THE ITALIAN FOSSIL PRIMATE RECORD - RECENT FINDS AND THEIR GEOLOGICALCONTEXT

The fossil Primates (other than Homo) from the Late Miocene to the Mid dle Pleistocene found in Italy belong to the superfamilies Hominoidea and Cercopithecoidea. Both have been known since the 19th century The Hominoids are represented solely by the endemic Oreopithecus bambolii, the Cercopithecoids by one colobine (Mesopithecus) and one cercopithe cine (Macaca). A better understanding of these three taxa is expected to be obtained from the study of several recent finds. Oreopithecus ba mbolii is part of the ''Maremmian'' fauna peculiar to the Late Miocene in Italy. Most finds have come from the Bacinello lignite mine in the province of Grosseto, where recent discoveries have allowed a direct comparison to be made between specimens from different levels in the s edimentary succession. Mesopithecus is a small to medium-sized Late Mi ocene to Middle Pliocene colobine represented by two species in both S outhern and Central Europe: M. pentelicus occurs in four Italian Mioce ne sites, whereas the younger M. monspessulanus for the moment is conf ined to Villafranca d'Asti (Early Villafranchian), where a new specime n has recently been discovered. Previously Macaca fossils from the Mid dle Pliocene to the Middle Pleistocene of Italy have been divided into two species: M. florentina, which is probably related to the living M . sylvanus, and M. majori, an endemic dwarf species from Sardinia. The latest finds are those of 8 individuals, provisionally regarded as be longing to the M. florentina-sylvanus lineage, and discovered in assoc iation with a Late Villafranchian (Early Pleistocene) vertebrate fauna in a lignite mine at Pietrafitta, Province of Perugia. This well-date d collection comprises both gnathic and postcranial fragments and shou ld serve to provide a major contribution towards the understanding of the still problematical taxonomy, phylogeny and palaeoecology of this species.