Coastal-plain microvertebrate assemblage from the terminal cretaceous of Asifabad, Peninsular India

Abstract

A microvertebrate assemblage consisting of 21 genera and 26 species of fish, frogs, lizards, snakes, crocodiles and dinosaurs is described from the Infra- and Intertrappean Beds of Asifabad District, Andhra Pradesh (India). The fauna consists of an admixture of marine and freshwater assemblages thereby suggesting a coastal-plain condition of deposition for these beds. The biotic assembleges show close affinities to those of Holarctic and Gondeanaland continents and are in favour of a Late Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous to Early Palaeocene ages for the infra - and intertrappean beds respectively.