Page 1 - Masseti _ Zava_2002

Biogeographia vol. XXIII - 2002
(Pubblicato il 1 o ottobre 2002)
Biogeografia degli ambienti costieri

Nineteenth century wild ungulates
(Mammalia, Artiodactyla) of the island

of Lampedusa (Pelagian archi pelago, Italy)

MARCO MASSETI*, BRUNO ZAVA**
*Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e Genetica dell'Università di Firenze,
Laboratori di Antropologia, Via del Proconsolo, 12, I-50122 Firenze (Italy)
e-mail: marco.masseti@unifi.it
**Wilderness-Studi ambientali, Via Cruillas, 27, I-90146 Palermo (Italy)
e-maiL· wildbz@gestelnet. i t

Keywords: Lampedusa, Pelagian islands, Mediterranean islands, red deer, Cervus elaphus conicaullS, wild goat, Capra
aegagrus, zoogeography, palaezoogeography, Syncerus caffir, Ippotraginae, Palaearctic Region, Ethiopian Region

SUMMARY

The occurrence of wild ungulates, such as red deer, CeruliS elaphus L., 1758, and wild goats, Capra aegagms Erxleben,
1777, is reported from the island ofLampedusa (Pelagian archipelago, Italy) in the course of the nineteenth century, and is
supported by writren and/or osteological evidence. However, as fàr as is presencly known, the origin of tl1ese ungulates an
Lampedusa, an d when and how tl1ey appeared an tl1e island is still obscure and veiled in mystery. Effectively, late Pleistocene-
early Holocene fossils fra m Lampedusa reveal no remains of Palaearctic continental mammals bur only endemie taxa of
African origin. The imroduction of red deer an d wild goats onta the island seems to be direccly related to human intervention.

INTRODUCTION

The island ofLampedusa (35°30'N-l2°31 'E) lies in the Sicilian Channel only
some 113 km off the North-Mrican coast, and about 205 km from Sicily. It is
the main island of the Pelagian archi pelago, which also includes the isles ofLinosa
and Lampione. Lampedusa is 20.2 kmq in area and reaches an altitude of 133m
above sea level. The island has little water, and during the summer has to be
supplied by tankers. Its vegetation today is composed of scanty, low and thorny
Mediterranean scrub. But, according to several authors ( Gussone, 1832; Calcara,