First occurrence of Pliorhinus cf. megarhinus (Perrissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae) in Greece

Abstract

Pliocene rhinoceros’ bearing fossiliferous localities are very limited in Greece. The rhinocerotid from the locality of Allatini, near Thessaloniki presented here, has long been cited in the literature but has never been studied in detail up to now. This taxon is represented by a single specimen, a radius of a sub adult individual, which is herein studied in detail to clarify its systematic position. Both morphological and metrical data suggest its assignment to the genus Pliorhinus, and more specifically to the species P. megarhinus. Pliorhinus megarhinus thrived in Eurasia from the latest Miocene to the Late Pliocene, however its records are restricted so far to a few localities, mainly in Italy and France. This is the first known occurrence of Pliorhinus in Greece resulting a slight enrichment of the local and European Pliocene Rinocerotidae record.