Rhinoceros is a genus comprising one-horned rhinoceroses. This scientific name was proposed by Swedish taxonomistCarl 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".[clarification needed]
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]
†R. sinensis Owen, 1870[6] Has been used as a wastebasket taxon[7] used to refer to rhinoceros material from the Pleistocene of China, with various specimens belong to other Rhinoceros species, Dicerorhinus and Stephanorhinus,[8] though it is possible that some remains attributed to Rhinoceros sinensis represents a valid and distinct species of Rhinoceros.[5]
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.[10][12]
Relationships among Late Pleistocene and modern rhinoceros genera, based on nuclear DNA, after Liu et al, 2021:[13]
^ abLinnæus, C. (1758). "Rhinoceros unicornis". Caroli Linnæi Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Holmiae: Salvius. p. 56.
^Liddell, H. G. & Scott, R. (1940). "ῥίς". A Greek-English Lexicon (Revised and augmented ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
^Liddell, H. G. & Scott, R. (1940). "κέρᾳ". A Greek-English Lexicon (Revised and augmented ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
^Desmarest, A. G. (1822). "Rhinocéros des Îles de La Sonde". Mammalogie, ou, Description des espèces de mammifères. Vol. 2. Paris: Mme Agasse. pp. 399–400.
^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. doi:10.1002/oa.1025.
^Antoine, Pierre-Olivier (March 2012). "Pleistocene and Holocene rhinocerotids (Mammalia, Perissodactyla) from the Indochinese Peninsula". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 11 (2–3): 159–168. Bibcode:2012CRPal..11..159A. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2011.03.002.
^ abAntoine, 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. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab009.
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