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A new species of Rhinocerotidae (Perissodactyla), 'Ceratotherium' advenientis sp. nov., from the late Miocene (8.1–7.2 Ma) locality of Cava Gentile, Calabria (Southern Italy), is described. 'Ceratotherium' advenientis displays morphological characters close to Rhinocerotina, in particular to dicerotines, and can be distinguished from the late Miocene elasmotheres, teleoceratines and aceratheres recorded in Eurasia and Africa. The new taxon clearly differs from the European latest Miocene species Dihoplus schleiermacheri, Dihoplus pikermiensis, 'Dihoplus' megarhinus and Ceratotherium neumayri, and from the African species Ceratotherium douariense, Ceratotherium? primaevum and Paradiceros mukirii. 'Ceratotherium' advenientis also differs from the Chinese dicerotine Diceros gansuensis and from the extant African species. The new taxon is characterized by peculiar features, in particular in the morphology and dimension of the neurocranial portion, and by having a nuchal crest wider than in the extant African rhinoceroses, C. neumayri, C. douariense, and European latest Miocene species. A cladistic analysis places 'Ceratotherium' advenientis in a polytomy with the extant Diceros bicornis, C. neumayri and a small clade composed by C. simum and C. antiquitatis. The African affinities of the new taxon support the Calabrian-Peloritan arc as a northern extension of the African continental shelf during the late Miocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The faunal assemblage of Monteviale (Vicenza, northern Italy) represents a rare condition among the earliest Oligocene assemblages of south-eastern Europe at the ‘Grande-Coupure’. The lignitic fossiliferous strata lie above explosive basaltic breccias produced by a volcanic complex raised within a lagoon where the Calcareniti di Castelgomberto Formation (earliest Oligocene in age) was deposited. Systematic revision of the vertebrate remains from Monteviale reveals the presence of 15 taxa belonging to ?Butidae, Palaeobatrachidae, Trionychidae, Geoemydidae, Diplocynodontinae, Dugongidae, ?Pantolesta, Chiroptera, Rhinocerotidae, Anthracotheriidae and Palaeochoeridae. The fossiliferous deposit of Monteviale probably originated in a coastal lagoon characterized by salinity fluctuations, from brackish to fresh water, the latter evidenced by the presence of palaeobatrachid larvae. The terrestrial vertebrate assemblage indicates a humid forest environment with an age close to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary, lowermost Rupelian, MP21. Some of the mammal taxa (e.g.Epiaceratherium,Anthracotheriumand ?Propalaeocherus) of Monteviale show a clear affinity with older (late Eocene) southern Asian species, suggesting a dispersal pattern across the several plates of south-eastern Europe and western Asia. By contrast, the herpetofauna (e.g.Trionyx,BergouniouxchelysandDiplocynodon) suggests a closer relationship to European taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceratopsidae represents one of the last and best-known radiations of non-avian dinosaurs. Interspecific variation is well documented qualitatively with linear measurements, but little has been done to quantify shape differences in the frill that may indicate functional or evolutionary signals. In order to investigate shape change in the squamosal across Chasmosaurinae and Centrosaurinae, we applied geometric morphometrics to the outline of the squamosal for 155 specimens representing 27 ceratopsid species andProtoceratopsspp. A Mantel test suggests that the shape of ceratopsid squamosals is highly constrained by phylogeny. MANOVA, ANOVA, and their phylogenetic versions suggest that an evolutionarily significant allometric signal exists between the two clades, but not within clades. Principal component analysis indicates that centrosaurines have a uniform squamosal shape, with the exceptions ofSpinopsandDiabloceratops.Even when accounting for phylogeny, the relationship between squamosal shape and size is significant. Mapping shape onto the phylogeny, we estimated ancestral shapes at nodes. The transition from the non-ceratopsid to ceratopsid condition is characterized by a squamosal with a wider angle between the infratemporal process and the caudoventral margin, and a more dorsoventrally elongated and caudally expanded blade. From root to tips, centrosaurine squamosals were found to be conservative, but exhibit a slight dorsoventral expansion and a narrow angle between the infratemporal process and the caudoventral margin in more derived taxa. Chasmosaurines, compared with centrosaurines, show a derived morphology, with a trend towards a blade that is strongly expanded dorsoventrally and with a narrower angle between the infratemporal process and the caudoventral margin. SUPPLEMENTAL DATA—Supplemental materials are available for this article for free atwww.tandfonline.com/UJVP [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We describe and figure a well-preserved, large skull of a rhinoceros, NHMUK 36661, collected in 1860 from Upper Siwalik deposits. This specimen can be referred to Rhinoceros platyrhinus. Comparison with the type material of R. platyrhinus revealed that several specimens previously referred to this taxon, including the lectotype, should instead be assigned to Rhinoceros sp. (potentially R. sivalensis or R. unicornis). Therefore, we here provide new detailed cranial and dental characters for R. platyrhinus, which is currently known only by a few specimens collected from a restricted area of northern India. We suggest that the generic name Punjabitherium erected for R. platyrhinus represents a junior synonym of Rhinoceros due to the morphological affinities of NHMUK 36661 with R. unicornis. A principal component analysis and a cluster analysis confirmed the morphological similarities between R. platyrhinus and R. unicornis. Rhinoceros platyrhinus represents the largest rhinocerotine species in Eurasia and is characterized by a long skull and high-crowned teeth, suggesting that it was a grazer rather than a mixed feeder such as R. unicornis. This is supported by a cluster analysis on the upper teeth. The progressive increase in aridity from ca. 12 Ma to Recent in northern India could have affected the dietary regime of R. platyrhinus towards to a more grazer-like diet. SUPPLEMENTAL DATA—Supplemental materials are available for this article for free at www.tandfonline.com/UJVP Citation for this article: Pandolfi, L., and L. Maiorino. 2016. Reassessment of the largest Pleistocene rhinocerotine Rhinoceros platyrhinus (Mammalia, Rhinocerotidae) from the Upper Siwaliks (Siwalik Hills, India). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2015.1071266. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]