New dental remains of Hispanopithecus laietanus (Primates: Hominidae) from Can Llobateres 1 and the taxonomy of Late Miocene hominoids from the Valles-Penedes Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Here we report 12 teeth of the fossil great ape Hispanopithecus (Hominidae: Dryopithecinae: Hispanopithecini), recovered in 2011 from the locality of Can Llobateres 1 (MN9, early Vallesian, Late Miocene, ca. 9.7 Ma [millions of years ago]) in the Valles-Penedes Basin (Catalonia, Spain). Besides an isolated dP(3) from layer CLL1.1b in the eastern (classical) sector of the site, all of the remaining teeth come from facies CLL1.0 (roughly equivalent to CLL1.2 and CLL1.1b), located in the newly excavated western sector, and representing at least two different individuals. Based on facet congruence and degree of wear, all of the upper cheek teeth, a central incisor and a lateral incisor most likely correspond to a single young adult individual of unknown sex, whereas a very worn 1(2) and a female C-1 represent one or two additional individual(s). Morphological and metrical comparisons allow us to attribute these remains to Hispanopithecus laietanus, which is the single hominoid species recognized at CLL1. The newly described teeth represent a significant addition to the hypodigm of this taxon, enabling us to more completely assess the degree of variation displayed by several teeth. In light of the new specimens, the previous tooth position assignment of several upper molars from Can Llobateres and Can Poncic is revised, and the criteria employed to distinguish Hispanopithecus crusafonti from H. laietanus are critically evaluated. On the basis of the available upper cheek teeth from these localities, a distinction at the species level between both samples is tentatively favored, mainly on the basis of P-3. M-1 and M-2 proportions as well as 1(1) lingual morphology and proportions. The results of the 2011 field season unambiguously confirm that hominoid-bearing fossiliferous layers from CLL1 are not exhausted. Additional excavations at this site are promising for the discovery of additional remains of H. laietanus in the near future. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.