First Ornithischian and Theropod Dinosaur Teeth from the Middle Jurassic Kota Formation of India: Paleobiogeographic Relationships

Abstract

The Middle Jurassic Kota Formation of the Pranhita-Godavari Valley in peninsular India is well known for its vertebrate fauna comprising fishes, sphenodontians, iguanian lizards, cryptodire turtle, crocodilians, pterosaurs, sauropod dinosaurs and early mammals. However, no theropod and undoubted ornithischian dinosaur remains have been reported from the Jurassic of India until now. Here we describe the first theropod dinosaur teeth representing five morphotypes of Dromaeosauridae, one Richardoestesia-like form, and one Theropoda indet. The ornithischian dinosaur teeth are described under five morphotypes of Ornithischia indet. The new dinosaur fauna improves the diversity of the Jurassic vertebrate fauna of India significantly. It also improves the impoversished Jurassic record of dromaeosaurid and primitive ornithischian dinosaurs of the Gondwana. At higher taxonomic levels, the Kota fauna demonstrates close compositional similarities with Laurasian Jurassic faunas, such as the Middle Jurassic fauna of England, and limited Gondwanan affinities, which may suggest closer connection with the Laurasian continents and existence of some biogeographic partitioning within the Gondwana in the Jurassic. However, this interpretation is subject to further verification in the least explored areas of Gondwana.