The Middle-Late Pleistocene Cuon Hodgson, 1838 (Carnivora, Canidae) from Italy

The aim of this work is to review the Middle-Late Pleistocene fossil remains of the genus Cuon Hodgson, 1838 from Italy. The geographical distribution of hypercarnivomus canids belonging to the genus Cuon is presently restricted to Southeastern Asia, whereas during the Pleistocene occurrences are documented in Eurasia and North America. Due to the fragmentary nature of the fossil record of this genus, resolution of many aspects of its origins, phyletic relationships, and evolutionary trends prove difficult. In the Italian Peninsula the occurrence of thy canid has been reported from several sites of Middle-Late Pleistocene age. However; the latter have rarely been accompanied by descriptions oldie material. This paper presents an update of the Italian record of the genus Cuon, description of the material from these different sites and includes unpublished data related to new localities. It represents a starting point for a broader review of the Mediterranean Plio-Pleistocene hypercarnivorous canids