Bharatagama is an extinct genus of lepidosaur from the Early Jurassic of India. It has been suggested to be one of the oldest known lizards and the oldest known iguanian.[1] The type and only species is Bharatagama rebbanensis, named in 2002. Over one hundred fossils of Bharatagama have been found in the Kota Formation, which outcrops in the Pranhita–Godavari Basin and dates back to about 190 million years ago (Ma). Despite its abundance, Bharatagama is known only from isolated jaw bones mixed together in microvertebrate assemblages with equally fragmentary remains of fish, sphenodontians, dinosaurs, crocodylomorphs, and mammals. These fossils represent all stages of development, from hatchlings to adults. The total length of the skull in adult specimens is estimated to have been about 15 millimetres (0.59 in).[2] Later analysis suggested that the taxon might be a member of Rhynchocephalia.[3]
^Evans, S.E. (2003). "At the feet of the dinosaurs: the early history and radiation of lizards" (PDF). Biological Reviews. 78 (4): 513–551. doi:10.1017/s1464793103006134. PMID 14700390. S2CID 4845536. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
^Evans, S.E.; Prasad, G.V.R.; Manhas, B.K. (2002). "Fossil lizards from the Jurassic Kota Formation of India". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (2): 299–312. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0299:flftjk]2.0.co;2. S2CID 131207549.
^Conrad, Jack L (2018-06-28). "A new lizard (Squamata) was the last meal of Compsognathus (Theropoda: Dinosauria) and is a holotype in a holotype". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 183 (3): 584–634. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx055. ISSN 0024-4082.
Bharatagama is an extinct genus of lepidosaur from the Early Jurassic of India. It has been suggested to be one of the oldest known lizards and the oldest...
the Early Jurassic period, with the earliest known member being the Bharatagama which lived in modern day India around 190 million years ago. The water...
Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images BharatagamaBharatagama rebbanensis Paikasigudem village Upper Member VPL/JU/KR 66, dentary...
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