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Upper Maleri Formation

Upper Maleri Formation
Stratigraphic range: Norian
~220–211 Ma
Artistic reconstruction of the Upper Maleri Formation paleoenvironment
TypeGeological formation
Unit ofGondwana Group
UnderliesLower Dharmaram Formation
OverliesLower Maleri Formation
Location
Coordinates19°18′N 79°30′E / 19.3°N 79.5°E / 19.3; 79.5
Approximate paleocoordinates33°06′S 36°24′E / 33.1°S 36.4°E / -33.1; 36.4
RegionTelangana
CountryIndia
ExtentPranhita–Godavari Basin
Upper Maleri Formation is located in India
Upper Maleri Formation
Upper Maleri Formation (India)

The Upper Maleri Formation is a sedimentary rock formation found in Telangana, India. It is one of the formations of the Pranhita–Godavari Basin. It is of late Norian and possibly earliest Rhaetian ages (Late Triassic), and is notable for its fossils of early dinosaurs.

Fossil content

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

Dinosauriforms

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Dinosauriforms of the Upper Maleri Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Image
Guaibasauridae Indet.[1] Indeterminate A guaibasaurid sauropoomorph
Jaklapallisaurus[1] J. assymetrica Telangana ISI R274, postcranial material[1] An unaysaurid sauropodomorph; also found in the Lower Dharmaram Formation
Nambalia[1] N. roychowdhurii Telangana ISI R273, including partial postcrania of at least three individuals of different sizes found closely associated[1] A basal bagualosaurian sauropodomorph
Maleriraptor[2] M. kuttyi Pranhita-Godavari Valley ISIR 282, partial sacral ribs, vertebrae, and pelvic girdle[2] A herrerasaurian saurischian

Other amniotes

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Non-dinosaur Amniotes of the Upper Maleri Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Image
Despatosuchini Indet.[3] Indeterminate A desmatosuchin desmatosuchine
Kranosaura[3] K. kuttyi ISIR 269, a partial skull A dome-headed protopyknosian archosauriform; closely related to Triopticus primus from the Colorado City Formation of Texas
Leptosuchomorpha Indet.[3] Indeterminate A leptosuchomorph mystriosuchine; closely related to Leptosuchus studeri.
Mystriosuchinae Indet.[3] Indeterminate A mystriosuchine parasuchid; closey related to Angistorhinus grandis
Paratypothoracini Indet.[3] Indeterminate A paraypothoracini typothoracine
Placeriinae Indet.[3] Indeterminate A placeriine stahleckeriid
Stahleckeriinae Indet.[3] Indeterminate A stahleckeriine stahleckeriid

Temnospondyls

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Temnospondyls of the Upper Maleri Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Image
Compsocerops[4] C. cosgriffi[4] A chigutisaurid temnospondyl; also found in the Santa Maria Formation[5]
Kuttycephalus[4] K. triangularis[4] A chigutisaurid temnospondyl[5]

Fish

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Fishes of the Upper Maleri Formation
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Image
Ferganoceratodus F. hislopianus A ceratodontiform lungfish

Correlations

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The formation has been correlated with the Forest Sandstone of Africa, the lower Caturrita Formation of the Paraná Basin in Brazil, the upper Ischigualasto Formation and lower Los Colorados Formation of the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin of Argentina, and the Chinle Formation of North America.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Novas, Fernando E.; Ezcurra, Martin D.; Chatterjee, Sankar; Kutty, T. S. (2011). "New dinosaur species from the Upper Triassic Upper Maleri and Lower Dharmaram formations of Central India". Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 101 (3–4): 333–349. doi:10.1017/S1755691011020093. ISSN 1755-6910. S2CID 128620874.
  2. 1 2 Ezcurra, Martín D.; Garcia, Maurício Silva; Novas, Fernando E.; Müller, Rodrigo Temp; Agnolín, Federico L.; Chatterjee, Sankar (7 May 2025). "A new herrerasaurian dinosaur from the Upper Triassic Upper Maleri Formation of south-central India". Royal Society Open Science. 12 (5). doi:10.1098/rsos.250081. ISSN 2054-5703. PMC 12077243.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nesbitt, S. J.; Stocker, M. R.; Chatterjee, S.; Horner, J. R.; Goodwin, M. B. (2021). "A remarkable group of thick-headed Triassic Period archosauromorphs with a wide, possibly Pangean distribution". Journal of Anatomy. 239 (1): 184–206. doi:10.1111/joa.13414. PMC 8197959. PMID 33660262.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Sengupta, Dhurjati P. (1995). "Chigutisaurid temnospondyls from the Late Triassic of India and a review of the Family Chigutisauridae" (PDF). Palaeontology. 38 (2): 313–339.
  5. 1 2 Teschner, Elżbieta M.; Chakravorti, Sanjukta; Sengupta, Dhurjati P.; Konietzko-Meier, Dorota (8 September 2020). "Climatic influence on the growth pattern of Panthasaurus maleriensis from the Late Triassic of India deduced from paleohistology". PeerJ. 8 e9868. doi:10.7717/peerj.9868. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 7485487. PMID 33194360.

Further reading

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