Abstract
Reports of the angiosperm macrofossils from the Early Cretaceous sediments of India are relatively poor, with only one report from the Krishna-Godavari Basin. The present study documents a monocotyledon leaf fossil from the Barremian-Aptian (Early Cretaceous) of Gangapur Formation, Pranhita-Godavari Basin, India. The present fossil leaf placed under a new genus Sahniophyllum and it is characterised by the ribbon shaped leaves, with parallel venation, arranged in rosette form suggests its probable affinity with Hydrocharitaceae. The taphocoenosis demonstrates its autochthonous preservation and aquatic habitat.
Highlights
The early origin and evolution of the Angiosperms is Darwin’s abominable mystery (Friedman 2009)
The present fossil leaf placed under a new genus Sahniophyllum and it is characterised by the ribbon shaped leaves, with parallel venation, arranged in rosette form suggests its probable affinity with Hydrocharitaceae
The present study describes a monocotyledon mega fossil from the Barremian-Aptian of Gangapur Formation, Pranhita-Godavari (PG) Basin, East Coast of India
Summary
The early origin and evolution of the Angiosperms is Darwin’s abominable mystery (Friedman 2009). Modern monocots are composed of 81 families and about 60.000 species Their origin and rapid explosion is still under debate (Doyle 2006; 2012 and references therein) but they became the significant components of the ecosystem from the Cretaceous (Friis et al 2011).They changed the face of earth ecosystem and provided the structural definition for most terrestrial ecosystems (Crepet 2000; Graham 2011). The diversification of this group assisted in the explosion of the ferns (Schneider et al 2004) and co-evolution of the insects (Grimaldi & Engel 2005). The present study describes a monocotyledon mega fossil from the Barremian-Aptian of Gangapur Formation, Pranhita-Godavari (PG) Basin, East Coast of India
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