Charophyta from the deccan intertrappean beds near Rangapur, Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

Two charophytes-Platychara perlala (Peck & Reker) Grambast and Nemegtichara grambosti sp. nov- are described and illustrated from the Deccan Intertrappean beds near Rangapur, district Rangareddi, Andhra Pradesh. The genus Nemegtichara Karczewska & Ziembinska-Tworzydlo, first described from the Palaeogene "White Beds" of the Nemegt Basin in Mongolia and also known from the Cretaceous- Middle Eocene of China is being recorded for the first time from India. The age and palaeobiogeographic implications of the assemblage are also discussed.

Charophytes from the Cretaceous–Palaeogene transition in the Jhilmili intertrappean beds of Central India

“…Additionally, they are also comparable to Chara elliptica Fritzsche, 1924, originally described from the older, Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) deposits of Tres Cruces and Negra Muerta of Jujuy Province in northern Argentina, South America (Doweld, 2015). The present species is closely similar in overall shape, number of spiral cells in lateral view to specimens of P. perlata described from the intertrappean beds of Takli and Nagpur, Maharashtra (Bhatia & Rana, 1984), and Rangapur, Telangana (Bhatia, Riveline, & Rana, 1990) et al, 1992, 1994). The Jhilmili specimens are somewhat smaller in size, but they are regarded as representing the same species.…”

Cretaceous mammals of India–Stratigraphic distribution, diversity and intercontinental affinities

“…A similar palaeobiogeographic picture emerges from the study of archaic ungulate Kharmerungulatum with close affinities to North American 'condylarths' and the unidentified eutherian sharing some morphological traits with Bobolestes zenge from Central Asia. Late Cretaceous Laurasian connection for India is also supported by other vertebrate groups such as pelobatid and Gobiatinae frogs, Anguidae lizards (Sahni et al, 1982;Prasad & Rage, 1991;1995Rage et al, 2020), troodontid dinosaur (Goswami et al, 2013), charophytes (Bhatia et al, 1989;Srinivasan et al, 1994) and coryphoid palm (Srivastava et al, 2014). The presence of these taxa of Laurasian affinities in India at a time when India was adrift in the Tethys can be explained by invoking dispersals across island arc systems as suggested in the past (Sahni et al, 1982;Prasad & Sahni, 1999;Chatterjee et al, 2013Chatterjee et al, , 2017.…”

“…Rana (1988Rana ( , 1990 reported the occurrence of freshwater ostracods, molluscs, and charophytes in the white marl, blackish-brown marl, and whitish−grey marl beds. Leaf impressions, silicified ostracods, molluscs, and charophytes were also documented from the black chert beds (Rana,1988(Rana, , 1990Bhatia et al, 1989). Vertebrate microfossils, particularly micromammals, were reported from the blackish-brown marl and whitish-grey marl units (Rana 1988(Rana , 1990Rana & Wilson, 2003).…”

“…2, Dapalis erici, "Apogonidarum" curvatus, and "Blenniidarum" sp. Two charophyte species Platychara perlata and Nemegtichara grambasti were also documented from the intertrappean beds of Rangapur (Bhatia et al, 1989). Although the presence of crocodilian teeth of Alligatorinae affinity were reported from the intertrappean beds of Rangapur by Rana (1990) and Rana & Sati (2000), later they have been identified as Crocodylia incertae sedis (Prasad & de Lapparent de Broin, 2002).…”

Recent advances in studies on fossil Charophyta

“…Peckichara varians Grambast, which was first reported by Bhatia (1982) from the Kateru Intertrappean, is now also recorded from Lalitpur, Nagpur and Gurumatkal. The genus Nemegtichara which was hitherto known only from Mongolia and China, is now represented in India by N. gramhasti Bhatia, Riveline & Rana, from Rangapur in Andhra Pradesh (Bhatia et al, 1990b) and from Gurumatkal (Srinivasan, 1991) Srinivasan (1991) The genus Microchara is represented by M. vestita (restricted to Early Palaeocene) and M. sausari (Sahni & Rao) (vide Bhatia, 1982) which probably straddles the K•T boundary.…”