A New Flanged Fossil Fruit Assigned to Carpolithus from the Maastrichtian Deccan Intertrappean Beds of India

Abstract

Two silicified fossil fruits from the Maastrichtian Deccan Intertrappean Beds of central India are described and assigned to a new species of Carpolithus. One specimen was collected from Shibala, Yavatmal District, Maharashtra, and the other from Keria near Mohgaonkalan, Chhindwara District, Madhya Pradesh. Both fruits are ellipsoidal to subcircular, measure approximately 6–8 mm in length and 4–5 mm in width, and possess two opposite longitudinal flange-like extensions and a thick, continuous pericarp rim. The naturally fractured Shibala specimen preserves a multilayered pericarp comprising a thin epicarp, a fibrous mesocarp, and a thin, stony endocarp, together with a single central seed cavity. The Keria specimen mainly preserves external morphology, while rendered micro-computed tomography images support interpretation of its overall organisation. Comparison with previously described material indicates that the specimens differ from Carpolithus striatus in possessing paired flanges, a thicker pericarp, a distinct basal depression, and no prominent surface ribs. Their shared diagnostic features support assignment to a single morphotype, here recognised as Carpolithus kapgatei sp. nov. Botanical affinity remains uncertain because vascular organisation, seed-coat structure, and locule anatomy are insufficiently preserved. The flange-like margins may have aided dispersal, although this functional interpretation remains tentative. The specimens document an additional fruit morphotype within the Deccan Intertrappean flora and demonstrate the value of integrating complementary external and internal preservation in fossil-fruit assessment.