Morphological diversity, evolution and biogeography of early Pleistocene rabbits (genus Oryctolagus)

The Early Pleistocene is the key period for understanding the evolutionary history and paleobiogeography of rabbits (genus Oryctolagus). In Western Europe, many species were endemic, making them a reliable indicator of the evolution of the terrestrial ecosystems in which many species have evolved. However, the morphological variability of rabbit species is still poorly understood and their phylogeny remains a subject of debate. Through both qualitative (morphological description) and quantitative (linear measurements and two-dimensional geometric morphometrics) approaches, we address here the morphometric diversity of the third lower premolar (p3) – a tooth commonly used to distinguish leporid species – in order to assess intra- and inter-regional morphological variations in several Early Pleistocene rabbit populations. Our results suggest that the different approaches are complementary and allow, on different levels, a full characterisation of the p3 variability of Early Pleistocene ra..., , , , # Data from: Morphological diversity, evolution and biogeography of early Pleistocene rabbits (genus Oryctolagus)

This dataset contains the list of specimens studied, including their catalogue number and repository, as well as the raw linear measurement of the p3 used in Pelletier (2021).

See Pelletier, M. 2021. Morphological diversity, evolution, and biogeography of early Pleistocene rabbits (Genus *Oryctolagus*). *Palaeontology*, **64(6)**: 817-838 - for more details.

DATA FILE

S1_catalogue_number.xlsx: Excel file

The Excel file has two sheets, one with the fossil specimens and the other with the modern comparison specimens used in the study. It contains information separated by columns, with details on:

* The species: ‘*O. lacosli*’; ‘*O. valdarnensis*’; ‘*O. giberti*’; ‘*O. cuniculus*’.
* The site
* The locality: including the region and country
* The chronology: only for fossil specimens
* The catalogue number
* DMD: mesio-distal diameter of the p3 (in mm)
* DVL: vesti...