Click here to view fulltext PDF

Permanent link:
https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jess/121/01/0195-0201

Shorea; Early Miocene; fruit wing; palaeoclimate; Dipterocarpaceae; Kachchh; India.

A new fossil fruit wing of Shorea Roxb. belonging to the family Dipterocarpaceae is described from the Early Miocene sediments of Kachchh, Gujarat. It resembles best the extant species Shorea macroptera Dyer, which is a prominent member of the tropical evergreen forests of the Malayan Peninsula. The present finding, along with the other megafossil records described from the same area, indicates a typical tropical vegetation with a warm and humid climate at the time of deposition in contrast to the present day xeric vegetation in the area. As the family Dipterocarpaceae no longer exists in western India, it is essential to discuss the time of its extinction and possible causes, which may include drastic changes in the climate of the region. The present finding also supports the theory of a Malaysian origin for the family in contrast to the hypothesis of a Gondwanan origin.

Anumeha Shukla¹ J S Guleria¹ R C Mehrotra¹

1. Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow 226 007, India.

Published

February 2012

Manuscript received

16 June 2011

Manuscript revised

9 August 2011

Accepted

23 September 2011