A reinterpretation of the taxonomy of Dryopithecus from Vallès-Penedès, Catalonia (Spain)

The aim of this paper is to present a critical review of the morphological evidence that has been advanced to support the recognition of two species of Dryopithecus - Dryopithecus laietanus and Dryopitheais crusafonti - in the collections of fossil hominoids from the Vallès-Penedès basin in northeastern Spain. Based on a study of the morphological details of the dentition in the fossils, and comparisons with the ranges and patterns of variation seen in extant hominoids, an alternative interpretation of the taxonomy of Dryopithecus from Spain is presented. The main results of this analysis can be summarized as follows: (1) there is no convincing morphological or metrical evidence to support the recognition of more than one species of Dryopithecus in the collections from Vallès-Penedès; (2) all of the material from Vallès-Penedès can be attributed to D. laietanus (Villalta & Crusafont, 1944); (3) the species D. crusafonti Begun, 1992 is considered to be insufficiently distinct from D. laietanus, and is recognized here as a junior synonym of the latter; and (4) the El Firal mandible from the Spanish Pyrenees is best attributed to Dryopithecus fontani.