GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION IN SIZE IN THE EUROPEAN RABBIT ORYCTOLAGUS-CUNICULUS (LAGOMORPHA, LEPORIDAE) IN WESTERN-EUROPE AND NORTH-AFRICA

Craniometric data of nine characters from 260 skulls of Oryctolagus cu niculus from western Europe and northern Africa were gathered to exami ne phenotypic variation in size, using both univariate and multivariat e analyses. Although animals from the northern parr of Europe were fou nd to be larger than those from southern Europe, variation in size occ urred in a continuous cline. Skull size was positively correlated with latitude and negatively correlated with ambient temperature. On the b asis of skull morphology, there is no evidence for separation of O. cu niculus into the two or more subspecies commonly described. Further da ta, particularly from genetic material, are required to clarify die ta xonomic status of the rabbit in Europe. (C) 1996 The Linnean Society o f London