Meles meles from Middle Pleistocene to Early Holocene of the Italian Peninsula within the evolution of European badgers in the Quaternary of Eurasia

Although many studies have focused on the description of fossil Meles, the taxonomic status of the European Pleistocene badger is currently uncertain. Even though the fossil record of the badger is relatively poor and represented by isolated remains, several species/subspecies were established over time. Recently, the late Villafranchian to Aurelian badgers have been referred to Meles meles, whereas those from Middle Villafranchian were attributed to Meles thorali. Nevertheless, no general consensus was reached among scholars, especially regarding the classification of Meles dimitrius as valid species. Herein, the craniodental material from several Italian Peninsula sites chronologically referred to Middle Pleistocene to Early Holocene is presented. Morphological comparisons and statistical analysis of fossils from Eurasian Pleistocene sites are carried out. In the present work several topics are discussed, including a revision of the diagnostic features of the M. meles lineage and its evolutionary history. Furthermore, the morphological and biometric analyses allow reassessing the status of other fossil species. Following the new scenario, the earliest occurrence of the European badger is probably from the end of Epivillafranchian, consistent with the large mammal faunal turnover that occurred at 1.2 - 0.9 Ma.