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190 M. Masseti: Homogenisation and the loss of biodiversity of mammals of the Mediterranean islands

Table 4 Some of the oldest populations of ungulates of anthropochorous origin still occurring on the Mediterranean islands (also
see Figure 24).

Taxon Island Notes References

Sus scrofa meridionalis Corsica Introduced in early Neolithic times Vigne 1988a, 1999, Albarella et al. 2007
Sus scrofa meridionalis Sardinia Introduced in early Neolithic times Sanges 1987, Masseti and Vianello 1991
Cervus elaphus corsicanus Sardinia Introduced in early Neolithic times Sanges 1987, Masseti and Vianello 1991
Dama dama dama Rhodes Introduced in Neolithic times Halstead and Jones 1987, Trantalidou 2002
Capra aegagrus cretica Crete Introduced in Neolithic times von Lorenz-Liburnau 1899, Schultze-Westrum 1963,
Sfougaris 1994, 1995, Jarman 1996
Capra aegagrus pictus Antimilos Possibly introduced in Neolithic von Lorenz-Liburnau 1899, Schultze-Westrum 1963,
times Sfougaris 1994, 1995
Capra aegagrus pictus Montecristo Possibly introduced in Neolithic Masseti and Vianello 1991, Masseti 1993b
times
Capra aegagrus dorcas Youra Introduced in ancient times von Lorenz-Liburnau 1899, Reichenow 1888,
Schultze-Westrum 1963, Sfougaris 1994, 1995
Capra aegagrus cf. dorcas Mallorca Introduced in pre-Hispanic times Segui et al. 2002, Seguı´ and Payeras 2002,
Masseti 2009b
Ovis orientalis ophion Cyprus Introduced in early Neolithic times Guilaine et al. 1996, Peltenburg et al. 2000,
Guilaine and Le Brun 2003
Ovis orientalis musimon Corsica Introduced in early Neolithic times Vigne 1984, 1988a
Ovis orientalis musimon Sardinia Introduced in early Neolithic times Sanges 1987, Masseti and Vianello 1991

Figure 24 Some of the most ancient populations of ungulates of anthropochorous origin still dispersed on the Mediterranean islands.

chorous origin, acknowledging their importance as a yielded by genetic analyses, without these being meas-
common heritage of humanity, the study and observation ured against other information originating from other dis-
of which enable us to acquire fundamental information ciplinary ambits, as should be the case. There are in fact
about the progress of man through the millennia of his genetic studies that are quite impeccable in terms of lab-
process of civilisation. These populations should there- oratory protocol, but less immediately comprehensible
fore be assigned the significance of cultural heritage, not only from a biological and biogeographical point of
through the application of zoological methods of view, but also in terms of history and archaeozoology. In
research, attributing fundamental importance to the several cases, such studies can engender a degree of
results of genetic analyses, always assessed through a perplexity. Interpretations that are overly conditioned by
critical examination of the information derived from bio- the consideration of the genetic data alone can at times
geographical and historical research (Masseti 2002b). risk appearing simplistic or naive, since it is clear that
Today, unfortunately, we can still observe a widespread other disciplines have already amply explored scenarios
tendency towards an uncritical acceptance of the results that are decidedly more plausible. Essentially, this can be