''Elephas planifrons'' is an extinct species of elephant, known from the

Late Pliocene Late or LATE may refer to: Everyday usage * Tardy, or late, not being on time * Late (or the late) may refer to a person who is dead Music * Late (The 77s album), ''Late'' (The 77s album), 2000 * Late (Alvin Batiste album), 1993 * Late!, a pseudo ...

Early Pleistocene The Early Pleistocene is an unofficial epoch (geology), sub-epoch in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, representing the earliest division of the Pleistocene Epoch within the ongoing Quaternary Period. It is currently esti ...

of the Indian subcontinent and probably South East Asia (Java, Indonesia).

Description

The number of

lamellae Lamella (: lamellae) means a small plate or flake in Latin, and in English may refer to: Biology * Lamella (mycology), a papery rib beneath a mushroom cap * Lamella (botany) * Lamella (surface anatomy), a plate-like structure in an animal * Lame ...

on the third molars is typically in the range of 11 to 15. Members of the species retained permanent premolars, unlike living Asian elephants.

Ecology

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

Evolution

''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 (though some authors have suggested a much earlier age over 5 million years ago). The date of the last record of the species is highly uncertain, with estimates ranging from 2.5 million to 800,000 years ago. While only definitively 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 Dwarf elephants are prehistoric members of the order Proboscidea which, through the process of allopatric speciation on islands, evolved much smaller body sizes (around shoulder height) in comparison with their immediate ancestors. Dwarf elephant ...

genus '' Stegoloxodon.'' A 2020 PhD thesis suggested that the species was not a true member of the genus ''

Elephas ''Elephas'' is a genus of elephants and one of two surviving genera in the Family (biology), family Elephantidae, comprising one extant species, the Asian elephant (''E. maximus''). Several extinct species have been identified as belonging to t ...

'', 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. H''owever, 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.'''' Additional specimen mentioned as ''E. planifrons'' was found in Indonesia (Semedo, Central Java) although further research is required.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3050760 Elephas Prehistoric elephants Mammals described in 1846 Fossil taxa described in 1846 Pliocene first appearances Pleistocene extinctions Extinct animals of Indonesia