IL GENERE LEPUS IN ITALIA: CHIAVI DIAGNOSTICHE MORFO-ODONTOLOGICHE E CONTRIBUTI PALEOBIOGEOGRAFICI

This work aims both to propose some new dental characters which are useful to achieve an accurate specific discrimination within genus Lepus, between Lepus europaeus (European hare), Lepus timidus (Mountain hare), Lepus corsicanus (Italian hare) and Lepus capensis (Cape hare) and to suggest a reconstruction of the natural history and the palaeobiogeography of genus Lepus in Italy using the dental characters identified. The first part of the work is focused on the morphological examination of dental remains of the four hare species, starting from the analysis of some European osteological collections of hares (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Museo di Storia Naturale Milano, Collezione ISPRA Ozzano dell’Emilia). More specifically, the cross section morphology of three classes of samples was examined: third lower premolar (P3), second upper premolar (P2) and third upper premolar (P3). This led to the identification of 12 morphological characters and consequently to the creation of three morpho-odontological keys, a diagnostic tool for distinguishing the four Lepus species. The second part of the work focused on the analysis of dental remains from Italian Pleistocene sites using the diagnostic keys defined in the first part of the work. The aim of this analysis was to define the time range in which Lepus europaeus reached Italy. Evidence was found of the presence of Lepus corsicanus in the north of Italy (Riparo di Visogliano – Trieste) during the first part of middle Pleistocene. The analysis of dental remains from other sites located in the province of Verona allowed to set the time range in which Lepus europaeus reached north of Italy, thus substituting Lepus corsicanus in this area, towards the end of middle Pleistocene.