Ichthyofaunal assemblages from Late Cretaceous intertrappean localities of Malwa Deccan Plateau, central India

The present study documents fish assemblages from three Deccan intertrappean localities—Mohanpura, Kesavi and Bhagwania—from Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh. These intertrappean sections (Late Cretaceous) lie in the Lower Narmada Basin of the Malwa Deccan Plateau, central India. The fossil material comprises isolated teeth, otoliths, scales, spines, and fragmentary bones, and the reported fish taxa include Lepisosteus indicus , Enchodus sp., Osteoglossidae, Pycnodontidae, Serranidae, Perciformes indet. and Teleostei indet. This assemblage adds new fossil records from Dhar district, a relatively under-explored part of the Deccan Traps volcanic province. Most taxa indicate freshwater affinities, suggesting a lacustrine palaeoenvironment. The new data contribute to our understanding of paleobiodiversity during a critical interval spanning the Late Cretaceous to Early Palaeocene, a time marked by significant climatic and environmental changes associated with Deccan volcanism.