Deccanolestes is an extinct genus of scansorial, basal euarchontan from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) and Paleocene Intertrappean Beds of Andhra Pradesh, India.
Taxonomy Deccanolestes may be closely related to Sahnitherium. Deccanolestes has been referred to Palaeoryctidae in the past, but recent evidence has shown that it is either the most basal euarchontan, as an early adapisoriculid, or as a stem-afrotherian.Erik R. Seiffert, The Oldest and Youngest Records of Afrosoricid Placentals from the Fayum Depression of Northern Egypt
Species Deccanolestes hislopi is based on an isolated first upper molar (VPL/JU/NKIM/10). A third molar, a lower third premolar, various other isolated teeth, and some postcranial remains have been referred to it.Prasad GVR, Sahni A (1988) First Cretaceous mammal from India. Nature 332:638–640.
Deccanolestes robustus is based on an isolated lower first molar. Isolated teeth and some ankle remains have also been referred to it.G. V. R. Prasad, J. J. Jaeger, A. Sahni, E. Gheerbrant, and C. K. Khajuria. 1994. Eutherian mammals from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) inter-trappean beds of Naskal, Andhra Pradesh, India. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 14(2):260-277
Deccanolestes narmadensis is based on an isolated rear molar.G. V. R. Prasad, O. Verma, E. Gheerbrant, A. Goswami, A. Khosla, V. Parmar, and A. Sahni. 2010. First mammal evidence from the Late Cretaceous of India for biotic dispersal between India and Africa at the KT transition. Comptes Rendus Palevol 9:63-71
Alongside Bharattherium, Deccanolestes is among the two mammal taxa that survived the KT event in India.WILSON, Gregory P, NEW MAMMALIAN FOSSILS FROM THE INTERTRAPPEAN BEDS OF THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE DECCAN VOLCANIC PROVINCE AND THE CRETACEOUS–PALEOGENE TRANSITION IN INDIA, October 27, 2016
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