Elephas planifrons is an extinct species of elephant, known from the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene of the Indian subcontinent.

Elephas planifrons
Temporal range: Late Pliocene–Early Pleistocene
Partial skull in various views
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Genus: Elephas
Species:
E. planifrons
Binomial name
Elephas planifrons
Falconer & Cautley, 1846

Description edit

The number of lamellae on the third molars is typically in the range of 11 to 15.[1] Members of the species retained permanent premolars, unlike living Asian elephants.[2]

Ecology edit

Isotopic evidence suggests that the species had a grazing based diet.[3]

Evolution edit

Elephas planifrons represents one of the earliest dispersals of elephants outside of Africa, first arriving on the Indian subcontinent around 3.6 million years ago.[4][3] The youngest remains in the region are suggested to date to around 1.5 million years ago.[5] While only definitvely reported from the Indian subcontinent, possible E. planifrons remains have been reported from Indonesia, and the species may be closely related to the Indonesian dwarf elephant genus Stegoloxodon.[2] A 2020 PhD thesis suggested that the species was not a true member of the genus Elephas, but should instead be considered a member of the genus Phanagoroloxodon with the African Pliocene species "Elephas" recki brumpti considered to be a synonym of "E". planifrons. However, its placement in Phanagoroloxodon and its synonymity with "E". recki brumpti have been rejected by other authors, though the two species may be closely related.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ Rabinovich, Rivka; Lister, Adrian M. (July 2017). "The earliest elephants out of Africa: Taxonomy and taphonomy of proboscidean remains from Bethlehem". Quaternary International. 445: 23–42. Bibcode:2017QuInt.445...23R. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2016.07.010.
  2. ^ a b Sanders, William J. (2018-02-17). "Horizontal tooth displacement and premolar occurrence in elephants and other elephantiform proboscideans". Historical Biology. 30 (1–2): 137–156. Bibcode:2018HBio...30..137S. doi:10.1080/08912963.2017.1297436. ISSN 0891-2963.
  3. ^ a b Patnaik, Rajeev; Singh, Ningthoujam Premjit; Paul, Debajyoti; Sukumar, Raman (November 2019). "Dietary and habitat shifts in relation to climate of Neogene-Quaternary proboscideans and associated mammals of the Indian subcontinent". Quaternary Science Reviews. 224: 105968. Bibcode:2019QSRv..22405968P. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.105968.
  4. ^ Iannucci, Alessio; Sardella, Raffaele (2023-02-28). "What Does the "Elephant-Equus" Event Mean Today? Reflections on Mammal Dispersal Events around the Pliocene-Pleistocene Boundary and the Flexible Ambiguity of Biochronology". Quaternary. 6 (1): 16. doi:10.3390/quat6010016. hdl:11573/1680082. ISSN 2571-550X.
  5. ^ Ameen, Muhammad; Khan, Abdul Majid; Ahmad, Rana Manzoor; Ijaz, Muhammad Umar; Imran, Muhammad (November 2022). "Tooth marker of ecological abnormality: The interpretation of stress in extinct mega herbivores (proboscideans) of the Siwaliks of Pakistan". Ecology and Evolution. 12 (11): e9432. Bibcode:2022EcoEv..12E9432A. doi:10.1002/ece3.9432. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 9618825. PMID 36329811.
  6. ^ Sanders, William J. (2023-07-07). Evolution and Fossil Record of African Proboscidea (1 ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 267–293. doi:10.1201/b20016. ISBN 978-1-315-11891-8.