Guwahati, June 17: A team of Indian scientists has unearthed a rare fossil find in the coal-rich Makum region of Assam that reshapes the understanding of South Asia’s biodiversity evolution. The discovery of 24-million-year-old fossilized leaves in the region has revealed the world’s oldest known record of the tropical plant genus Nothopegia, a species now found only in the Western Ghats of southern India.
The research, led by scientists from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in Lucknow—an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology—was published in the journal Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. The team identified the fossil through detailed morphological analysis and herbarium comparisons, confirming it as Nothopegia, a genus currently absent in northeast India but native to the biodiversity-rich rainforests of the Western Ghats.
The ancient leaves, preserved in the coal seams of Assam’s Makum Coalfield, date back to the late Oligocene epoch, approximately 24 to 23 million years ago. At that time, northeast India had a warm and humid climate similar to the present-day Western Ghats, according to climate reconstructions using the Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP).
“This discovery not only pushes back the fossil record of Nothopegia but also offers compelling evidence of how massive climatic and geological shifts reshaped the distribution of plant species across the Indian subcontinent,” the researchers said.
As the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs, the Himalayas began their dramatic ascent. This triggered major shifts in regional climate—cooling the northeast and disrupting the humid tropical ecosystems that once supported species like Nothopegia. Unable to survive the colder, drier conditions, the plant disappeared from the region. But in the climatically stable Western Ghats, the species endured, becoming a relic of an ecological past long lost in other parts of the country.
The study exemplifies how paleobotany, plant systematics, and climate modelling can together trace the history of biodiversity migration and extinction.
“This is more than just a fossil discovery,” said co-author Dr. Harshita Bhatia. “It’s a story about survival, extinction, and resilience over millions of years—one that resonates with the biodiversity crisis we face today.”
The findings underline how historical climate change shaped biodiversity—and how present-day changes, driven by human activity, are unfolding at an unprecedented pace. As ecosystems worldwide are under stress, the study reinforces the importance of preserving biodiversity hotspots like the Western Ghats, which serve as refuges for ancient and vulnerable lineages.
By tracing Nothopegia’s ancient journey, scientists gain critical insights into how plant species may adapt—or vanish—under changing climate conditions. And in doing so, they offer a valuable glimpse into the future of biodiversity conservation in India and beyond.
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