First record of durophagous-type lizard teeth from the Deccan intertrappean beds (uppermost Cretaceous–Paleocene) of Kesavi in Madhya Pradesh, India

The Deccan Traps record one of the most extensive volcanic events in the Phanerozoic history. They significantly influenced global ecosystems during the latest Cretaceous to earliest Palaeogene. The intertrappean sediments, which contain abundant fossil faunal and floral assemblages, offer critical insights into biotic diversity during this interval. Here, we report the discovery of durophagous lizard teeth from the Deccan intertrappean deposits (uppermost Cretaceous/Palaeocene) at Kesavi, in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, India. Four isolated durophagous teeth and one bicuspid tooth are attributed to lizards, whereas another isolated tooth might belong to a snake. These remains represent the first documented occurrence of amblyodont-type teeth in the Deccan intertrappean deposits, thus significantly increasing knowledge of squamate diversity during the Cretaceous–Palaeogene transition.