When art meets nature: understanding the historical distribution of European pikes

Abstract

In recent decades, new European pike species have been described, highlighting the invasion of Italy by a northern European taxon. Morphological and genetic data strongly support taxonomic differences between two separated ESUs (Evolutionary Significant Units), a northern and a southern taxon isolated by the alpine barrier. However, despite scientific advances, the historical occurrence of the northern European taxon in Italy prior to its recent expansion or introduction remains uncertain. This study analyzes iconographic representations of the genus Esox in European art, without the use of artificial intelligence tool, from the 13th to the twentieth century, to assess whether phenotypic differences depicted in artworks can provide insight into the historical distribution of northern and southern European pikes. Seventy-three out of 86 pictorial works (85%) depicting pikes allowed species-level attribution based on color patterns with proved taxonomic relevance described in the literature. The results reveal a strong association between depicted color patterns and the geographical and cultural background of the artists, suggesting the northern pike could have been absent in Italy before its documented introduction. Overall, by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue between art history and the natural sciences, this study highlights the potential of iconographic analysis as a complementary approach for investigating historical species distributions and providing additional evidence relevant to the study of biological invasions.

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