Tiki Formation

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Tiki Formation
Stratigraphic range: Carnian-Norian
Type Geological formation
Unit of Gondwana Group
Sub-unitsLower & Upper members
Lithology
Primary Mudstone
Other Claystone, sandstone
Location
Coordinates 23°54′N81°24′E / 23.9°N 81.4°E / 23.9; 81.4
Approximate paleocoordinates 42°36′S51°06′E / 42.6°S 51.1°E / -42.6; 51.1
Region Madhya Pradesh
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
Type section
Named forTiki village
India relief location map.jpg
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Tiki Formation (India)
India Madhya Pradesh relief map.svg
Pink ff0080 pog.svg
Tiki Formation (Madhya Pradesh)

The Tiki Formation is a Late Triassic (Carnian to Norian) geologic formation in Madhya Pradesh, northern India. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, although none have yet been referred to a specific genus. [1] Phytosaur remains attributable to the genus Volcanosuchus have also been found in the Tiki Formation. [2]

Contents

The genera Tikiodon , Tikitherium and Tikisuchus and species Rewaconodon tikiensis , Hyperodapedon tikiensis and Parvodus tikiensis have been named after the Tiki Formation.

Paleobiota

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxonTaxon falsely reported as presentDubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Cynodonts

Cynodonts of the Tiki Formation
GenusSpeciesMaterialNotes
Gondwanadon [3] [4] G. tapaniA single molarA morganucodont
Inditherium [5] I. floris [5] Three postcanine teethA dromatheriid
Rewaconodon [3] R. indicus [5] A partial jaw and three postcanine teethA dromatheriid
R. tikiensis [6]
Ruberodon [3] [7] R. roychowdhuriiFive partial jawsA traversodontid
Tikiodon [3] T. cromptoniA single postcanine toothA mammaliamorph
Tikitherium [3] [8] T. copeiA single postcanine toothA mammaliaform. Initially described as a basal mammaliaform related to Docodonta, but later redescribed as a Neogene shrew fossil that was reworked into the older deposit. [9]
Cynodontia indet.

Reptiles

Reptiles of the Tiki Formation
Genus / TaxonSpeciesMaterialNotes
Colossosuchus [10] C. techniensis [10] Known from multiple skeletons, all likely died togetherA very large mystriosuchine phytosaur
Hyperodapedon [11] [6] H. huxleyiA hyperodapedontine rhynchosaur
H.tikiensis [12] Various cranial and postcranial elements
Parasuchus [13] [6] P. hislopiTwo articulate skeletons and isolated skullsA basal (non-mystriosuchine) phytosaur
Tikisuchus [13] T. romeriThe skull and some postcranial elements of a young individualA putative rauisuchid
Volcanosuchus [14] V. statisticae [14] A skullA mystriosuchine phytosaur
Ornithischia indet. [15] [6]
Phytosauria indet. [15] [16]
Pseudosuchia indet. [17]
Sphenodontia indet. [15] [6]
Theropoda indet. [13]

Amphibians

Amphibians of the Tiki Formation
GenusSpeciesMaterialNotes
Eodiscoglossus [6] E. spPrehistoric frog
Compsocerops C. tikiensisA Chigutisaurid Temnospondyl
Metoposaurus [13] M. sp.A Temnospondyl

Fish

Fishes of the Tiki Formation
GenusSpeciesMaterialNotes
Cladodus [6] C. sp.An isolated toothA Cladoselachid
Lissodus [6] L. duffiniAn isolated toothA Hybodontid
Parvodus [6] P. tikiensisTeethA Hybodontid
Actinopterygii indet. [6]
Coelacanthidae indet. [6]


Flora

Correlations

The Tiki Formation is considered a temporal equivalent of the Lower Maleri Formation. The majority of the Tiki Formation correlates with the Ischigualasto Formation of Argentina, the upper part of the Santa Maria Formation, and the overlying lower Caturrita Formation of Brazil, the Isalo II Beds of Madagascar, Lossiemouth Sandstone of Scotland, and the lower Tecovas Formation of the Chinle Group of North America.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dicynodontia</span> Extinct clade of therapsids

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herrerasauridae</span> Extinct family of basal saurischian dinosaurs

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<i>Hyperodapedon</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

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<i>Rutiodon</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Rutiodon is an extinct genus of mystriosuchine phytosaurs from the Late Triassic of the eastern United States. The type species of Rutiodon, Rutiodon carolinensis, encompasses a large number of skulls and assorted postcranial fossils discovered in the Cumnock Formation of North Carolina. Fossils referable to the species are also known from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia. Rutiodon carolinensis is the most well-described species of phytosaur in eastern North America, though its validity as a natural taxon has been questioned. Some paleontologists also recognize a larger and more robust species, Rutiodon manhattanensis, which is known from teeth and postcranial fossils from New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Maria Formation</span> Geologic formation in Brazil

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ischigualasto Formation</span> Geological formation in Argentina

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caturrita Formation</span> Rock formation in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

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<i>Clevosaurus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Clevosaurus is an extinct genus of rhynchocephalian reptile from the Late Triassic and the Early Jurassic periods. Species of Clevosaurus were widespread across Pangaea, and have been found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Five species of Clevosaurus have been found in ancient fissure fill deposits in south-west England and Wales, alongside other sphenodontians, early mammals and dinosaurs. In regards to its Pangaean distribution, C. hadroprodon is the oldest record of a sphenodontian from Gondwana, though its affinity to Clevosaurus has been questioned.

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Rewaconodon is an extinct genus of dromatheriid cynodonts which existed in India during the upper Triassic period. It is known from two species: R. tikiensis and R. indicus, both of which were found in the Tiki Formation. Other, undescribed species may have lived in North America.

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Ruberodon is an extinct genus of traversodontid cynodonts known from the type and only species Ruberodon roychowdhurii from the Late Triassic of India. Ruberodon was named in 2015 on the basis of several isolated lower jaws found in the Tiki Formation. The lower jaw of Ruberodon has three pairs of incisors, one pair of canines, and 9 pairs of postcanine teeth. The first pair of incisors is enlarged and protrudes forward from the tip of the jaw and there is a gap called a diastema between the canines and postcanines. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that among traversodontids, R. roychowdhurii is most closely related to Exaeretodon statisticae, which is also from India.

Tikitherium is an extinct genus of mammaliaforms from India, known from a single upper tooth. Originally argued to be a primitive mammaliaform from the Late Triassic, a 2024 study argued that it actually represented the remains of a shrew from the Neogene. Tikitherium refers to Tiki, the village located near the Tiki Formation where the specimen was originally thought to have come from, and therium is Greek for “Beast”. The species was named copei in honor of Edward Drinker Cope for his pioneering discoveries towards understanding mammalian molars.

Inditherium is an extinct genus of dromatheriid cynodonts that lived in what is now India during the Late Triassic. Its type and only species is Inditherium floris, which is known from three postcanine teeth discovered at the Tiki Formation of Madhya Pradesh.

Tikiodon is an extinct genus of mammaliamorphs that lived in what is now India during the Late Triassic. Its type and only species is Tikiodon cromptoni, which is known from a single lower postcanine tooth discovered at the Tiki Formation of Madhya Pradesh.

References

  1. Weishampel et al., 2004, "Dinosaur distribution", pp. 517-607
  2. Chatterjee, 1978
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Bhat, M. S.; Ray, S.; Datta, P. M. (2020). "New cynodonts (Therapsida, Eucynodontia) from the Late Triassic of India and their significances". Journal of Paleontology . 95 (2): 376–393. doi:10.1017/jpa.2020.95. S2CID   228836405.
  4. Datta & Das, 1996
  5. 1 2 3 Bhat, M. S.; Ray, S.; Datta, P. M. (2020). "New cynodonts (Therapsida, Eucynodontia) from the Late Triassic of India and their significances". Journal of Paleontology. 95 (2): 376–393. doi:10.1017/jpa.2020.95.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kumar & Sharma, 2019
  7. Ray, S. (2015). "A new Late Triassic traversodontid cynodont (Therapsida, Eucynodontia) from India". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 35 (3): e930472. Bibcode:2015JVPal..35E0472R. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.930472. S2CID   86368800.
  8. Datta, P. M. (2005). "Earliest mammal with transversely expanded upper molar from the Late Triassic (Carnian) Tiki Formation, South Rewa Gondwana Basin, India". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 25 (1): 200–207. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0200:EMWTEU]2.0.CO;2.
  9. Averianov, Alexander O.; Voyta, Leonid L. (March 2024). "Putative Triassic stem mammal Tikitherium copei is a Neogene shrew". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 31 (1). doi:10.1007/s10914-024-09703-w. ISSN   1064-7554.
  10. 1 2 Datta, D.; Ray, S. (2023). "A giant phytosaur (Diapsida, Archosauria) from the Upper Triassic of India with new insights on phytosaur migration, endemism and extinction". Papers in Palaeontology. 9 (1). e1476. Bibcode:2023PPal....9E1476D. doi:10.1002/spp2.1476. S2CID   257103850.
  11. Lydekker, 1885
  12. Mukherjee, Debarati; Ray, Sanghamitra (2014). Benson, Roger (ed.). "A new Hyperodapedon (Archosauromorpha, Rhynchosauria) from the Upper Triassic of India: implications for rhynchosaur phylogeny". Palaeontology. 57 (6): 1241–1276. Bibcode:2014Palgy..57.1241M. doi:10.1111/pala.12113. ISSN   0031-0239.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Chatterjee & Majumdar, 1987
  14. 1 2 Datta, Debajit; Ray, Sanghamitra; Bandyopadhyay, Saswati (2021). "Cranial morphology of a new phytosaur (Diapsida, Archosauria) from the Upper Triassic of India: implications for phytosaur phylogeny and biostratigraphy". Papers in Palaeontology. 7 (2): 675–708. Bibcode:2021PPal....7..675D. doi:10.1002/spp2.1292. ISSN   2056-2802. S2CID   213698017.
  15. 1 2 3 Datta et al., 2005
  16. Mukherjee & Ray, 2012
  17. Huene, 1940
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pal, 1984

Bibliography