Fossil Macaca remains from RDB quarry (Villafranca d'Asti, Italy): new data and overview

Mentioned in faunal lists since the late 1960s, Macaca remains from Villafr anca d'Asti (early Villafranchian, Italy) were never described in detail. I f some doubts were reported in the past about the related stratigraphic pos ition, at present, partly thanks to the original acquisition labels, there is enough information to place these finds within the updated stratigraphic and biochronologic framework of the Villafranca d'Asti area. The reported sample consists of upper dentition and postcranial bones. By s ize and morphology all these remains are clearly Cercopithecinae, comparabl e with the extant Macaca sylvanus and mostly distinguishable from Mesopithe cus, Dolichopithecus and Paradolichopithecus. The dental remains in particu lar give us the opportunity to discuss an inferred European size trend from smallest Pliocene macaques up to the larger living species M. sylvanus. Al though Pliocene localities in western Europe have yielded so far only scant y Macaca finds, our data (even if preliminary) refute a major overall size difference between the extant Barbary macaque and the related fossil remain s. (C) 2001 Academic Press.