A Late Triassic dromatheriid (Synapsida: Cynodontia) from India

Abstract

A dromatheriid non-mammalian cynodont. Rewaconodon tikiensis, gen. et sp. nov., is described on the basis of several isolated teeth from the Late Triassic (Carnian) Tiki Formation, south Rewa Gondwana Basin, Madhya Pradesh, India. The new taxon, characterized by mediolaterally compressed tricuspid and letracuspid postcanines with incipient root division, is similar to dromatheriids from the Late Triassic of Europe and North America. It also bears some plesiomorphic resemblance to Therioherpeton of Brazil. The new taxon further extends the geographic range of the already widespread distribution of dromatheriids and putatively related taxa. It corroborates the hypothesis on the cosmopolitan nature of the Late Triassic terrestrial vertebrate faunas worldwide. Because of the limited known materials and plesiomorphic features, the phylogenetic relationships of dromatheriids to mammals remain uncertain.