On the taxonomic status of the hares (genus lepus) in israel

184 adult hares from different areas in Israel were examined according to biometric, craniometric and other taxonomic methods. It was found that two populations of hares are found in Israel, one occuring north to the isohyete of 100 mm and the other south of this line. These populations fit Ellerman and Morrison-Scott's (1951) definition of Lepus europaeus Pallas (in the north) and Lepus capensis L. (in the south) by having an occipitonasal mean length of 88,9 mm in the north and 79,3 mm in the south. However, since there is a cline from north to south, we tend to agree with Petter (1961), that Lepus europaeus is to be included in Lepus capensis. One specimen was found to belong to Lepus arabicus, having a bulla length percent of occipitonasal length larger than 16 % (16,8 %).