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.
| Pliorhinus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
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| Skull of Pliorhinus megarhinus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | Rhinocerotidae |
| Subtribe: | Rhinocerotina |
| Genus: | †Pliorhinus Pandolfi et al., 2021 |
| Species | |
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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.[1]
- P. megarhinus (de Christol, 1834) known from the Late Miocene-Pliocene of Europe, Anatolia, and Transbaikalia.[2][3]
- P. miguelcrusafonti (Guérin & Santafé-Lopis, 1978) known from the Pliocene of Europe
- P. ringstoemi (Arambourg, 1959), Late Miocene of China. (previously synonymised with P. megarhinus,[2] but now regarded as distinct[4])
Species of Pliorhinus are medium-large sized two horned rhinoceroses, which 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.[1] Species of Pliorhinus are suggested to be closely related and possibly ancestral to Stephanorhinus.[5]
Morphological phylogeny after Pandolfi (2023), excluding living African rhinoceros species.[5]
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Ecology
P. megarhinus is suggested to have been a browser or mixed feeder.[6]