# Lameta Formation

The Lameta Formation, also known as the Infratrappean Beds (not to be confused with the contemporaneous Intertrappean Beds), is a sedimentary geological formation found in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, India, associated with the Deccan Traps. It is of the Maastrichtian age (Late Cretaceous), and is notable for its dinosaur fossils.

## History

The first fossils found in the Lameta Formation were discovered between 1917 and 1919.
The Lameta Formation was first identified in 1981 by geologists working for the Geological Survey of India (GSI), G. N. Dwivedi and Dhananjay Mahendrakumar Mohabey, after being given limestone structures–later recognised as dinosaur eggs–by workers of the ACC Cement Quarry in the village of Rahioli near the city Balasinor in the Gujarat state of western India.

## Lithology

The formation is underlain by the Lower Cretaceous sedimentary "Upper Gondwana Sequence" also known as the Jabalpur Formation, and is overlain by the Deccan Traps basalt. The Lameta Formation is only exposed at the surface as small isolated outcrops associated with the Satpura Fault. The lithology of the formation, depending on the outcrop, consists of alternating clay, siltstone and sandstone facies, deposited in fluvial and lacustrine conditions. The environment at the time of deposition has alternatively been considered semi-arid, or tropical humid.

## Fossil content

Many dubious names have been created for isolated bones, but several genera of dinosaurs from these rocks are well-supported, including the titanosaur sauropods Isisaurus and Jainosaurus and the Abelisaurs Indosaurus, Indosuchus, and Rajasaurus and Noasaurids Laevisuchus. Synapsids are also known form the formation, such as the possibly late surviving Avashishta,possibly the last known non- mammalian synapsid the possibly youngest known stegosaurian ichnogenus Deltapodus, madtsoiid snakes and other fossils.

### Dinosaurs

| 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. |

#### Ornithischians

| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes |
| Ankylosauria? | Indeterminate | Rahioli | Isolated vertebrae, scapulocoracoid, humerus, femur, and several armor fragments such as hollow lateral spikes and solid dorsal scutes. | Described as a nodosaurid, but the limb bones are titanosaurian. |
| Brachypodosaurus | B. gravis | Chota Simla Hill | "Humerus." | May not be dinosaurian |
| Ceratopsia? | Indeterminate | Kheda | Horncore base. | Originally described as a ceratopsian horncore, but likely represents a theropod limb element or a dorsal rib of a theropod or a titanosauriform. |
| Deltapodus | sp. | Jetholi | Solitary footprint. | A Possible Late Cretaceous Stegosaur, Like Dravidosaurus. |
| Hypsilophodontidae? | Indeterminate. | Vikarabad. | Teeth. | Hypsilophodontidae is not a natural grouping. |
| Ornithischia | Indeterminate | Kheda | Braincase. | Indeterminate Ornithischian. |
| Spheroolithus? | sp. | Polgaon, Tidkepar | Egg fossils. | Questionably assigned to this genus |

#### Sauropods

| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
| Ikqaumishan | I. smqureshi | Temple Hill, Rahioli | | |
| Isisaurus | I. colberti | Dongargaon Hill | Holotype skeleton consists of cervical, dorsal, sacral, caudal vertebrae, ribs, pelvis, scapula, coracoid, left forelimb, and other bones. Other specimens such as skull, hindlimb, and foot bones are unknown. | A titanosaur. | |
| Jainosaurus | J. septentrionalis | Bara Simla | "Basicranium and partial postcranial skeleton." | A titanosaur. | |
| Qaikshaheen | Q. masoomniazi | | | | |
| Pakisaurus | P. balochistani | Temple Hill, Rahioli | A femur bone | A titanosaur. | |
| Titanosaurus | T. blanfordi | Panchgaon Pisdura Hill | Caudal vertebrae. | A dubious genus of titanosaur. | T. blanfordi holotype distal caudal vertebra |
| Titanosaurus | T. indicus | Pisdura Hill | Teeths, Caudal vertebrae and chevron. | A dubious genus of titanosaur. | ''T. indicus holotypic distal caudal vertebra |
| Megaloolithus | M. cylindricus | Chui Hill, Bara Simla, Nand region, Pavan, Ghorpend, Bagh Caves, Dhar, Indwan, Kadwal, Dholiya Raipuriya village, Akhada village, Jhaba village, Padlya village, Jhabua, Dohad, Jhalod, Garadi, Kheda, Rahioli, Dholi Dungri. | Sauropod egg fossils | | |
| Megaloolithus | M. dhoridungriensis | Chui Hill, Bara Simla, Nand region, Pavan, Ghorpend, Bagh Caves, Dhar, Indwan, Kadwal, Dholiya Raipuriya village, Akhada village, Jhaba village, Padlya village, Jhabua, Dohad, Jhalod, Garadi, Kheda, Rahioli, Dholi Dungri. | Sauropod egg fossils | | |
| Megaloolithus | M. jabalpurensis | Chui Hill, Bara Simla, Nand region, Pavan, Ghorpend, Bagh Caves, Dhar, Indwan, Kadwal, Dholiya Raipuriya village, Akhada village, Jhaba village, Padlya village, Jhabua, Dohad, Jhalod, Garadi, Kheda, Rahioli, Dholi Dungri. | Sauropod egg fossils | | |
| Megaloolithus | M. khempurensis | Chui Hill, Bara Simla, Nand region, Pavan, Ghorpend, Bagh Caves, Dhar, Indwan, Kadwal, Dholiya Raipuriya village, Akhada village, Jhaba village, Padlya village, Jhabua, Dohad, Jhalod, Garadi, Kheda, Rahioli, Dholi Dungri. | Sauropod egg fossils | | |
| Megaloolithus | M. megadermus | Chui Hill, Bara Simla, Nand region, Pavan, Ghorpend, Bagh Caves, Dhar, Indwan, Kadwal, Dholiya Raipuriya village, Akhada village, Jhaba village, Padlya village, Jhabua, Dohad, Jhalod, Garadi, Kheda, Rahioli, Dholi Dungri. | Sauropod egg fossils | | |
| Megaloolithus | M. problematica | Chui Hill, Bara Simla, Nand region, Pavan, Ghorpend, Bagh Caves, Dhar, Indwan, Kadwal, Dholiya Raipuriya village, Akhada village, Jhaba village, Padlya village, Jhabua, Dohad, Jhalod, Garadi, Kheda, Rahioli, Dholi Dungri. | Sauropod egg fossils | | |
| Megaloolithus | M. walpurensis | Chui Hill, Bara Simla, Nand region, Pavan, Ghorpend, Bagh Caves, Dhar, Indwan, Kadwal, Dholiya Raipuriya village, Akhada village, Jhaba village, Padlya village, Jhabua, Dohad, Jhalod, Garadi, Kheda, Rahioli, Dholi Dungri. | Sauropod egg fossils | | |
| Megaloolithus | M. sp. | Chui Hill, Bara Simla, Nand region, Pavan, Ghorpend, Bagh Caves, Dhar, Indwan, Kadwal, Dholiya Raipuriya village, Akhada village, Jhaba village, Padlya village, Jhabua, Dohad, Jhalod, Garadi, Kheda, Rahioli, Dholi Dungri. | Sauropod egg fossils | | |
| Titanosauriform | Indeterminate | Ukala. | Dorsal vertebrae, parts of illia and pelvis and limb bones. | A titanosauriform. | |

#### Theropods
##### Abelisaurs

| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
| Abelisauroidea | Indeterminate | | Multiple specimens. | Could be referred to Abelisauridae or Noasauridae. | Rajasaurus IndosuchusRahiolisaurus |
| Abelisauridae | Indeterminate | | Multiple specimens. | Include form similar to Majungasaurus and forms similar to Carnotaurus. | Rajasaurus IndosuchusRahiolisaurus |
| Compsosuchus | C. solus | Bara Simla | "Vertebrae" | Previously considered a Noasaurid now considered an indeterminate Abelisaurid | Rajasaurus IndosuchusRahiolisaurus |
| Indosaurus | I. matleyi | Bara Simla | Partial skeleton, including a partial skull. | An abelisaur. | Rajasaurus IndosuchusRahiolisaurus |
| Indosuchus | I. raptorius | Bara Simla | Cranial remains, including two braincases, as well as a nearly complete skeleton. | An abelisaur. | Rajasaurus IndosuchusRahiolisaurus |
| Ornithomimoides | O. barasimlensis | Bara Simla | "Vertebrae." | An abelisaurid | Rajasaurus IndosuchusRahiolisaurus |
| Ornithomimoides | O. mobilis | Bara Simla | "Vertebrae" | An abelisaurid | Rajasaurus IndosuchusRahiolisaurus |
| Rahiolisaurus | R. gujaratensis | Rahioli Village | Cervical, dorsal, sacral, and caudal vertebrae, portions of pectoral and pelvic girdles, and several hind limb bones of different individuals. | An abelisaurid. | Rajasaurus IndosuchusRahiolisaurus |
| Rajasaurus | R. narmadensis | Temple Hill, Rahioli | A partial skeleton consists of maxillae, premaxillae, braincase, and quadrate bone on the skull; and spine, hip bone, legs, and tail in post-cranial remains. | An abelisaurid. | Rajasaurus IndosuchusRahiolisaurus |
| Lametasaurus | L. indicus | Bara Simla | "Sacrum, ilia, tibia." "Sacrum, ilia, tibia, spines, armor." | Includes crocodylomorph, titanosaur and possibly ankylosaur material. Also includes abelisaurid material now removed from the type. | Rajasaurus IndosuchusRahiolisaurus |
| Orthogoniosaurus | O. matleyi | Bara Simla | "Tooth" | An abelisaurid. | Rajasaurus IndosuchusRahiolisaurus |

##### Noasaurs

| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes |
| Dubeynarainsaurus | D. sahni | Sirolkhal | "Partial dentary with associated teeth." | Previously identified as a pterosaur. |
| Laevisuchus | L. indicus | Bara Simla | Only vertebrae. | A noasaurid. |
| Noasaurinae | Indeterminate | Pisdura Hill | A partial dentary. | A noasaurid noasaurine. |
| Noasauridae | Indeterminate | | Multiple specimens. | May include femora from very large individuals. |

##### Other Theropods

| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes |
| Coeluroides | C. largus | Bara Simla | "Isolated vertebrae." | A Indeterminate theropod also known from Dabrazhin Formation of Kazakhstan |
| Dryptosauroides | D. grandis | Bara Simla | "Vertebrae." | |
| Ellipsoolithus | E. khedaensis | Kheda | Eggs | Theropod egg fossils. |
| Jubbulpuria | J. tenuis | Bara Simla | "Vertebrae." | Likely junior synonym of Laevisuchus |
| ?Megalosaurus | Referred to as the 'E' morphotype | Rahioli | A solitary tooth. | Originally identified as belonging to Megalosaurus, however may instead represent a troodontid. |
| Ornithomimidae? | Indeterminate | Bara Simla | | Ceratosaurian taxa from the Lameta Formation have been erroneously referred to ornithomimdae. |
| Theropoda | Indeterminate | | Cervical vertebra. | Initially described as allosauroid. Not an abelisaurid, possibly representing a member of a clade outside of abelisauroidea. |
| Trachoolithus | T. faticanus | Bara Simla | Eggs. | Theropod egg fossils. |

### Reptiles
#### Snakes

| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Madtsoia | M. pisdurensis | Pidura Hill | Upper | | A madtsoiid snake. | |
| Sanajeh | S. indicus | Dholi Dungri | | A skull, precloaca vertebrae and ribs. | A madtsoiid snake. | Sanajeh about to attack a titanosaur hatchling |

#### Crocodylomorphs

| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Dyrosauridae | Indeterminate. | Kisalpuri and Vikarabad. | | Vertebrae, eggs and teeth. | Non-Phosphatosaurinae Dyrosaurid Crocodylomorphs. | |

#### Turtles

| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Jainemys | J. pisdurensis | Pisdura hill | | | A bothremydid side-necked turtle. | |
| Pelomedusidae | Indeterminate | | | | A turtle. | |

### Mammals

| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Avashishta | A. bacharamensis | Bacharam | | | A Haramiyida Mammal. | |

### Mollusca

| Genus | Species |
| Mollusca | Indeterminate |
| Gastropoda | Indeterminate |
| Viviparus | V. normalis |
| Physa | P. sp. |
| Paludina | P. deccanensis |
| Lymnaea | L. subulata |
| Unio | U. sp. |