Fossil lagomorphs are very useful palaeogeographical indicators. In the last 15 years,
several papers centered on fossil lagomorphs contributed to improve the Italian late
Miocene–Quaternary palaeogeographical setting, solving palaeobiogeographical enigmas
debated for decades, and providing new, challenging palaeogeographic data. The high
number of endemic fossil lagomorphs of Italy is due in part to its complex tectonic his-
tory (insular endemisms), and in part to the semi-isolation and the physiography of the
Peninsula (continental endemisms). In Italian lagomorphs, a direct causal relationship
between dispersal and turnovers is not observed, except for the Toringian. Actually, species
replacements are customarily due to archipelago effect (late Miocene), phyletic speciation
(Pliocene of Sardinia and Italian mainland) or occur after the extinction of older congeneric
species (early Pleistocene).
