The first workshop on European fossil primate record (Siena and Grosseto, September 11-13 2008), with an update on italian studies in palaeoprimatology

A colloquium on european fossil Primate record has been organized within the 2008 “Giornate di Paleontologia” of the Italian Paleontological Society, aimed to offer to the scientifi c community an occasion to discuss the status of the art on the wide spectrum of studies centered on the fossil primate record. In addition, the coincidence of the 50th anniversary of the recovery of the Oreopithecus bambolii skeleton at Baccinello by J. Hürzeler (August 2nd 1958) was further an opportunity to celebrate one of the most intriguing primates of the European fossil record. A report on the “colloquium” is provided herein, together with an update on recent studies about the Italian Primate fossil record. The fossil catarrhines of the Italian record provide important documentation for the study of primate populations in Europe during the Neogene. Compared with the overall distribution of the European fossil primates only four genera are documented in Italy representing two superfamilies: Hominoidea and Cercopithecoidea. The fi rst one is represented by the endemic Late Miocene Oreopithecus, while the second one is represented by three genera, the colobine Mesopithecus, and the cercopitecines Macaca and Theropithecus. The last decade has recorded a huge increase in our knowledge of the Italian fossil primate record, its geological and palaeobiological context, as well as taxonomy, anatomy and functional morphology. An overview of these discoveries and results are offered here.