Tiki Formation

The Tiki Formation is a Late Triassic (Carnian to Norian) geologic formation in Madhya Pradesh, northern India. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation, although none have yet been referred to a specific genus.^[1] Phytosaur remains attributable to the genus Volcanosuchus have also been found in the Tiki Formation.^[2]

Tiki Formation
Stratigraphic range: Carnian-Norian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Gondwana Group
Sub-units	Lower & Upper members
Lithology
Primary	Mudstone
Other	Claystone, sandstone
Location
Coordinates	23.9°N 81.4°E / 23.9; 81.4
Approximate paleocoordinates	42.6°S 51.1°E / -42.6; 51.1
Region	Madhya Pradesh
Country	India
Type section
Named for	Tiki village
Tiki Formation (India) Show map of India Tiki Formation (Madhya Pradesh) Show map of Madhya Pradesh

The genera Tikiodon, Tikitherium and Tikisuchus and species Rewaconodon tikiensis, Hyperodapedon tikiensis and Parvodus tikiensis have been named after the Tiki Formation.

Paleobiota

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.

Cynodonts

Cynodonts of the Tiki Formation
Genus	Species	Material	Notes
Gondwanadon[3][4]	G. tapani	A single molar	A morganucodont
Inditherium[5]	I. floris[5]	Three postcanine teeth	A dromatheriid
Rewaconodon[3]	R. indicus[5]	A partial jaw and three postcanine teeth	A dromatheriid
	R. tikiensis[6]
Ruberodon[3][7]	R. roychowdhurii	Five partial jaws	A traversodontid
Tikiodon[3]	T. cromptoni	A single postcanine tooth	A mammaliamorph
Tikitherium[3][8]	T. copei	A single postcanine tooth	A mammaliaform. Initially described as a basal mammaliaform related to Docodonta, but later redescribed as a Neogene shrew fossil that was reworked into the older deposit.[9]
Cynodontia indet.

Reptiles

Reptiles of the Tiki Formation
Genus / Taxon	Species	Material	Notes
Colossosuchus[10]	C. techniensis[10]	Known from multiple skeletons, all likely died together	A very large mystriosuchine phytosaur
Hyperodapedon[11][6]	H. huxleyi		A hyperodapedontine rhynchosaur
	H.tikiensis[12]	Various cranial and postcranial elements
Parasuchus[13][6]	P. hislopi	Two articulate skeletons and isolated skulls	A basal (non-mystriosuchine) phytosaur
Tikisuchus[13]	T. romeri	The skull and some postcranial elements of a young individual	A putative rauisuchid
Volcanosuchus[14]	V. statisticae[14]	A skull	A mystriosuchine phytosaur
Ornithischia indet.[15][6]
Phytosauria indet.[15][16]
Pseudosuchia indet.[17]
Sphenodontia indet.[15][6]
Theropoda indet.[13]

Amphibians

Amphibians of the Tiki Formation
Genus	Species	Material	Notes
Eodiscoglossus[6]	E. sp		Prehistoric frog
Compsocerops	C. tikiensis		A Chigutisaurid Temnospondyl
Metoposaurus[13]	M. sp.		A Temnospondyl
Panthasaurus	P. maleriensis		A Temnospondyl

Fish

Fishes of the Tiki Formation
Genus	Species	Material	Notes
Cladodus[6]	C. sp.	An isolated tooth	A Cladoselachid
Lissodus[6]	L. duffini	An isolated tooth	A Hybodontid
Parvodus[6]	P. tikiensis	Teeth	A Hybodontid
Actinopterygii indet.[6]
Coelacanthidae indet.[6]

Flora

• Baiera sp.^[18]
• Dicroidium sp.^[18]
• Elatocladus sp.^[18]
• Lepidopteris sp.^[18]
• Pagiophyllum sp.^[18]
• Sphenobaiera sp.^[18]
• Xylopteris sp.^[18]
• Yabeiella sp.^[18]

Correlations

The Tiki Formation is considered a temporal equivalent of the Lower Maleri Formation. The majority of the Tiki Formation correlates with the Ischigualasto Formation of Argentina, the upper part of the Santa Maria Formation, and the overlying lower Caturrita Formation of Brazil, the Isalo II Beds of Madagascar, Lossiemouth Sandstone of Scotland, and the lower Tecovas Formation of the Chinle Group of North America.

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
  • List of stratigraphic units with indeterminate dinosaur fossils

References

1. Weishampel et al., 2004, "Dinosaur distribution", pp. 517-607
2. Chatterjee, 1978
3. Bhat, M. S.; Ray, S.; Datta, P. M. (2020). "New cynodonts (Therapsida, Eucynodontia) from the Late Triassic of India and their significances". Journal of Paleontology. 95 (2): 376–393. doi:10.1017/jpa.2020.95. S2CID 228836405.
4. Datta & Das, 1996
5. Bhat, M. S.; Ray, S.; Datta, P. M. (2020). "New cynodonts (Therapsida, Eucynodontia) from the Late Triassic of India and their significances". Journal of Paleontology. 95 (2): 376–393. doi:10.1017/jpa.2020.95.
6. Kumar & Sharma, 2019
7. Ray, S. (2015). "A new Late Triassic traversodontid cynodont (Therapsida, Eucynodontia) from India". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (3): e930472. Bibcode:2015JVPal..35E0472R. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.930472. S2CID 86368800.
8. Datta, P. M. (2005). "Earliest mammal with transversely expanded upper molar from the Late Triassic (Carnian) Tiki Formation, South Rewa Gondwana Basin, India". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 25 (1): 200–207. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0200:EMWTEU]2.0.CO;2.
9. Averianov, Alexander O.; Voyta, Leonid L. (March 2024). "Putative Triassic stem mammal Tikitherium copei is a Neogene shrew". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 31 (1). doi:10.1007/s10914-024-09703-w. ISSN 1064-7554.
10. Datta, D.; Ray, S. (2023). "A giant phytosaur (Diapsida, Archosauria) from the Upper Triassic of India with new insights on phytosaur migration, endemism and extinction". Papers in Palaeontology. 9 (1). e1476. Bibcode:2023PPal....9E1476D. doi:10.1002/spp2.1476. S2CID 257103850.
11. Lydekker, 1885
12. Mukherjee, Debarati; Ray, Sanghamitra (2014). Benson, Roger (ed.). "A new Hyperodapedon (Archosauromorpha, Rhynchosauria) from the Upper Triassic of India: implications for rhynchosaur phylogeny". Palaeontology. 57 (6): 1241–1276. Bibcode:2014Palgy..57.1241M. doi:10.1111/pala.12113. ISSN 0031-0239.
13. Chatterjee & Majumdar, 1987
14. Datta, Debajit; Ray, Sanghamitra; Bandyopadhyay, Saswati (2021). "Cranial morphology of a new phytosaur (Diapsida, Archosauria) from the Upper Triassic of India: implications for phytosaur phylogeny and biostratigraphy". Papers in Palaeontology. 7 (2): 675–708. Bibcode:2021PPal....7..675D. doi:10.1002/spp2.1292. ISSN 2056-2802. S2CID 213698017.
15. Datta et al., 2005
16. Mukherjee & Ray, 2012
17. Huene, 1940
18. Pal, 1984

Bibliography

• Kumar, J.; Sharma, K. M. (2019). "Micro and mega-vertebrate fossils from the Late Triassic Tiki Formation, South Rewa Gondwana Basin, India: palaeoenvironmental and palaeobiogeographic implications". Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India. 64: 151–168.
• Mukherjee, D.; Ray, S. (2012). "Taphonomy of an Upper Triassic vertebrate bonebed: A new rhynchosaur (Reptilia; Archosauromorpha) accumulation from India". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 333–334: 75–91. Bibcode:2012PPP...333...75M. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.03.010.
• Datta, P. M.; Das, D. P.; Luo, Z.-X. (2004). "A late Triassic dromatheriid (Synapsida: Cynodontia) from India". Annals of Carnegie Museum. 73 (2): 72–84. doi:10.5962/p.215151.
• Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; Osmólska, Halszka, eds. (2004). The Dinosauria (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 1–880. ISBN 0-520-24209-2. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
• Datta, P. M.; Das, D. P. (1996). "Discovery of the oldest fossil mammal from India". Indian Minerals. 50: 217–222.
• Chatterjee, S.; Majumdar, P. K. (1987). "Tikisuchus romeri, a new rauisuchid reptile from the Late Triassic of India". Journal of Paleontology. 61 (4): 787–793. Bibcode:1987JPal...61..787C. doi:10.1017/S0022336000029139.
• Pal, P.K (1984). "Triassic plant megafossils from the Tiki Formation, South Rewa Gondwana Basin, India". The Palaeobotanist. 32: 253–309.
• Chatterjee, S (1978). "A primitive parasuchid (Phytosaur) reptile from the Upper Triassic Maleri Formation of India". Palaeontology. 21: 83–127.
• Huene, F. von (1940). "The tetrapod fauna of the Upper Triassic Maleri Beds". Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India Palaeontologia Indica. New Series. 32: 1–42.
• Lydekker, R (1885). "The Reptilia & Amphibia of the Maleria & Denwa Groups". Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India. Palaeontologia Indica, Series IV. Indian Pretertiary Vertebrata. 1: 1–38.