The first complete skull of Hispanotherium matritense (Prado, 1864) (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae) from the middle Miocene of the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

New rhinocerotid remains from the early middle Miocene site of Príncipe Pío-2, Madrid Basin (Madrid, Spain), are described and identified as belonging to Hispanotherium matritense. They constitute the first complete cranial remains recorded for this species, permitting the description of its cranial morphology and updating the species diagnosis. New remains show H. matritense as a middle-sized hornless elasmotheriine rhinoceros, contrary to previous studies. Phylogenetic analysis places the Western European Hispanotherium matritense close to the coeval Spanish species Hispanotherium corcolense and more distantly related to the French species Hispanotherium beonense. The late middle Miocene “H.” tungurense from Inner Mongolia is placed near later diverging elasmotheres, and its belonging to the genus Hispanotherium is questioned