Phytosaurian Osteoderms From The Late Triassic Tiki Formation (Shahdol District, Madhya Pradesh), India

Abstract

The Late Triassic fossiliferous deposits of the Tiki Fomation of the South Rewa Gondwana Basin of India, is well known for its vertebrate fossil assemblages including temnospondyl tetrapods, archosauroform rhynchosaur, and several crurotarsans such as phytosaurs and rauisuchids. The present paper describes some phytosaurid osteoderm remains for the ?rst time from the Tiki Formation. These osteoderms are found together with phytosaurian teeth, jaw and vertebrae. On the basis of their texture, shape, size, morphology and association with phytosaurian remains, the present specimens have been assigned to phytosaurids