Bharatagama
| Bharatagama Temporal range: Early Jurassic, | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | Lepidosauria |
| Genus: | †Bharatagama Evans et al., 2002 |
| Type species | |
| †Bharatagama rebbanensis Evans et al., 2002 | |
Bharatagama is an extinct genus of lepidosaur from the Early Jurassic of India. It has been suggested to be one of the oldest known lizards and the oldest known iguanian. The type and only species is Bharatagama rebbanensis, named in 2002. Over one hundred fossils of Bharatagama have been found in the Kota Formation, which outcrops in the Pranhita–Godavari Basin and dates back to about 190 million years ago (Ma). Despite its abundance, Bharatagama is known only from isolated jaw bones mixed together in microvertebrate assemblages with equally fragmentary remains of fish, sphenodontians, dinosaurs, crocodylomorphs, and mammals. These fossils represent all stages of development, from hatchlings to adults. The total length of the skull in adult specimens is estimated to have been about 15 millimetres (0.59 in). Later analysis suggested that the taxon might be a member of Rhynchocephalia.