Gond. Geol. Magz., V. 22(2), Dec., 2007. pp.

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Early Eocene Rodents (Mammalia) from Vastan Lignite Mine, Gujarat, Western India
S. Bajpai1 , Debasis P. Das1* , Vivesh V. Kapur2, B. N. Tiwari3 and S. S. Srivastava1
Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee-246 667, India E-mail: sunilfes@iitr.ernet.in 2 2815, Sector 40-C, Chandigarh, India. 3Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, 33, Gen. Mahadeo Singh Road, Dehradun-248001, India * Present address: Shell Technology India Pvt. Ltd., RMZ Centennial Campus B, 8B Kundanahalli Main Road, Bangalore-560048, India
1

ABSTRACT
A small collection of the first early Eocene rodents from India, recovered from the Cambay Shale deposits of Vastan Lignite Mine, District Surat (Gujarat), is described in this paper. The collection comprises two ctenodactyloid taxa: Anthramys vastani gen. et sp. nov. is known from a fourth upper premolar, and the second, as yet unnamed, taxon is identified on the basis of an upper molar. These specimens possibly represent the oldest known record of rodents from South Asia. When better known, the Vastan taxa will help clarify relationships among early ctenodactyloids.

INTRODUCTION
Middle Eocene rodents from Indo-Pakistan are fairly well documented and include those from the upper Subathu Formation of northwest Himalaya exposed around Kalakot (Jammu and Kashmir state) and the Subathu town (Himachal Pradesh) in India and from the Kuldana Formation of Pakistan. The familial affinities of these rodents have been debated considerably in the past, and the described taxa have been variously referred to the families Paramyidae, Chapattimyidae, Ctenoactylidae and Yuomyidae (Sahni and Khare, 1973; Sahni and Srivastava, 1976; Hussain et al., 1978; Hartenberger, 1982; Kumar et al., 1997a, b; Thewissen et al., 2001), and also include a few unidentified taxa. In contrast to the middle Eocene rodents, the early Eocene rodents from the Indian subcontinent are poorly known, and have so far been described only from the Mamikhel Clay exposed in Barbora Banda, Kohat, Pakistan (de Bruijn et al., 1982). The material described by de Bruijn et al. op. cit. consisted of three isolated cheek teeth, referred to the Paramyidae (superfamily Ischromyoidea)) and Cocomyidae (superfamily Ctenodactyloidea). Recently, Gingerich et al. (2001) also noted the presence of rodents in the early Eocene coalbearing Ghazij Formation of Baluchistan (Pakistan), but these have not yet been described. Here we describe early Eocene rodents from the Vastan Lignite Mine, Gujarat, western India (Fig.1). Their presence in the Vastan

deposits was recently noted by Bajpai et al. (2005a) and Rose et al. (2006). Rodents are extremely rare in the Vastan fauna as only two isolated cheek teeth have been recovered until now in spite of intensive screenwashing. Though small in number, these specimens represent the oldest record of rodents in South Asia and are significant in understanding the evolutionary history of this mammalian order in this region. In association with rodents, a diverse terrestrial mammal fauna has recently been described from the Vastan Lignite Mine (Bajpai et al., 2005 a, b, c; Bajpai et al., 2006; Rana et al., 2005; Rose et al., 2006; Smith et al., 2007). The Vastan placental mammal fauna comprises perissodactyls, artiodactyls, primates, insectivores, proteutherians, apatotherians (Bajpai et al., 2005 a, b,; Bajpai et al., 2006). Additional mammals include tapiroids, creodonts, condylarths and a diverse small mammal fauna (Kapur, 2006; Das, 2007). The age of Vastan mammals has been previously constrained as Ypresian (ca. 52 Ma), corresponding to the Shallow Benthic Zone10 based on Nummulites burdigalensis. However, recent work by Saravanan (2007, unpublished Ph.D. thesis) suggests that the Vastan mammals may be somewhat older since the species identified as N. burdigalensis may actually pertain to Nummulites globulus, corresponding to the Shallow Benthic Zone 8 (Serra-Kiel et al., 1998; Govindan, 2003). More important, associated dinoflagellate cysts, though extremely rare, include two age diagnostic taxaMuratodinium fimbriatum and Hystrichosphaeridium tubiferum (pers. comm., Rahul Garg and Vandana Prasad, BSIP, Lucknow, India)- that suggest an early Ypresian age (possibly between 53 and 54 Ma). If the early Ypresian age of the Vastan mammals (i.e. ~ 53.5 Ma) is correct, then these mammals, including the rodents described here, indeed constitute the oldest known records of Cenozoic mammals in South Asia and may be potentially important in evaluating current hypotheses advocating Out-of-India or Into-India dispersal in the wake of India-Asia collision around the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. It is important to note that the specimens reported in

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Fig. 1. (a). Map showing the location and geological setting of the Vastan Lignite Mine and (b) lithostratigraphic section of the Cambay Shale and the position of the rodent-yielding horizon.

this paper have been described and illustrated by one of us in his Ph.D. thesis at IIT, Roorkee (Das, 2007). The specimens are housed in the Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee under the acronym IITR/SB/VLM.

SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY
Order Superfamily Family Genus Rodentia Bowdich, 1821 Ctenodactyloidea Tullberg, 1899 Indet. Anthramys n. gen.

non-molariform P4 in the latter. It differs from Yuomyidae in having well developed paraconule and metaconule. Differs from Chapattimyidae in lacking a P4 hypocone. Within Chapattimyidae, Anthramys differs further from Chapattimys (C. wilsoni, type species) in having a welldeveloped protoconule, an arcuate anteroloph on P4, and in its larger size. Distinguished from Birbalomys in lacking a hypocone and from Basalomys (B. vandermeuleni, type species) in being larger and in having the paraconule (and not metaconule) closer to the protocone. Age and Distribution: early Eocene of India. Anthramys vastani n. gen. et n. sp. (Figure 2 a-c, e) Derivation of name: After Vastan, the name of the lignite Mine where the holotype was found. Diagnosis: Specific and generic diagnosis cannot be distinguished at present. Holotype: IITR/SB/VLM 1104 (left P4). Description: The P4 is low crowned, oval in shape, and measures 1.71 mm long and 2.36 mm wide. The tooth is submolariform with three main cusps - paracone, metacone and protocone. The protocone is the largest

Type and only species: Anthramys vastani n. sp. Derivation of name: Prefix Anthra- refers to a Greek word for coal since the specimen was found in a lignite mine; suffix - mys means 'mouse'. Diagnosis: Large, brachydont, submolariform P4 with paracone, metacone and protocone but no hypocone; paracone and metacone narrowly separated; well developed paraconule and metaconule; arcuate, incomplete antero- and posterolophs. Anthramys differs from Ctenodactylidae and Cocomyidae in having a submolariform P4 as opposed to

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Fig. 2. a-c & e, Anthramys vastani gen. et sp. nov., holotype left P4 (IITR/SB/VLM/1104) in occlusal (a & e), occluso-lingual (b) and labial (c) views; d, f-h, cf. Chapattimyidae gen. et sp. indet., left M1 or M2 (IITR/SB/VLM/581) in occlusal (d & f), lingual (g) and labial (h) views. All scale bars equal 300 m.

cusp. The paracone and metacone are closely spaced. The paracone is slightly larger and taller than the metacone and also extends slightly more labially than the metacone. A low, but distinct crest joins the paracone and metacone. A short arcuate crest descends labially from the metacone. Both paraconule (protoconule) and metaconule are also large in size, the latter being slightly larger and somewhat more labially positioned. The trigon basin is much wider and deeper labially. Both the metaloph and protoloph converge on the protocone. The anteroloph and posteroloph are well developed, arcuate and situated well below the protoloph and metaloph, respectively. Also,

both anteroloph and posteroloph terminate lingually before reaching the protocone. A short crest descends from the paraconule and joins the anteroloph, dividing the anterior valley into a large labial portion and a much smaller posterior part. Remarks: IITR/SB/VLM 1104 is named here because the taxonomic and phylogenetic importance of the last premolar is widely recognized (e.g. Dawson et al., 1984; Dashzeveg and Meng, 1998). The submolariform nature of the Vastan P4 suggests possible affinities to Yuomyidae or Chapattimyidae in comparison to the Ctenodactylidae and Cocomyidae. However, the available material is

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insufficient to make a definite familial assignment. Based on the polarity of characters listed by Marivaux et al. (2004), the Vastan P4 appears to be primitive in a number of characters, such as the lack of a hypocone and mesostyle, prominent metaconule and protoconule, and closely spaced paracone and metacone. This is consistent with the older age of Anthramys vastani n. gen. et n. sp. in comparison to all other ctenodactyloids known from Indo-Pakistan. However, in certain other characters, such as the complete, though lingually weak metaloph, strong metacone, the Vastan rodent is seemingly derived. Additional material is required to ascertain the phylogenetic status of the Vastan species precisely. Type locality: Vastan Lignite Mine, Taluka Mangrol, District Surat, Gujarat, India. Type horizon: Cambay Shale, Shallow Benthic Zone 8 (N. globulus Zone). Family cf. Chapattimyidae Hussain et al., 1978 Gen et sp. indet. (Figure. 2 d, f-h ) Referred material: IITR/SB/VLM 581 (left M1 or M2). Description: IITR/SB/VLM 581, an M1/ or M2/, is squarish in shape (length 1.41 mm and width 1.38 mm). It has four cusps, the hypocone being smallest in size. The hypocone is positioned slightly posterolingually with respect to the protocone. The paracone and metacone are similar in size and height and are widely separated. The protocone is lower in height than the paracone and metacone. Weak but distinct crests descend posteriorly from the paracone and anteriorly from the metacone. A very weak swelling (? mesostyle) occurs where these crests meet. The metaconule is extremely weak and is more or less incorporated into the metaloph. There is no connection between the metaconule and hypocone. There

is no paraconule (protoconule). The protoloph and metaloph are low and directed towards the protocone. The protoloph is clearly stronger than the metaloph. The latter is lingually very weak. The hypocone is connected to the protocone by a weak, shallow endoloph. Both the anteroand posteroloph are well developed. The anteroloph is connected to the paracone but terminates well short of the protocone, below the protoloph. The posteroloph is connected to both metacone and hypocone. The shelf between the protoloph and anteroloph is much larger than that between the metaloph and posteroloph. Remarks: It is important to note that this molar (IITR/SB/VLM 581) is smaller in size in than the holotype P4 of Anthramys vastani n. gen. et n. sp., making it unlikely that the two are conspecific. Athough the small size of hypocone and its wide separation from the protocone do not support its inclusion in the Chapattimyidae, IITR/SB/VLM 581 bears overall resemblance to chapattimyid teeth described from IndoPakistan, more particularly to the middle Eocene taxon Birbalomys (Hussain et al., 1978; Kumar, 1997b).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India for continued financial support in the form of a new research project (Sanction no. SR/S4/ES222/2006). Special thanks are extended to Dr. Lawrence Flynn, JGM Thewissen and GVR Prasad for reading an earlier version of this manuscript and offering helpful comments. We express our sincere gratitude to the officers of the Vastan Lignite Mine, particularly the Mine Manager Mr. Amarnath, and the geologists Mr. Shekhar Sharma and Mr. H. Shukla, for permission to work in the mine and for help in many other ways. We also thank Saravanan N. and Ritu Sharma for their help in the field.

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