A new hornless rhinoceros of the genus Acerorhinus (Perissodactyla: Rhinocerotidae) from the Upper Miocene of Kerassiá (Euboea, Greece), with a revision of related forms

Abstract

The Late Miocene locality of Kerassia (North Euboea, Greece) has yielded a rich Turolian fauna, which forms part of the Eastern Mediterranean Pikermian biome. A prominent specimen of the Kerassia collection, a well-preserved rhinocerotid skull with associated mandible, is described herein. The specimen demonstrates the diagnostic cranial, mandibular, and dental characters of the genus Acerorhinus, but it is distinct enough in several anatomical aspects from the known samples of this genus to justify the establishment of a new species, A. neleus. It is characterised by the absence of horns, dolichocephaly, a moderately concave dorsal cranial profile, closely converging parietal crests, a relatively high-positioned orbit, a markedly robust zygomatic arch, a bell-shaped occipital outline, and a robust mandible. Its strong but relatively narrow mandibular symphysis has a short diastema, a concave ventral surface, and bears a pair of moderate-sized second lower incisors suggesting a female individual. The salient features of the upper dentition include a proportionally long premolar section and traces of a thin cement coating on the labial wall of the ectolophs. The upper premolars are characterised by the presence of a faint protocone constriction and a strong lingual cingulum, whereas the upper molars by the absence of lingual cinguli and the presence of a moderate protocone constriction. Clusters of numerous borings on the specimen’s surface were attributed to bioerosion induced by dermestid beetle activity. The Kerassia specimen is closely related to the few known aceratheriine specimens from Pikermi and Chomateri, which are described and referred to A. neleus n. sp. The taxonomic relationships among certain Eurasian aceratheriine samples are discussed and an updated systematic list of the Acerorhinus species is provided.