| Abstract: |
This paper includes the result of a preliminary study of the mammalian fauna in association with the Lantian Man at Konwanling in Lantian, Shensi. A total of 25 mammalian species, including a new one (<i>Sinomegaceros konwanlinesis</i> sp. nov.), are recognized in the fauna which is considered to be of Early Middle Pleistocene age, being slighlty earlier than that of the Peking Man fauna of Choukoutien and a probable correlative of the Djetis fauna of Java, Indonesia. The fauna is characterized by the presence of such southern forms as <i>Ailuropoda, Stegodon, Nestoritherium, Tapirus, Elaphodus, Rusa,</i> etc. which were for long thought to be absent in the Middle Pleistocene fauna of China north of the Tsingling Range. Their occurrence at Konwanling indicates that the fauna represents one of the interglacial stage. The ecological implications of the faunal assemblage are also discussed.
|