Pliorhinus
Pliorhinus is an extinct genus of rhinoceros known from the Late Miocene and Pliocene of Eurasia. The type species, Pliorhinus megarhinus, was previously assigned to ''Dihoplus.''
Description
Species of Pliorhinus are large sized two horned rhinoceroses, with some individuals of P. megarhinus suggested to have a body mass of around. Their skulls have a nasal notch located above the molars, and are distinguished from other rhinoceroses by various characters of the teeth. P. megarhinus is noted for having a relatively flat skull roof.Taxonomy
The genus was named in 2021 to accommodate two species that had previously been included in a wide variety of rhinoceros genera, including Dihoplus and Stephanorhinus.- P. megarhinus known from the Late Miocene-Pliocene of Europe, Anatolia, and Transbaikalia, spanning from around 6.7-3.5 million years ago.
- P. miguelcrusafonti known from the Pliocene of Europe
- P. ringstoemi, Late Miocene of China.
Morphological phylogeny after Pandolfi, excluding living African rhinoceros species.