Article: First report of the fertile plant genus Umkomasia from Late Permian beds in India and its biostratigraphic significance

The genus Umkomasia Thomas, a female fructification of Dicroidium, is reported from Late Permian beds exposed in the Behra Rivulet near the village of Karaonda in the Tatapani-Ramkola Coalfield, Chhattisgarh, India. This is the first record of this genus from the Late Permian, and from Indian Gondwana. Two species have been recognized: Umkomasia polycarpa Holmes and U. uniramia Axsmith, Taylor, Taylor and Cuneo. The find suggests that the genus Dicroidium appeared in the Late Permian before reaching its acme in the Middle–Upper Triassic. KEYWORDS ovulate fructification • corystosperm • Umkomasia • Dicroidium • Late Permian • Indian Gondwana