Dispersal vs. vicariance: the origin of India’s extant tetrapod fauna

Given the Indian block’s ancient association with Gondwana and subsequent separation from Africa, then Madagascar, Seychelles, vicariance has often been invoked to explain distribution of some India’s extant biota that might have had Gondwanan origins. Here I review phylogenetic studies fossil data tetrapods ascertain contribution dispersal in shaping assemblage. Paleogene into India accounts for almost all tetrapod clades India. Vicariance is three groups, fossorial; caecilians, frog family Nasikabatrachidae blindsnake Gerrhopilidae. This concludes practically Late Cretaceous fauna (of origin) was extirpated during Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction, which may exacerbated by coeval volcanism associated emplacement Deccan Trap large igneous province. Subsequently, built up incoming elements as advanced towards Asia, docking continent Paleogene.