''Dicerorhinus'' (Greek: "two" (dio), "horn" (keratos), "nose" (rhinos)) is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of the family

Rhinocerotidae A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

, consisting of a single extant

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, the two-horned

Sumatran rhinoceros The Sumatran rhinoceros (''Dicerorhinus sumatrensis''), also known as the Sumatran rhino, hairy rhinoceros or Asian two-horned rhinoceros, is a rare member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant species of rhinoceros. It is the o ...

(''D. sumatrensis''), and several

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

species. The genus likely originated in the Mid to Late

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

and South China. Many species attributed to the genus probably actually belong in ''

Stephanorhinus ''Stephanorhinus'' is an extinct genus of two-horned rhinoceros native to Eurasia and North Africa that lived during the Pliocene to Late Pleistocene. Species of ''Stephanorhinus'' were the predominant and often only species of rhinoceros in much ...

.''

Taxonomy

Historically, ''Dicerorhinus'' was a

wastebasket taxon Wastebasket taxon (also called a wastebin taxon, dustbin taxon or catch-all taxon) is a term used by some taxonomists to refer to a taxon that has the sole purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined ...

. Revisions by several authors over the years have removed many species: Transferred to ''

'' *''

Dicerorhinus merckii ''Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis'', also known as Merck's rhinoceros or the forest rhinoceros, is an extinct species of rhino known from the Middle to Late Pleistocene of Eurasia. One of the last members of the genus ''Stephanorhinus'', it is co ...

'' *''

Dicerorhinus hemitoechus The narrow-nosed rhinoceros (''Stephanorhinus hemitoechus'') is an extinct species of rhinoceros that lived in western Eurasia and North Africa during the Pleistocene. It first appeared in Europe some 600,000 years ago, and survived there until ...

'' *''Dicerorhinus etruscus'' *''Dicerorhinus yunchuchenensis'' *''Dicerorhinus jeanvireti'' *''Dicerorhinus choukoutienensis'' (synonym of Merck's rhinoceros) *''Dicerorhinus orientalis'' (synonym of Merck's rhinoceros) *''Dicerorhinus nipponicus'' Transferred to ''

Dihoplus ''Dihoplus'' is an extinct genus of rhinoceros that lived in Eurasia from the Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene. They were moderately large rhinoceros, with two horns and large, thick nasal bones. Members of ''Dihoplus'' were long placed in ''D ...

'' *''Dicerorhinus megarhinus'' *''Dicerorhinus schleiermacheri'' *''Dicerorhinus ringstroemi'' Transferred to '' Caementodon'' *''Dicerorhinus caucasicus'' Transferred to ''

Lartetotherium ''Lartetotherium'' is an extinct species of rhinoceros that lived during the Miocene in Europe. The species ''Lartetotherium sansaniense'' was a unique cursorial rhinoceros with a distinctly long horn. Its teeth were brachyodont The mol ...

'' *''Dicerorhinus sansaniensis'' Transferred to ''

Rusingaceros ''Rusingaceros'' or ''Dicerorhinus leakeyi'' is an extinct genus of rhinocerotine rhinoceros known from the Miocene of Rusinga Island, Kenya. Discovery ''Rusingaceros'' is known from the holotype National Museums of Kenya, KNM-RU 2821, an a ...

'' *''Dicerorhinus leakeyi''

References

* Groves, Colin P., and Fred Kurt (1972)
"''Dicerorhinus sumatrensis''"
''Mammalian Species'' (21): 1–6.

{{Taxonbar, from=Q534913 Rhinoceroses Mammal genera Mammal genera with one living species