Lower Maleri Formation

The Lower Maleri Formation is a sedimentary rock formation found in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India. It is the lowermost member of the Pranhita–Godavari Basin. It is of late Carnian to early Norian age (Upper Triassic), and is notable for its fossils of early dinosaurs, including the basal saurischian (possible theropod) Alwalkeria.^[1]

Lower Maleri Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Carnian–early Norian
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Gondwana Group
Underlies	Upper Maleri Formation
Overlies	Basement
Location
Coordinates	19.2°N 79.7°E / 19.2; 79.7
Approximate paleocoordinates	36.4°S 38.2°E / -36.4; 38.2
Region	Andhra Pradesh & Telangana
Country	India
Extent	Pranhita–Godavari Basin
Lower Maleri Formation (India)

Vertebrate fauna

cf. Angistorhinus and cf. Typothorax have also been recovered from it.^[2][3]

Vertebrates from the Lower Maleri Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Alwalkeria[1]	A. maleriensis[1]	Andhra Pradesh		"Partial skull and postcranial remains."[4]
Panthasaurus	P. maleriensis				A temnospondyl
Exaeretodon	E. statisticae[2]
Hyperodapedon	H. huxleyi[2]
Malerisaurus	M. robinsonae[2]
Massospondylus	M. hislopi	Andhra Pradesh		"Isolated vertebrae."[5]	Later found to be indeterminate prosauropod remains
Parasuchus	P. hislopi[2]
Plateosaurus	Indeterminate	Andhra Pradesh			Later found to be indeterminate prosauropod remains

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.

Correlations

The formation has been correlated with the Molteno Formation (Karoo Basin) and Pebbly Arkose Formation of Africa, the Santa Maria Formation of the Paraná Basin in Brazil, the Ischigualasto Formation of the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin of Argentina and the lowermost Chinle Formation of North America.^[6]

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations