Skip to main content
Log in

New cynodont record from the lower Triassic Panchet Formation, Damodar valley

  • Published:
Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

This paper reports the find of a new non-mammalian cynodont from the Lower Triassic Panchet Formation of the Damodar valley, West Bengal, India. The fossil, recovered from a clay pellet rich calcareous sandstone bed, is a part of left lower jaw having five post canines that are damaged to various extents. A combination of mammal-like advanced characters such as much enlarged dentary, reduced post dentary bones, high coronoid process, large masseteric fossa, each post canine with a large central cusp flanked by a distal and a mesial accessory cusps with two additional lingually positioned cingular cusps, incipient root division and clearly demarcated crown-root juncture prompted to erect a new taxon Panchetocynodon damodarensis gen. et sp. nov.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Battail, B. (1991) Les cynodontes (Reptilia, Therapsida): une phylogenie. Bull. Mus. National d× histoire Naturelle, Series 4, 13c(4), pp.17–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benton, M.J. (1997) Vertebrate Palaeontology. Chapman & Hall, 2nd Edition, 452p.

  • Bonaparte, J.F., Martinelli, A.G., Schultz, C.L. and Rubert, R. (2003) The sister group of mammals: small cynodonts from the Late Triassic of Southern Brazil. Revista Brasileira de paleontologia, v.5, pp.5–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Botha, J., Abdala, F. and Smith, R. (2007) The oldest cynodont: new clues on the origin and early diversification of the cynodontia. Zoological Jour. Linnean Soc., v.149, pp.477–492.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dasgupta, H.C. (1922) Notes on the Panchet Reptile. Sir Asutosh Mukherjee Silver Jubilee Volumes (Published by Calcutta University), v.2, pp.237–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dasgupta, H.C. (1926) Palaeontological notes on the Panchet beds at Deoli, near Assansol. Jour. Asiatic Soc., Bengal, v.22, pp.215–217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, R.L. (1988) Vertebrate Palaeontology and Evolution. Publisher W.H. Freeman & Co., 698p.

  • Crompton, A.W. and Jenkins, F.A. Jr. (1979) Origin of mammals. In: J.A. Lillegraven, Z.K. Jaworowska and A. Clemens (Ed.), Mesozoic Mammals: the first two-third of the mammalian history. Berkeley, University, California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crompton, A.W. and Luo, Z.X. (1993) Relationships of the Liassic mammals Sinoconodon, Morganucodon and Dinnetherium. In: F.S. Szalay, M.J. Novacek and M.C. McKenna (Eds.), Mammal Phylogeny (Volume I) Mesozoic differentiation, multituberculates, monotremes, early therians and marsupials. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp.30–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Groenewald, G.H. and Kitching, J.W. (1995) Biostratigraphy of the Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone. South African Committee for Stratigraphy and Biostratigraphy Series 1, pp.35–39.

  • Gupta, A. (2007) Fish remains from the Panchet formation, W.B. — New Find. News Geol. Surv. India, (CHQ), v.38(1), pp.26–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, A. (2009) Ichthyofauna of the Lower Triassic Panchet Formation, Damodar valley basin, West Bengal, and its implications. Indian Jour. Geosci., v.63(3), pp.275–286.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huxley, T.H. (1865) On a collection of vertebrate fossil from Panchet rocks, Raniganj coalfield. Palaeontologica Indica Series, v.4,1(1), pp.2–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, T.S. (1979) The primitive cynodont Procynosuchus: functional anatomy of the skull and relationships. Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. London, v.B285, pp.73–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, S.G. (1998) Global Triassic tetrapod biostratigraphy and biochronology. Palaeogeo., Palaeoclimat., Palaeoeco., v.143, pp.345–382.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, S.G. (1999) A tetrapod based Triassic Time Scale. Albertiana, v.21(3), pp.1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lydekker, R. (1881) Note on some Gondwana vertebrates. Rec. Geol. Surv. India, v.14, pp.174–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martinella, A.G., Bonaparte, J.F., Schultz, C.L. and Robert, R. (2005) A new tritheledontid (Therapsida, Eucynodontia) from the Late Triassic of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) cynodonts. Ameghiana, v.42(1), pp.191–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martinez, R.N., May, C.L. and Forster, C.A. (1996) A new carnivorous cynodont from the Ischiguslasto Formation (Late Triassic, Argentina) with comments on eucynodont phylogeny. Jour. Vertebrate Palaeont., v.16, pp.271–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nath, T.T. and Yadagiri, P. (2007) A new mammal like reptile (Cynodonta) from the Upper Triassic Maleri Formation of Pranhita-Godavari Valley, Andhra Pradesh. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.69, pp.57–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborn, H.F. (1903) On the primary division of the Reptilia, into two subclasses, Synopsida and Diapsida. Science, v.17, pp.275–276.

    Google Scholar 

  • Owen, R. (1861) Palaeontology or a systematic summary of extinct animals and their geological remains. Edinburgh: A & C, 2nd Edn., Black. pp.270–275.

  • Romer, A.S. (1970) The Chanares (Argentina) Triassic reptile fauna. VI. A cynodont with an incipient squamosal — dentary articulation. Breviora, v.344, pp.1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubidge, B.S. (1995) Biostratigraphy of the Baeufort Group (Karoo Supergroup). Pectoria: South African Committee for Stratigraphy, Biostratigraphic series 1.

  • Satsangi, P.P. (1987) The vertebrate faunas of the Permian and Lower Triassic sequence of India. In: Mesozoic Gondwana Vertebrates. Geol. Surv. India Spec. Publ. v.11, pp.165–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, M.D. and Jenkins, F.A. Jr. (2001) A cynodont from the Upper Triassic of East Greenland: tooth replacement and double-rootedness. Bull. Museum Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, v.156, pp.49–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shubin, N.H., Crompton, A.W., Sues, H.D. and Olsen, P.E. (1991) New fossil evidence on the sister-group of mammals and early Mesozoic faunal distribution. Science, v.251, pp.1063–1065.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sues, H.D. and Boy, J.A. (1988) A procynosuchid cynodont from central Europe. Nature, v.331, pp.523–524.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tatarinov, L.P. (2004) Late Permian theriodonts (Reptilia) from the Gorokhovetz locality (Russia, Vladimir region). Palaeontological Jour., v.38, pp.81–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tripathi, C. (1962) On the remains of Lystrosaurus from the Panchet rocks of Raniganj coalfield. Rec. Geol. Surv. India, v.89(2), pp.407–419.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tripathi, C. and Satsangi, P.P. (1963) Lystrosaurus fauna from Panchet Series of Raniganj coalfield. Palaeontologica Indica (N.S.), v.37, pp.1–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilford, J.N. (1982) Standing there at a turning point in evolution; is a reptile on the verge of being a mammal? The New York Times, Nov.2.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abir Gupta.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Das, D.P., Gupta, A. New cynodont record from the lower Triassic Panchet Formation, Damodar valley. J Geol Soc India 79, 175–180 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-012-0022-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-012-0022-2

Keywords

Navigation