Cambay Shale Formation

The Cambay Shale Formation is an Early Eocene-aged geologic formation in the Cambay Basin, India. It varies in thickness from a few meters on the margins of the basin to more than 2,500m in the depressions. It directly overlies the Olpad Formation and is, in turn, overlain by the Anklesvar Formation in the southern part of the basin and by Kalol Formation in the northern part of the basin. Further north, the Cambay Shale, in its lower part, is gradually replaced by tongues of paralic-deltaic Kadi Formation and finally by Tharad Formation.^[1]

Cambay Shale Formation
Stratigraphic range: Early Eocene ~55–54 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Location
Region	Gujarat
Country	India
Cambay Shale Formation (India) Show map of India Cambay Shale Formation (Gujarat) Show map of Gujarat

Paleobiota

Vertebrates

Mammals

Source:^[2]

Anthracobunians from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Cambaytherium	C. thewissi C. gracilis C. bidens		A cambaytheriid.
Kalitherium	K. marinus		Another cambaytheriid.
Indobune	I. vastanensis		A possible anthracobunid.

Primates[3] from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Asiadapis	A. cambayensis A. tapiensis		An Asiadapine.
Marcgodinotius	M. indicus		Another Asiadapine.
Vastanomys	V. gracilis V. major		A omomyid.

Hyaenodonts from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Indohyaenodon	I.raoi		A hyaenodont.

Dichobunids from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Diacodexis	D.indica D.pakistanensis D.parvus		A Diacodexeine.

Tapiromorphs from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Cambaylophus[4]	C. vastanensis		A tapiromorph.
Vastanolophus[5]	V. holbrooki		A tapiromorph.

Cimolestans from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Suratilestes	S. gingerichi		A cimolestan.
Anthraconyx	A. hypsomylus		A esthonychid

Bats from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Archaeonycteris	A. storchi		A bat.
Protonycteris	P. gunnelli		A bat.
Cambaya	C. complexus		A bat.
Hassianycteris	H. kumari		A bat.
Icaronycteris	I. sigei		A bat.
Jaegeria	J. cambayensis		A bat.
Microchiropteryx	M. folieae		A bat.

Other mammals from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Frugivastodon	F. cristatus		A apatemyid.
Indolestes	I. kalamensis		An adapisoriculid.
Indodelphis	I. luoi		A opossum.
Meldimys[6]	M. musak		A rodent.
Indonyctia[7]	I. cambayensis		A nyctitheriid.
Pahelia	P. mysteriosa		A herbivorous mammal of uncertain affinities.[8]

Birds

Birds from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Vastanavis	V.eocaena		A parrot.

Reptiles

Lizards from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Indiagama	I. gujarata		A iguanian.
Suratagama	S. neeraae		A iguanian.
Tinosaurus	T. indicus		A iguanian.
Vastanagama	V. susanae		A iguanian.
Heterodontagama	H. borsukae		A priscagamid iguanian.

Snakes from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Platyspondylophis	P. tadkeshwarensis		A Madtsoiid.
Russellophis	R. crassus		A russelophiid.
Procerophis	P. sahnii		A snake.
Thaumastophis	T. missiaeni		A snake.
Palaeophis	P. vastaniensis		A paleophiid snake.

Amphibians

Amphibians from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Eobarbourula	E. delfinoi		A toad.
Indorana	I.prasadi		A frog.

Ray-finned fish

Ray-finned fish from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Avitoplectus	A. molaris		Lower jaw	A bizarre tetraodontiform.[9]
Diodon	D. sp.		Teeth	A porcupinefish.[10]
Egertonia	E. sp.		Teeth	A phyllodontid elopomorph.[10]
?Enchodus	?E. sp.		Teeth	An enchodontid aulopiform. Among the latest known remains of this otherwise Cretaceous genus,[10] but may potentially represent reworked material from lower layers.[11]
Eotrigonodon	E. indicus		Teeth	A pycnodont.[10]
Eutrichiurides	E. sp.		Teeth	A cutlassfish.[10]
Osteoglossidae indet.			Teeth, scales	A bonytongue.[10]
Sphyraena	S. sp.		Teeth	A barracuda.[10]
Stephanodus	S. lybicus		Teeth	A pycnodont.[10]

Arthropods

Crabs

Crabs from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Philyra	P. karkata		A leucosiid crab.

Insects

Beetles from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Protoclaviger[12]	P.trichodens		A Beetle.
Cambaltica	C. paleoindica		A Flea Beetle.
Paleosorius	P. cambayensis		A Rove Beetle.

Hemipterans[13] from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Heteromargarodes	H. hukamsinghi H. americanus		A sand pearl.
Normarkicoccus	N. cambayae		A diaspidid scale insect.

Neuropterans from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Spiloconis[14]	S. sexguttata S. glaesaria S. oediloma S. eominuta		A Aleuropterygine Coniopterygid.

Bees from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Melikertes[15]	M. (Paramelikertes) gujaratensis M. (Melikertes) kamboja		A bee.

Wasps from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Trichelyon	T. tadkeshwarense		A braconid wasp.

Termites[16] from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Nanotermes	N. isaacae		A termitid termite.
Prostylotermes	P. kamboja		A Stylotermitid termite.
Parastylotermes	P. krishnai		A Stylotermitid termite.
Zophotermes	Z. ashoki		A Rhinotermitid termite

Flies from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Sycorax[17]	S. longistyla		A moth fly.
Phlebotoiella	P. eoindianensis		A moth fly of unceritian affinities.
Dicranomyia	D. (Dicranomyia) indica		The oldest known Crane fly and tipulomorph.[18]
Stempellina	S.pollex S.stebneri		A non-biting midge
Tanytarsus	T.forfex T.ramus		A non-biting midge
Camptopterohelea	C. odora		A non-biting midge
Eohelea	E. indica		A biting midge
Gedanohelea	G. gerdesorum		A biting midge
Indorrhina	I.sahnii		A biting midge
Lygistorrhina	L. indica		A biting midge
Meunierohelea	M. borkenti		A biting midge
Meunierohelea	M. cambayana		A biting midge
Meunierohelea	M. orientalis		A biting midge
Palaeognoriste	P. orientale		A biting midge

Webspinners from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Kumarembia	K. hurleyi		One of the few fossil Webspinners known.

Arachnids

Whip spiders from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Paracharonopsis[19]	P. cambayensis		A Paracharontid.

Plants

Plants from the Cambay Shale formation
Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Notes	Images
Pterospermoxylon	P. suratensis		An angiosperm.
Anthocephalophyllum	A. vastanicum		An angiosperm.
Ebenoxylon	E. cambayense		An angiosperm.
Gardeniophyllum	G. cambayum		An angiosperm.
Calophyllaceophyllum	C. eocenicum		An angiosperm.
Carallioipollenites	C. integerrimoides		An angiosperm known from fossilised pollen.
Gynocardia	G. eocenica		An angiosperm.

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.

References

1. Chowdhary, L. R. (2004). Petroleum geology of the Cambay Basin, Gujarat., India. Dehradun: Indian Petroleum Publishers. ISBN 978-81-900361-3-9.
2. "Vastan Lignite Mine, Gujarat, India".
3. Rose, Kenneth D.; Rana, Rajendra S.; Sahni, Ashok; Kumar, Kishor; Missiaen, Pieter; Singh, Lachham; Smith, Thierry (April 2009). "Early Eocene Primates from Gujarat, India". Journal of Human Evolution. 56 (4): 366–404. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2009.01.008. PMID 19303624.
4. Kapur, Vivesh V.; Bajpai, Sunil (31 December 2015). "Oldest South Asian tapiromorph (Perissodactyla, Mammalia) from the Cambay Shale Formation, western India, with comments on its phylogenetic position and biogeographic implications". Journal of Palaeosciences. 64 (1–2): 95–103. doi:10.54991/jop.2015.104.
5. Smith, Thierry; Solé, Floréal; Missiaen, Pieter; Rana, Rajendra; Kumar, Kishor; Sahni, Ashok; Rose, Kenneth (8 September 2015). "First early Eocene tapiroid from India and its implication for the paleobiogeographic origin of perissodactyls". Palaeovertebrata. doi:10.18563/pv.39.2.e5.
6. Rana, Rajendra S.; Kumar, Kishor; Escarguel, Gilles; Sahni, Ashok; Rose, Kenneth D.; Smith, Thierry; Singh, Hukam; Singh, Lachham (January 2008). "An Ailuravine Rodent from the Lower Eocene Cambay Formation at Vastan, Western India, and Its Palaeobiogeographic Implications". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 53 (1): 1–14. doi:10.4202/app.2008.0101.
7. Das, Debasis P.; Carolin, Nora; Bajpai, Sunil (3 July 2022). "A nyctitheriid insectivore (Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) of Asian affinity from the early Eocene of India". Historical Biology. 34 (7): 1157–1165. doi:10.1080/08912963.2021.1966002.
8. Zack, Shawn P.; Rose, Kenneth D.; Holbrook, Luke T.; Kumar, Kishor; Rana, Rajendra S.; Smith, Thierry (2021). "An enigmatic new ungulate-like mammal from the early Eocene of India". Papers in Palaeontology. 7 (1): 497–520. doi:10.1002/spp2.1288. ISSN 2056-2802.
9. Bemis, Katherine E.; Tyler, James C.; Bemis, William E.; Kumar, Kishor; Rana, Rajendra Singh; Smith, Thierry (2017-11-02). "A gymnodont fish jaw with remarkable molariform teeth from the early Eocene of Gujarat, India (Teleostei, Tetraodontiformes)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 37 (6): e1369422. doi:10.1080/02724634.2017.1369422. ISSN 0272-4634.
10. Rana, R. S.; Kumar, K.; Singh, H. (2004). "Vertebrate fauna from the subsurface Cambay Shale (Lower Eocene), Vastan Lignite Mine, Gujarat, India". Current Science. 87 (12): 1726–1733. ISSN 0011-3891.
11. Davis, Matthew P.; Fielitz, Christopher (December 2010). "Estimating divergence times of lizardfishes and their allies (Euteleostei: Aulopiformes) and the timing of deep-sea adaptations". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57 (3): 1194–1208. Bibcode:2010MolPE..57.1194D. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.09.003. PMID 20854916.
12. "Specialized Myrmecophily at the Ecological Dawn of Modern Ants: Current Biology".
13. Vea, Isabelle M.; Grimaldi, David A. (2015). "Diverse New Scale Insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) in Amber from the Cretaceous and Eocene with a Phylogenetic Framework for Fossil Coccoidea". American Museum Novitates (3823): 1–15. doi:10.1206/3823.1. S2CID 73702369.
14. Grimaldi, David; Engel, Michael S.; Nascimbene, Paul c.; Singh, Hukam (2013). "Coniopterygidae (Neuroptera: Aleuropteryginae) in Amber from the Eocene of India and the Miocene of Hispaniola". American Museum Novitates (3770): 20–39. doi:10.1206/3770.2. S2CID 56567508.
15. Engel, Michael S.; Ortega-Blanco, Jaime; Nascimbene, Paul C.; Singh, Hukam (17 December 2013). "The bees of Early Eocene Cambay amber (Hymenoptera: Apidae)". Journal of Melittology (25): 1–12. doi:10.17161/jom.v0i25.4659. hdl:1808/14444.
16. Engel, Michael; Grimaldi, David; Nascimbene, Paul; Singh, Hukam (21 November 2011). "The termites of Early Eocene Cambay amber, with the earliest record of the Termitidae (Isoptera)". ZooKeys (148): 105–123. doi:10.3897/zookeys.148.1797. PMC 3264413. PMID 22287892.
17. Wagner, RüDiger; Agnihotri, Priya; Singh, Hukam (25 August 2022). "A new species of Sycorax (Sycoracinae: Psychodidae) from the Lower Eocene amber of Tadkeshwar, Gujarat, India". Palaeoentomology. 5 (4). doi:10.11646/palaeoentomology.5.4.4.
18. Kania, Iwona; Krzemiński, Wiesław; Stebner, Frauke; Singh, Hukam (June 2016). "The first representative of Tipulomorpha (Diptera) from Early Eocene Cambay amber (India)". Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 107 (2–3): 263–269. doi:10.1017/S1755691017000433.
19. Engel, Michael S.; Grimaldi, David A (6 August 2014). "Whipspiders (Arachnida: Amblypygi) in amber from the Early Eocene and mid-Cretaceous, including maternal care". Novitates Paleoentomologicae (9): 1. doi:10.17161/np.v0i9.4765. hdl:1808/15287.