Preliminary description of a lateMiddle Pleistocenemammalian fauna prior to the extinction ofGigantopithecus blackifrom theYixiantian Cave, Guangxi ZAR, South China

Abstract

AbstractIn recent years, nearly 20 cave sites with rich assemblages of mammalian fossils have been found and excavated in the Chongzuo area, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Their ages are distributed throughout the entire Pleistocene Epoch. These discoveries have greatly facilitated our understanding of the evolution of theStegodon‐Ailuropodafauna and the environmental context of human evolution in southern China. Here, we present a preliminary report on a diverse late Middle Pleistocene mammalian fauna from the Yixiantian Cave in southern China, which is a typical representative of theStegodon‐Ailuropodafauna (sensu lato). The fossil mammals are represented by isolated dental remains only. In 2010 and 2011, two seasons of systematic excavations at the Yixiantian Cave yielded a total of 4,958 identifiable mammalian teeth. They were identified as belonging to 37 species and 6 orders of mammals. In addition, the tooth type of all the teeth representing each species was also determined where possible. A single fragmentary molar was identified as belonging toGigantopithecus blacki, indicating that its population had declined sharply at this time and was on the brink of extinction. Description of the Yixiantian fauna will not only help better characterize the composition of theStegodon‐Ailuropodafauna during the late Middle Pleistocene, but also clarify our understanding of the paleoenvironmental context at a time just prior to the extinction ofG. blacki.