A new coryphoid costapalmate palm leaf from the Maastrichtian-Danian of India

Coryphoid palms from the K-Pg boundary of central India and their biogeographical implications: Evidence from megafossil remains

“…and S. karondiensis Roy et al. from the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary of Madhya Pradesh, central India ( Srivastava et al., 2014 ; Roy et al., 2021 ). However, both these earlier reported Deccan species have no hastula between petiole and costa, which is clearly seen in our specimen.…”

“…In India, fossil records of coryphoid leaf remains, namely, Sabalites sp., S. dindoriensis , S. karondiensis , S. microphylla , Livistona wadiai , Trachycarpus ladakhensis , Palmophyllum mohgaonense and Sabalophyllum livistonoides , are found from the Late Cretaceous through to the Miocene ( Sahni, 1964 ; Mahabale, 1966 ; Lakhanpal et al., 1983 , 1984 ; Bonde, 1986 ; Mathur et al., 1996 ; Srivastava et al., 2014 ; Roy et al., 2021 ). Besides leaf remains, other megafossil organs, namely sheathing leaf bases, petioles and leaf axes, have been reported from the Deccan Inter-trappean beds of India ( Kulkarni and Patil, 1977 ; Shete and Kulkarni, 1980 ; Bonde et al., 2000 ).…”

“…Ghughua, a village under Shahdol Division in Dindori District, is situated between Niwas and Shahpura about 77 km east of Jabalpur, while Karondi is a small village (a total area of about 320.99 ha) under Karondi Panchayat in Kundam Tehsil in Jabalpur District, located 45 km eastward from the district headquarters in Jabalpur. We have recovered a large number of fossil woods, seeds, and leaves from the aforesaid localities; some of them are reported ( Khan et al., 2019 , 2020a , b ; Roy et al., 2021 ). The inter-trappean sediments of Madhya Pradesh are very rich in permineralized woods ( Mahabale, 1958 ; Lakhanpal et al., 1979 ; Ambwani, 1983 ; Ambwani and Mehrotra, 1989 ; Gayakwad and Patil, 1989 ; Bonde et al., 2008 ; Khan et al., 2019 , 2020a ), but leaf remains are very scarce ( Srivastava et al., 2014 ; Roy et al., 2021 ).…”

“…We have recovered a large number of fossil woods, seeds, and leaves from the aforesaid localities; some of them are reported ( Khan et al., 2019 , 2020a , b ; Roy et al., 2021 ). The inter-trappean sediments of Madhya Pradesh are very rich in permineralized woods ( Mahabale, 1958 ; Lakhanpal et al., 1979 ; Ambwani, 1983 ; Ambwani and Mehrotra, 1989 ; Gayakwad and Patil, 1989 ; Bonde et al., 2008 ; Khan et al., 2019 , 2020a ), but leaf remains are very scarce ( Srivastava et al., 2014 ; Roy et al., 2021 ).

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“…Based on fossils from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Aguja Formation of Texas it has been suggested that an ecological relationship between animals (dinosaur herbivores) and coryphoid palms may have played an important role in palm evolution ( Manchester et al., 2010 ). However, only a few confirmed reports of fossil costapalmate leaf remains are known so far from the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene sediments of India ( Table S1 ; Mahabale, 1966 ; Lakhanpal et al., 1983 , 1984 ; Bonde, 1986 ; Srivastava et al., 2014 ; Roy et al., 2021 ). From this perspective, the occurrence of seven species of coryphoid palms, including two new species from the latest Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) to earliest Danian (early Paleocene) sediments (Chron 29R, 66–64 Ma) of the Deccan Inter-trappean Beds of India, several million years prior to the earliest likely time of India–Asia land contact, is noteworthy and seems to indicate a well-established Late Cretaceous Gondwanan presence of the subfamily Coryphoideae.…”