Rhinoceros (genus) explained

Rhinoceros is a genus comprising one-horned rhinoceroses. This scientific name was proposed by Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus in 1758.[1] The genus contains two species, the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) and the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus). Although both members are threatened, the Javan rhinoceros is one of the most endangered large mammals in the world with only 60 individuals surviving in Java (Indonesia). The word 'rhinoceros' is of Greek origin meaning "nose-horn".

Etymology

The genus name Rhinoceros is a combination of the ancient Greek words ῥίς (rhis) meaning 'nose' and κέρας (keras) meaning 'horn of an animal'.[2] [3]

Classification

The genus Rhinoceros comprises:

The earliest remains of the genus are known from the Late Miocene, represented by remains such as an indeterminate species found in deposits in Myanmar dating to around 8-9 million years ago.[9]

The species "Rhinoceros" philippinensis from the early Middle Pleistocene of the Philippines and "Rhinoceros" sinensis hayasakai from the Early-Middle Pleistocene of Taiwan have been transferred to Nesorhinus, which appears to be closely related to Rhinoceros.[10] While Rhinoceros fusuiensis Yan et al. 2014[11] from the Early Pleistocene of South China has been transferred to Dicerorhinus.[12]

Relationships among Late Pleistocene and modern rhinoceros genera, based on nuclear DNA, after Liu et al, 2021:[13] Bayesian morphological phylogeny after Pandolfi, 2023 Note: This excludes living African rhinoceros species.[14]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Linnæus, C. . 1758 . Caroli Linnæi Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis . Salvius . Holmiae . Rhinoceros unicornis . https://gdz.sub.uni-goettingen.de/id/PPN362053006?tify= . 56.
  2. Book: Liddell, H. G. . A Greek-English Lexicon . Scott, R. . Clarendon Press . 1940 . Revised and augmented . Oxford . ῥίς . https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dr(i%2Fs . amp.
  3. Book: Liddell, H. G. . A Greek-English Lexicon . Scott, R. . Clarendon Press . 1940 . Revised and augmented . Oxford . κέρᾳ . https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dke%2Fras . amp.
  4. Book: Desmarest, A. G. . 1822 . Mammalogie, ou, Description des espèces de mammifères . 2 . Paris . Mme Agasse . Rhinocéros des Îles de La Sonde . https://archive.org/details/mammalogieoudesc02desm/page/399 . 399–400.
  5. Pandolfi . Luca . Maiorino . Leonardo . 2016-02-06 . Reassessment of the largest Pleistocene rhinocerotine Rhinoceros platyrhinus (Mammalia, Rhinocerotidae) from the Upper Siwaliks (Siwalik Hills, India) . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 36 . 2 . e1071266 . 10.1080/02724634.2015.1071266 . 2016JVPal..36E1266P . 0272-4634 . 86893957.
  6. Schepartz. L. A.. Miller-Antonio. S. . 2010 . Taphonomy, life history, and human exploitation of Rhinoceros sinensis at the Middle Pleistocene site of Panxian Dadong, Guizhou, China . International Journal of Osteoarchaeology . 20 . 3 . 253–268 . 10.1002/oa.1025.
  7. Antoine. Pierre-Olivier. March 2012. Pleistocene and Holocene rhinocerotids (Mammalia, Perissodactyla) from the Indochinese Peninsula. Comptes Rendus Palevol. en. 11. 2–3. 159–168. 10.1016/j.crpv.2011.03.002. 2012CRPal..11..159A .
  8. Tong. Hao-wen. November 2012. Evolution of the non-Coelodonta dicerorhine lineage in China. Comptes Rendus Palevol. en. 11. 8. 555–562. 10.1016/j.crpv.2012.06.002. 2012CRPal..11..555T .
  9. Longuet . Morgane . Zin-Maung-Maung-Thein . Thaung-Htike . Man-Thit-Nyein . Takai . Masanaru . 2024-08-02 . New fossil remains of Rhinocerotidae (Perissodactyla) from the early Late Miocene Tebingan area, central Myanmar . Historical Biology . en . 36 . 8 . 1468–1481 . 10.1080/08912963.2023.2218873 . 0891-2963.
  10. Antoine . P.-O. . Reyes . M. C. . Amano . N. . Bautista . A. P. . Chang . C.-H. . Claude . J. . De Vos . J. . Ingicco . T. . 2021 . A new rhinoceros clade from the Pleistocene of Asia sheds light on mammal dispersals to the Philippines . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 194 . 2 . 416–430 . 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab009.
  11. Yan . Yaling . Wang . Yuan . Jin . Changzhu . Mead . Jim I. . December 2014 . New remains of Rhinoceros (Rhinocerotidae, Perissodactyla, Mammalia) associated with Gigantopithecus blacki from the Early Pleistocene Yanliang Cave, Fusui, South China . Quaternary International . en . 354 . 110–121 . 10.1016/j.quaint.2014.01.004. 2014QuInt.354..110Y .
  12. Pandolfi . Luca . 2023-01-19 . Reassessing the phylogeny of Quaternary Eurasian Rhinocerotidae . Journal of Quaternary Science . 38 . 3 . en . 291–294 . 10.1002/jqs.3496 . 2023JQS....38..291P . 256167036 . 0267-8179. 11563/163194 . free .
  13. Liu . Shanlin . Westbury . Michael V. . Dussex . Nicolas . Mitchell . Kieren J. . Sinding . Mikkel-Holger S. . Heintzman . Peter D. . Duchêne . David A. . Kapp . Joshua D. . von Seth . Johanna . Heiniger . Holly . Sánchez-Barreiro . Fátima . 16 September 2021 . Ancient and modern genomes unravel the evolutionary history of the rhinoceros family . Cell . en . 184 . 19 . 4874–4885.e16 . 10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.032 . 34433011 . 237273079 . free . free . 10230/48693.
  14. Pandolfi . Luca . April 2023 . Reassessing the phylogeny of Quaternary Eurasian Rhinocerotidae . Journal of Quaternary Science . en . 38 . 3 . 291–294 . 2023JQS....38..291P . 10.1002/jqs.3496 . 0267-8179 . free . free . 11563/163194.

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