Rediscovering Lutra lutra from Grotta Romanelli (southern Italy) in the framework of the puzzling evolutionary history of Eurasian otter

摘要: A river otter hemimandible has been rediscovered during the revision of historical collections G.A. Blanc from Grotta Romanelli, complementing ongoing multidisciplinary research fieldwork on site. The specimen, recovered level G (“terre rosse”; early Late Pleistocene or late Middle Pleistocene), is here assigned to Lutra lutra. Indeed, morphological and morphometric comparisons with other Quaternary Lutrinae fossils Europe allow exclude an attribution relatively widespread older simplicidens, characterized by distinctive carnassial proportions. Differences Cyrnaonyx antiqua, which possessed a more robust, shellfish-feeding dentition, support view successful niche repartition between two species Europe. occurrence lutra “terre rosse” Romanelli suggests deep modifications landscapes due ecological adaptation taxon, indicates that Eurasian spread into at Middle–Late transition.