Bugtirhinus

  • South Asia
  • B. praecursor Antoine & Welcomme, 2000

Bugtirhinus is an extinct genus of rhinoceros. She lived in the Lower Miocene 20 million years ago in South Asia. It is a very small representative of this Perissodactyla group and represents the earliest members of the Elasmotherien represents a relative of today's rhinos extinct sidelines, with Elasmotherium brought forth one of the largest known forms of rhinos in the Pleistocene.

Features

Bugtirhinus was a smaller and slimmer representatives of the rhinos, but to date only fossils of teeth and the musculoskeletal system have been preserved. Like the early representatives of the Elasmotherien had the rhino species also have incisors that are quite small though. In particular, the lower outer tooth had a typical subkonische form having other Elasmotherien and was at least 3.5 cm long. From the posterior dentition is only well known, the upper. This consists of the three posterior premolars and molars. In general, the molars significantly niederkronig ( brachyodont ) and small, with the tooth size increases to the rear. The tooth crowns are round shaped and not as strong as in later edged Elasmotherien, but included dental cement, which is much more common in the molars. The largest tooth in the dentition, the rearmost molar with a length of 3.4 cm, a width of 3.9 cm and a height of 3.4 cm dar.

The remaining archaeological material includes the musculoskeletal system, with only the foot is almost completely known. This consists of three beams with a more robust central beam ( metatarsus III), which is typical for rhinos. The traditional jumping legs are built in a square, relatively small and slender. From arm only a fragmented radius is preserved. From the hand individual carpal bones and a metacarpal have been discovered. The shape of the hook leg ( unciform ) indicates that even a reduced fourth toe was formed ( metacarpal V), so that the hand was constructed total vierstrahlig, as it is also detected in other Elasmotherien. Unlike other rhino lines of these additional fingers went here later not lost.

Locations

Remains of Bugtirhinus were in several places within Dera Bugti - Formation in the Bugti Mountains in Baluchistan. Here they are from the fourth layer member ( Bugti 4), which is dated to the early Miocene ( Burdigalian, more precisely the lowest range of measured according to the mammals of the Neogene level MN 3) due to many African faunal elements.

System

Menoceratini

Bugtirhinus

Kenyatherium

Caementodon

Hispanotherium

Procoelodonta

Huaqingtherium

Iranotherium

Ningxiatherium

Parelasmotherium

Sinotherium

Elasmotherium

Rhinocerotini

Bugtirhinus is an extinct member of the family of rhinos. Within this it is assigned ( Elasmotherien ) of the tribe of Elasmotheriini, which are also extinct and in turn represent a group in the subfamily Rhinocerotinae, which includes the modern rhinos. The sister group to form the Rhinocerotini, which include the still living rhinos.

Within the Elasmotherien provides Bugtirhinus the previously most primitive representatives of this rhino group such as the small size, but also the numerous archaic features show, the four-rayed hand or the rounded crowns of the molars. The genus has no modern or derived characteristics compared to the later Elasmotherien. The nearest related forms are Kenyatherium and Caementodon. Since both Caementodon and Bugtirhinus in South Asia were distributed, an origin of Elasmotherien, which will be approved during the Oligocene, suspected in this region. Published until about 18 million years representatives of Elasmotherien, such as Hispanotherium in Europe. However, the spread must have gone very quickly and probably took place during the second proboscidean date event 19 million years ago, as two very early Elasmotherien have been described from Africa with Kenyatherium and Ougandatherium.

The first finds of Bugtirhinus were discovered in the early 20th century and 1934, described by Clive Forster- Cooper Ceratorhinus. Kurt Heissig she pointed to the genus Caementodon later. It was not until in 2000 the description as Bugtirhinus by Pierre -Olivier Antoine and Jean- Loup Welcomme. In this case, a right upper Molarenreihe applies (M1 to M3) as holotype ( specimen number M 15361 ), which is preserved in the Natural History Museum in London. The only way is recognized as praecursor. The genus name refers Bugtirhinus one hand on the reference in the Bugti Mountains, on the other hand is the genitive of the Greek word rhinos ῥίς ( rhis 'nose' ). The species name is praecursor Latin origin and means " precursor ", which is referred to the position as the most primitive Elasmotherien representative.

Pictures of Bugtirhinus

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