Cranial morphometrics of the Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) and preliminary notes on the relationships with other southern European populations

Abstract

The geographic variation of seven southern European populations of Ursus arctos was investigated through multivariate morphometrics of the skull. Univariate and multivariate analyses were run on 63 cranial and dental measurements recorded on 50 specimens from the Apennines, the Alps, and the Transcaucasus, and on 14 specimens of the fossil Ursus spelaeus. Detailed analyses of sexual dimorphism, age structure, and ranges of variation have been carried out on the Apennines population, which morphological variation has been little explored. Subsets of characters were selected to allow comparison with data derived from literature for populations from the Pyrenees, the Rhodopi‐Rila‐Pirin, the Balkans, and the Caucasus. Analyses clearly indicate that the Apennine bear is morphologically distinct from both a western (Alps, Pyrenees, Balkans, and Rhodopi) and an eastern contingent (Caucasus and Transcaucasus), therefore suggesting that the Apennine population should be reconsidered as a separate taxon, namely Ursus arctos marsicanus. These preliminary results suggest caution in restocking conservation actions.

Keywords:

• Ursus arctos
• Apennine bear
• multivariate morphometrics
• geographic variation

Acknowledgments

All the Apennine brown bear specimens were provided by the Servizio Scientifico of the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise. We are indebted with the responsible Cinzia Sulli and with rangers and researcher of the park for their helpful collaboration. Paolo Mazza and Marco Rustioni provided access to the collection of Ursus spelaeus in the Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia dell'Università di Firenze. A special acknowledgment goes to Nicolò Falchi for the original drawings of the skulls. Ettore Randi kindly revised the manuscript and anticipated part of his unpublished results on genetic variation. We are also indebted to Marco Corti and an Sandro Lovari for their valuable and helpful suggestions which greatly contributed to the improvement of the manuscript. Financial support was provided by the Ministero della Ricerca Scientifica (40% and 60% projects) and by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, project N. 94.02937.04. This work is dedicated to the memory of Marco Corti (1950–2007), unforgettable theriologist, morphometrician and friend, who contributed with invaluable comments to the improvement of this manuscript.