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The Italian wolf (''Canis lupus italicus'') is a subspecies of grey wolf native to the Italian Peninsula. It inhabits the mountainous areas of the Apennines and western Alps, though it is undergoing expansion towards the north and east. As of 2005, the Italian wolf population is estimated to consist of 500 individuals. It has been strictly protected in Italy since the 1970s, when the population reached a low of 70–100 individuals. The population is increasing in number, though illegal hunting and persecution still constitute a threat.〔Salvatori, V. & Linnell, J. D. C. (2005), (Report on the conservation status and threats for wolf (''Canis lupus'') in Europe ), Council of Europe, p. 12〕 Since the 1990s, the Italian wolf's range has expanded into southwestern France〔 Monnier, A. & Figuet, R. (May 2013), Le loup en France Plan national d'action sur le loup 2008-2012, ''CGAAER'' 78〕 and Switzerland.〔Glenz, C., A. Massolo, D. Kuonen, and R. Schlaepfer (2001) A wolf habitat suitability prediction study in Valais (Switzerland), ''Landscape and Urban Planning'' 55:55–65〕 Although not universally recognised as a distinct subspecies,〔 it nonetheless possesses a unique mtDNA haplotype〔〔 and a distinct skull morphology.〔 The Italian wolf weighs an average of , though some large males have been weighed at . It measures 110–148 cm in body length and 50–70 in shoulder height.〔.〕 The pelt is generally of a grey-fulvous colour, which reddens in summer. The belly and cheeks are more lightly coloured and dark bands are present on the back, tail tip and occasionally along the forelimbs. Black wolves have been reported in the north-central Apennines, though their origin is unknown, as some melanistic individuals show no sign of wolf-dog hybridisation. It typically lives in packs of 2-7 individuals.〔 Ciucci, P. & Boitani, L. (2003) Il Lupo ''Canis lupus'' Linnaeus, 1758, in L. Boitani, S. Lovari, A. Vigna Taglianti (eds), ''Fauna d’Italia: Mammalia III, Carnivora-Artiodactyla'', Calderini, Bologna, pp. 20-47〕 ==Taxonomy== The Italian wolf was first recognised as a distinct subspecies in 1921 by zoologist Giuseppe Altobello,〔 Altobello, G. (1921), ''(Fauna dell'Abruzzo e del Molise. Mammiferi. IV. I Carnivori (Carnivora) )'', Colitti e Figlio, Campobasso, pp. 38-45〕 who noted that its colour and skull differed from that of the common European wolf. He described the Italian population's skull as being rounder in form than that of the typical European wolf, with smaller teeth closely approaching those of dogs and golden jackals in appearance.〔 Altobello, G. (1925), ''(Vertebrati del Molise e dell’Abruzzo. Forme locali )'', Annuario dell’Istituto Tecnico Provinciale “Leopoldo Pilla”, Campobasso, pp. 231-255〕 Altobello's classification was later rejected by several authors, including Reginald Innes Pocock, who synonymised ''C. l. italicus'' with ''C. l. lupus''.〔Nowak, R. M. & Federoff, N. E. (2002), The systematic status of the Italian wolf Canis lupus, ''Acta Theriologica'' 47(3): 333-338〕 In 2002, the morphological distinctiveness of the Italian wolf was reaffirmed with a study on grey wolf skulls from Italy, other Eurasian localities and dog skulls. The results of this assessment showed no overlap in the skull morphology of Italian wolves and other grey wolves and dogs. Among the discovered characteristics distinguishing the Italian wolf were its relatively narrow palate between the first premolars, a broad frontal shield and shallow jugal.〔 In 1992, an examination of the mtDNA of 26 grey wolf populations worldwide revealed that the Italian wolf has a unique mitochondrial haplotype not shared by any other grey wolf population.〔Wayne, R. K. et al. (1992) Mitochondrial DNA variability of the gray wolf: genetic consequences of population decline and habitat fragmentation on genetic variability, ''Conservation Biology'' 6:559-69〕 Further tests on grey wolf mtDNA revealed that, unlike several European grey wolf populations, Italian wolves do not share haplotypes with either other grey wolves or domestic dogs.〔Randi, E. et al., (2000), Mitochondrial DNA variability in Italian and east European wolves: Detecting the conseguences of small population size and hybridization, ''Conservation biology'', 14 (2): 464-473〕 A later study showed that the Italian wolf was a member of the same haplogroup, and shares a haplotype (w22) with, extinct ancient Eurasian and Beringian wolves.〔Pilot, M., Branicki, W., Jędrzejewski, W., Goszczynski, J., Jędrzejewska, B., et al. (2010), Phylogeographic history of grey wolves in Europe, ''BMC Evol Biol'' 10: 104〕 , it is classed by MSW3 as synonymous with ''C. l. lupus''. The taxonomic reference Mammal Species of the World (2005) does not recognize ''Canis lupus italicus'', however NCBI does list and publish research papers under that name. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「italian wolf」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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