N043 - type; referred specimen: GSI/SR/PAL-N019
Reptilia
 Testudines - Pelomedusidae
Pelomedusidae indet.5 Cope 1868 sideneck turtle
 Squamata -
Squamata indet.10 squamates
 Serpentes -
Serpentes indet.9 snake
vertebrae and a dentary
 Squamata -
 Squamata - Nigerophiidae
? Indophis sahnii10 Rage and Prasad 1992 snake
Indophis sahnii n. gen. n. sp.9 Rage and Prasad 1992 snake
vertebrae
 Squamata - Aniliidae
Aniliidae (cf. Coniophis) sp.10 Fitzinger 1826 pipe snake
 Squamata -
? Coniophis sp.4 Marsh 1892 snake
Lacertilia indet. Owen 1842 lizard
dentaries, one with pleurodont teeth
Lacertilia indet.10 Owen 1842 lizard
 Squamata - Anguidae
Anguidae indet.5 Gray 1825 squamates
about 50 vertebrae
Anguidae indet.10 Gray 1825 squamates
 Loricata -
Crocodyliformes indet.11 crocodilian
ITV/Ns/Cr-381 to 400
Crocodyliformes indet.11 crocodilian
ITV/Ns/Cr-301 to 365
Crocodyliformes indet.11 crocodilian
ITV/Ns/Cr-366
Crocodyliformes indet.11 crocodilian
ITV/Ns/Cr-326 to 380
 Theropoda -
Actinopteri
 Pycnodontiformes - Pycnodontidae
Pycnodus bicresta3 Kumar and Loyal 1987
 Lepisosteiformes - Lepisosteidae
 Osteoglossiformes - Notopteridae
 Osteoglossiformes - Osteoglossidae
 Salmoniformes -
 Aulopiformes - Ichthyotringidae
Apateodus striatus5 Woodward 1901
 Kurtiformes - Apogonidae
Apogonidarum sp.3 Unknown Cardinalfish
Serranidarum sp.3 Cardinalfish
 Tetraodontiformes - Eotrigonodontidae
 Perciformes -
Percoideorum ellipticus3 perch-like fish
Percoideorum rangapurensis3 perch-like fish
Percoideorum "sp. 1"3 Bleeker 1859 perch-like fish
Percoideorum "sp. 2"3 Bleeker 1859 perch-like fish
 Clupeiformes - Clupeoidei
Clupeidarum sp.3 Cuvier 1817 herring
 Aspidorhynchiformes - Aspidorhynchidae
Belonostomus sp.5 Agassiz 1834
 Life -
Gabonisporites sp.6 Srivastava 1972
"pollen"