INVESTIGADORES
EZCURRA Martin Daniel
artículos
Título:
New dinosaur species from the Upper Triassic Upper Maleri and Lower Dharmaram formations of Central India
Autor/es:
NOVAS, F. E.; EZCURRA, M. D.; CHATTERJEE, S. ; KUTTY, T. S.
Revista:
EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH
Editorial:
ROYAL SOC EDINBURGH
Referencias:
Lugar: Edinburgo; Año: 2011 vol. 101
ISSN:
1755-6910
Resumen:
The beginning of dinosaur evolution is currently known based on a handful ofhighly informative Gondwanan outcrops of Ischigualastian age (late Carnian?early Norian). Therichest Triassic dinosaur records of the southern continents are those of South America and SouthAfrica, with taxonomically diverse faunas, whereas faunas from India and central Africa are morepoorly known. Here, the known diversity of Gondwanan Triassic dinosaurs is increased with newspecimens from central India, which allow a more comprehensive characterisation of these dinosaurassemblages. Five dinosauriform specimens are reported from the probable late Norian?earliestRhaetian Upper Maleri Formation, including two new sauropodomorph species, the nonplateosaurianNambalia roychowdhurii and the plateosaurian Jaklapallisaurus asymmetrica, a guaibasauridand two basal dinosauriforms. The Lower Dharmaram Formation, probably latestNorian?Rhaetian in age, includes basal sauropodomorph and neotheropod remains, providing thesecond record of a Triassic Gondwanan neotheropod. The currently available evidence suggests thatthe oldest known Gondwanan dinosaur assemblages (Ischigualastian) were not homogeneous, butmore diverse in South America than in India. In addition, the Upper Maleri and Lower Dharmaramdinosaur assemblages resemble purported coeval South American and European beds in the presenceof basal sauropodomorphs. Accordingly, the current available evidence of the Triassic beds of thePranhita?Godavari Basin suggests that dinosaurs increased in diversity and abundance during thelate Norian to Rhaetian in this region of Gondwana.