DISCOVERY OF MICROVERTEBRATES FROM THE PLEISTOCENE DEPOSITS OF THE CENTRAL NARMADA VALLEY, INDIA

Pleistocene sediments of the Central Narmada Valley, Madhya Pradesh, w idely known for their wealth of large vertebrates1-4, have yielded a p artial hominid skull4,5 and an array of Stone Age implements6 for the first time, along with a diverse microvertebrate assemblage (micromamm als, fish, amphibian and reptiles) during the 1991-92 field season. Pr eliminary taphonomical investigations reveal that the small mammal rem ains, primarily derived from scats, were deposited by fluvial processe s. Faunal assemblage suggests the presence of sandy plains, grasslands with high sub-soil moisture content and shallow stream systems. Roden ts like Millardia cf. M. meltada, Bandicota cf. B. bengalensis, Tatera cf. T. indica and Gerbillus sp. indicate an early emergence of the mo dern rodents of the Indian subcontinent.