Parataxonomic review of the Upper Cretaceous dinosaur eggshells belonging to the oofamily Megaloolithidae from India and Argentina

The Molí del Baró-1 site, a diverse fossil assemblage from the uppermost Maastrichtian of the southern Pyrenees (north-eastern Iberia)

“…The pore channels are simple, narrow and straight like the tubocanaliculate morphotype (Mikhailov, 1997). The combination of these features allows classifying this eggshell type as belonging to the oofamily Megaloolithidae and more precisely to Fusioolithus baghensis (Khosla and Sahni, 1995) Fern andez and Khosla 2015 (sensu Fern andez and Khosla, 2015). Based on several evidence, megaloolithid eggs and eggshells can be taxonomically assigned to titanosaurian sauropods (Chiappe et al, 1998;Wilson et al, 2010;Grellet-Tinner et al, 2011 and references therein).…”

Faunal elements from the Deccan volcano‐sedimentary sequences of India: A reappraisal of biostratigraphic, palaeoecologic, and palaeobiogeographic aspects

“…Fh (Fish), Fh‐O (Fish otolith), Am (Amphibian), Lz (Lizard), Lz‐O (Lizard eggshell), Sn (Snake), Tr (Turtle), Cr (Crocodile), Ds (Dinosaur), Ds‐E (Dinosaur eggshell), Ma (Mammal), Or‐E (Ornithoid eggshells). Remarks: Dinosaur eggshells have also been reported from the Deccan volcano‐sedimentary sequences at other locales, for instance, Megaloolithus cylindricus (Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh State; Dholiya, District Dhar, Madhya Pradesh State; Rahioli, Gujarat State; Ariyalur, South India); Megaloolithus jabalpurensis (Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh State; Dholiya and Padiyal, District Dhar, Madhya Pradesh State; Waniawao, District Panchmahal, Gujarat State; Pavna, District Chandrapur, Maharashtra State); Megaloolithus dhoridungriensis (Dhoridungri, Gujarat State; Dholiya, District Dhar, Madhya Pradesh State); Megaloolithus megadermus (Paori and Dholidhanti, District Panchmahal, Gujarat State; Daulatpoira, District Kheda, Gujarat State; Walpur, District Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh State); Megaloolithus khempurensis (Khempur, Gujarat State); Fusiloolithus baghensis (Bagh Caves, District Dhar, Madhya Pradesh State; Balasinor, Jetholi and Dhuvadiya, District Kheda, Gujarat State; Kallamedu Formation, Cauvery Basin, South India); Fusiloolithus mohabeyi (Dholiya, District Dhar, Madhya Pradesh State; Balasinor, Sonipur, Phenasani and Waniawao, District Kheda, Gujarat State); Fusiloolithus dholiyaensis (Dholiya, District Dhar, Madhya Pradesh State); Fusiloolithus padiyalensis (Padiyal, District Dhar, Madhya Pradesh State); and Ellipsoolithus khedaensis (Lavariya Muwada, District Kheda, Gujarat State) (Fernández & Khosla, ; Khosla, ).…”

“…The ~4.3 m thick Rahioli infratrappean section (Figure ) is known to yield abundant non‐avian dinosaurian elements (e.g., skeletal remains, dentition, and egg shells), crocodilian remains, and plant remains (fossil seeds assigned to the flowering plant family Boraginaceae; Khosla & Sahni, , ; Khosla & Verma, ; Mathur & Pant, ; Mathur & Srivastava, ; Mohabey, ; Srivastava, Mohabey, Sahni, & Pant, ). The presence of non‐avian dinosaurian remains assigns a Maastrichtian age to the infratrappean section at Rahioli (Fernández & Khosla, ; Khosla & Verma, ; Mohabey, ).…”

“…On the contrary, the common presence of the oospecies Megaloolithus jabalpurensis , M. cylindricus , M. megadermus , Fusioolithus baghensis , and F. berthei in South America, Africa, as well as India, also suggests Gondwanan connections (Figure ). It is to note that the association of Megaloolithidae and Fusioolithidae eggs with titanosaurids is widely accepted (Fernández & Khosla, ; Khosla, ; Khosla & Sahni, ; Vianey‐Liaud, Khosla, & Geraldine, ); moreover, morphological data on titanosaurid skeletal material suggest close biotic relationships between India and Madagascar (Rogers & Wilson, , and references therein). However, future phylogenetic studies on titanosaurids from India and other continents may reveal significant information regarding their affinities, consequently, facilitating our understanding of the palaeobiogeographic and palaeogeographic scenarios prevalent during the Late Cretaceous.…”

Cretaceous vertebrate fauna of the Cauvery Basin, southern India: Palaeodiversity and palaeobiogeographic implications

“…Kohring et al (1996) described the earliest egg of an Indian dinosaur from the Kallankurichchi Formation. It is a reworked egg belonging to the Megaloolithus cylindricus oospecies (Vianey-Liaud et al, 2003;Fernández and Khosla, 2014). Recently, Prasad et al (2013) documented five isolated teeth of indeterminate Abelisauridae from the Kallamedu Formation (Fig.…”