Croizet & Jobert (1828) described as Rhinoceros elatus a large rhinoceros from the late Pliocene deposits of the Puy-de-Dôme District (Auvergne, France). In the following century and a half, the species had been sporadically recognized and its name had been almost forgotten. Guérin (1972) described as Dicerorhinus jeanvireti the remains of the same species from the locality of Vialette (Haute-Loire, France), pretending that “elatus” was a nomen oblitum. After that, the name “jeanvireti” was used by most of the following authors. At present, there is general agreement in the literature that the two names are synonyms but some authors prefer “elatus” while others use “jeanvireti”, thus leading to increasing confusion. The present investigation reveals that “elatus” deserves the right of priority because in 1972 it was not a nomen oblitum. The younger synonym “jeanvireti”, according to the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, cannot be considered a valid name. Furthermore, most of the rhinoceros remains described by Croizet & Jobert (1828), namely the syntypes of the species, are still existing and are housed at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. Since this material has never been described in detail after Croizet & Jobert’s work, it is revised in modern key and compared to close fossil species. Among this material, an articulated anterior leg is hereby designated as lectotype of the species Stephanorhinus elatus Croizet & Jobert, 1828.

Stephanorhinus elatus (Rhinocerotidae, Mammalia): proposal for the conservation of the earlier specific name and designation of a lectotype

BALLATORE, Manuel
Primo
;
BREDA, Marzia
Ultimo
2016

Abstract

Croizet & Jobert (1828) described as Rhinoceros elatus a large rhinoceros from the late Pliocene deposits of the Puy-de-Dôme District (Auvergne, France). In the following century and a half, the species had been sporadically recognized and its name had been almost forgotten. Guérin (1972) described as Dicerorhinus jeanvireti the remains of the same species from the locality of Vialette (Haute-Loire, France), pretending that “elatus” was a nomen oblitum. After that, the name “jeanvireti” was used by most of the following authors. At present, there is general agreement in the literature that the two names are synonyms but some authors prefer “elatus” while others use “jeanvireti”, thus leading to increasing confusion. The present investigation reveals that “elatus” deserves the right of priority because in 1972 it was not a nomen oblitum. The younger synonym “jeanvireti”, according to the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, cannot be considered a valid name. Furthermore, most of the rhinoceros remains described by Croizet & Jobert (1828), namely the syntypes of the species, are still existing and are housed at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. Since this material has never been described in detail after Croizet & Jobert’s work, it is revised in modern key and compared to close fossil species. Among this material, an articulated anterior leg is hereby designated as lectotype of the species Stephanorhinus elatus Croizet & Jobert, 1828.
2016
Ballatore, Manuel; Breda, Marzia
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
2016_Geodiversitas.pdf

solo gestori archivio

Descrizione: versione editoriale
Tipologia: Full text (versione editoriale)
Licenza: NON PUBBLICO - Accesso privato/ristretto
Dimensione 2.45 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
2.45 MB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11392/2502340
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 11
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 9
social impact