Indodelphis

Indodelphis is an extinct genus of opossum-like metatherian from Eocene of Cambay Shale Formation of India. The type and the only species is Indodelphis luoi.[1]

Indodelphis is the only known metatherian from Insular India (another, Jaegeria, has had its metatherian status questioned). It is known from the well-preserved lower molars of two individuals. This species probably represents the oldest known record of Cenozoic metatherians from Asia, and it occurs in association with a diverse land mammal fauna comprising perissodactyls, artiodactyls, insectivores, laurasiatherians, apatotherians, bats, rodents, and several other taxa currently under study.[1]

It was initially assigned to the Peradectidae,[1] but more likely belongs to the Herpetotheriidae. It may possibly be a junior synonym of Asiadidelphis from the Paleogene of Pakistan and Kazakhstan, which is known only from upper molars.[2] It is unknown whether Indodelphis descended from a metatherian that colonized Insular India from Asia, or if it was a relict of India's original Gondwanan mammalian fauna.[3]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bajpai, Sunil; Kapur, Vivesh; Thewissen, J G M; Tiwari, Brahma; Das, Debasis (2005-06-01). "First fossil marsupials from India: Early Eocene Indodelphis n. gen. and Jaegeria n. gen. from Vastan Lignite mine, District Surat, Gujarat". Journal of the Palaentological Society of India 50 (1): 147-151. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259780037_First_fossil_marsupials_from_India_Early_Eocene_Indodelphis_n_gen_and_Jaegeria_n_gen_from_Vastan_Lignite_mine_District_Surat_Gujarat. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
2. ↑ Crochet, J.-Y.; Antoine, P.-O.; Benammi, Mouloud; Iqbal, N.; Marivaux, Laurent; Metais, Grégoire; Welcomme, Jean-Loup (2007). "A herpetotheriid marsupial from the Oligocene of Bugti Hills, Balochistan, Pakistan". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 52 (3): 633–637. https://hal.science/hal-00319692/.
3. ↑ Bennett, C. Verity; Upchurch, Paul; Goin, Francisco J.; Goswami, Anjali (2018). "Deep time diversity of metatherian mammals: implications for evolutionary history and fossil-record quality" (in en). Paleobiology 44 (2): 171–198. doi:10.1017/pab.2017.34. ISSN 0094-8373. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/paleobiology/article/deep-time-diversity-of-metatherian-mammals-implications-for-evolutionary-history-and-fossilrecord-quality/79E914107366FFD593A831E0486E356C.

Wikidata ☰ Q128496184 entry

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