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Marco Masseti

  • Biodiversity Journal, 14 (4): 0765-0773

    Gianni Insacco, Bruno Zava & Marco Masseti
    Two late 1800s wolves, Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 (Mammalia Canidae), from the Hyblean Mountains, in eastern Sicily
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2023.14.4.765.773

    ABSTRACT
    The wolf, Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 (Mammalia Canidae), became extinct in Sicily in the past century, between 1930 and 1960. The present paper describes the unpublished remains of two wolves, killed in the late 1800s in the Hyblean Mountains and preserved within the vertebrate collection of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale of Comiso, Ragusa, (Italy), that is an important asset for biodiversity research as well as for morphological and genetic studies. The two specimens constitute the only finds of the species that are known so far for eastern Sicily. Their measurements and the restoration carried out for museum display are presented. A morphological description of these two specimens is provided and the taxonomic problems of the Italian and Sicilian populations are discussed.