Dr. Kalyan Haldar, Senior Lecturer
Area of Specialisation: Paleontology

Academic Profile
BSc (Hons) in Geology in 1990
MSc in Geology 1992 from Jadavpur University
Ph.D. (2003) from Jadavpur University, Kolkata
Teaching in the undergraduate and postgraduate classes since 1998

Specialisation & Area of Interest
Study of taxonomy and evolutionary palaeobiology of fossil mollusks are the main concerns of the incumbent. Most of the research endeavour so far, was targetted at a detailed and modern taxonomic revision of the Jurassic nautiloid fauna of Kutch, Gujarat. Different evolutionary palaeobiological aspects including palaeoecological, functional morphologic, palaeobiogeographical, population dynamic and phylogenetic analyses have been attempted on this group of fossils.
Presently engaged in studying, besides an extension of the above-mentioned research themes, similar aspects in bivalves, gastropods and nautiloids of the Tertiary of Kutch.

Research Projects
Research projects completed
Study of Mesozoic and Cenozoic nautiloids of Kutch, Gujarat. The project was sponsored by Centre of Scientific and Industrial Research, Govt. of India and was carried out from January, 1993 to September 1995. (Incomplete as the incumbent joined GSI)

Study of Jurassic invertebrates of Kutch basin for demarcation of stage boundaries and reconstruction of basinal evolution. The project was carried out in GSI.

Body size and macroevolution of the Jurassic (Bathonian – Oxfordian) fauna of Kutch, Gujarat with special emphasis on cephalopods. The project was funded by Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India for October, 1999 to October, 2002. (Worked as co-PI with Dr. S. Bardhan, Jadavpur University).

Research projects ongoing
Taxonomy and Evolutionary Palaeobiology of the Tertiary Mollusca of Kutch, Gujarat with Special Emphasis on bivalvia. The project is sponsored by Department of science and Technology, Government of India for three years and was implemented since July 2005.

Palaeobiologial and biostratigraphical studies on the Jurassic nautiloids of Kutch, Gujarat. The project is sponsored by University Grants Commission for two years and was implemented since April 2007.

Selected Publications
Bardhan, S., Halder, K. and Jana, S. K. (1994) Earliest sexual dimporphism in Nautiloidea from the Jurassic of Kutch, India. N. Jb. Geol. Palaont., Abh., 193(3): 287-309.

Halder, K. and Bardhan, S. (1996) The Oxfordian (Upper Jurassic) nautiloid fauna of Kutch, western India. N. Jb. Geol. Palaont., Abh.,201(1): 17-32.

Halder, K. and Bardhan, S. (1996) The fleeting genus Cymatonautilus (Nautiloidea0: new record from the Jurassic Chari Formation, Kutch, India. Can. J. Earth Sci., 33: 1007-1010.

Gangopadhyay, T. K. and Halder, K. (1996) Significance of the first record of nautiloid from the Upper Cretaceous Bagh Group of rocks. Current Sci., 70(6): 462-465.

Halder, K. and Bardhan, S. (1997) On some new Late Bathonian paracenoceratids (Nautiloidea) from Kutch, Indiaand their evolutionary and biostratigraphic implications. N. Jb. Geol. Palaont., Mh., 1997(9): 543-561.

Halder, K., Jana, S. K. and Bardhan, S. (1998) Ornamental polymorphism in Paracenoceras prohexagonum (Nautiloidea) from the Jurassic Chari sequence, Kutch, Gujarat. Ind. Minerals, 52(1&2): 89-94.

Halder, K. and Roy, D. K. (1999) Study of Jurassic invertebrates of Kutch basin for demarcation of stage boundaries and reconstruction of basinal evolution. Records, GSI, 131(2): 15-17.

Halder, K. (1999) Study of Jurassic invertebrates of Kutch basin for demarcation of stage boundaries and reconstruction of basinal evolution. Records, GSI, 132(2): 26-28.

Bardhan, S. and Halder, K. (2000) Suden origin of ribbing in Jurassic Paracenoceras (Nautiloidea) and its bearing on the evolution of ribbing in post-Triassic nautiloids. Hist. Biol., 14: 153-168.

Halder, K. (2000) Diversity and biogeographic distribution of Jurassic nautiloids of Kutch, India during the fragmentation of Gondwana. J. Afr. Earth. Sci., 31(1): 175-185.

Jana, S. K., Bardhan, S. and Halder, K. (2005) Eucycloceratin ammonites from the Callovian Chari Formation, Kutch, India. Palaeontology, 48(4): 883-924.

Halder, K. (2006) The story of nautiloid suture: a critical review. Abst. 2nd Int. Palaeontological Congress. Beijing, China