First fossil marsupials from India: early eocene indodelphis N. Gen. and Jaegeria N. Gen. From Vastan Lignite Mine, District Surat, Gujarat

Abstract

We report the discovery of fossil marsupials (Didelphidae: Mammalia) from India, based on well-preserved lower molars of two taxa (Indodelphis Inoi n. gen. and n. sp. and Jaegeria cambayensis n. gen. and n. sp.) from the early Eocene (middle Ypresian, approximately 52 Ma) deposits of Vastan Lignite Mine, District Surat, Gujarat, western India. These species probably represent the oldest known record of Cenozoic marsupials from Asia, and they occur in association with a diverse land mammal fauna comprising perissodactyls, artiodactyls, insectivores, proteutherians, apatotherians, bats, rodents, and several other taxa currently under study.