A diversified Ostracoda (Crustacea) assemblage from the Upper Cretaceous intertrappean beds of Gujri, Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh, India

Two new non-marine ostracod species, named Gomphocythere testudo sp. nov. and Candona phaseolus sp. nov. are described from the intertrappean beds exposed near Gujri village in District Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, Central India along with common Deccan intertrappean ostracod species Cyclocypris sahnii, Cypria cyrtonidion, Paracypretta jonesi, Periosocypris megistus and Stenocypris cylindrica. Presence of five other ostracod taxa, viz., Frambocythere tumiensis anjarensis, Gomphocythere strangulata, G. paucisulcatus, Zonocypris gujaratensis and Eucypris intervolcanus documented earlier from this locality are also present in our sample. Barring the two new taxa, the other ten species are also known to occur in coeval intertrappean and infratrappean beds of eastern, central, southern and western parts of the Deccan volcanic province. A Maastrichtian age is inferred for the fossiliferous horizon based on the ostracod fauna. Biostratinomical assessment of ostracod assemblages was carried out followed by palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental analyses. The presence of non-marine ostracods in association with terrestrial vertebrate remains, gastropods, and charophytes favours a freshwater depositional environment for the Gujri intertrappean beds and do not provide any evidence for the prevalence of supposed marine conditions along the Narmada lineament in the latest Cretaceous. [Display omitted] •12 ostracod species are described from the Gujri intertrappean beds, central India.•It include 2 new species Gomphocythere testudo sp. nov., Candona phaseolus sp. nov.•Fossil assemblage suggests palustrine-lacustrine environment and maastrichtian age.•Simpson's index exhibit high species similarity between Gujri, Uthawali and Khar.•Freshwater biota negates sea invasion along Narmada rift in the latest Cretaceous.