Hystrix vinogradovi Argyropulo, 1941 in the Pleistocene of Italy.

Hystrix vinogradovi remains have been identified within the Late Pleistocene vertebrate assemblage from Avetrana (Taranto, Southern Italy). These data provide new information about the palaeobiogeography and ecology of this Pleistocene porcupine in Italy and Europe. The dental morphology of this species is quite conservative (a characteristic of the entire genus Hystrix) and simple, Its size is smaller than the living Hystrix cristata and than other extinct species such as H. refossa, distributed in the Plio-Pleistocene sites of Europe. Despite some Authors claimed the synonymy between H. vinogradovi and H. brachyura, in this paper we maintain a separate specific name. At present, H. vinogradovi from Avetrana can be considered as the latest occurrence in Italy and, together with the fossils from Bolomor (Valencia, Spain), the southernmost presence in Europe.