Renzidong (Pleistocene of China)

Also known as Renzi Cave; Huaguoshandong

Where: Anhui, China (31.1° N, 118.1° E: paleocoordinates 31.1° N, 117.8° E)

• coordinate stated in text

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Early/Lower Pleistocene (2.6 - 0.8 Ma)

• "The deposits in the cave measure more than 40 meters and can be divided in to two parts and 8 layers. Layers 1 - 7, which form the upper part, are mostly collapsed sediments from the walls and roof of the cave. The fossils were all found in these layers." (fossils are actually present in 2 - 7 but absent in 1; total thickness of 2 - 7 is 16.2 m)

• member-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: cave; brown, red claystone and conglomeratic limestone

• "formed in a large karstic fissure... collapses... (happened at least three times), there also occasional, seasonal abrupt floods."
• most layers are dark or reddish "brown mild clay" with "brecciated limestone gravel"; layers 6 and 7 are "Brownish maroon sandy clay" with "brecciated limestone"

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Reposited in the IVPP

Collection methods: quarrying,

• "more than 1500 pieces of vertebrate fossils" collected in 1998 and "more than 3000 pieces" in 1999, for a total of "more than 5000 specimens"

Primary reference: C. Jin, W. Dong, J.-y. Liu, G.-b. Wei, Q.-q. Xu, J.-j. Zheng, L.-t. Zheng, L.-g. Han, and F.-z. Wang. 2000. A preliminary study of the early Pleistocene deposits and the mammalian fauna from the Renzi Cave, Fancheng, Anhui, China. Acta Anthropologica Sinica 19(supplement):235-245 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 68380: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.01.2007, edited by Gemma Benevento

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• "turtles, snakes, birds" are omitted
unclassified
  -
Reptilia
 Squamata - Colubridae
cf. Elaphe sp.2 Wagler 1833 colubrid snake
IVPP V20308. Most of a snake skeleton. The articulated snake skeleton contains 122 undamaged to nearly complete vertebrae, most with ribs set in life position (beginning with vertebra number 5).
Mammalia
 Proboscidea - Mammutidae
"Sinomastodon intermedius" = Sinomammut intermedius
"Sinomastodon intermedius" = Sinomammut intermedius Wang 2014 mastodon
 Chiroptera - Rhinolophidae
Rhinolophus cf. ferrumequinum Schreber 1774 greater horseshoe bat
 Chiroptera - Hipposideridae
Hipposideros sp. Gray 1831 roundleaf bat
 Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae
Myotis sp. Kaup 1829 vesper bat
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
? Pachycrocuta licenti Pei 1934 brown hyaena
 Carnivora - Felidae
Lynx sp. Kerr 1792 lynx
Homotherium crenatidens Fabrini 1890 cat
"Paramachairodus sp." = Paramachaerodus Pilgrim 1913 cat
Megantereon cf. megantereon1 Croizet and Jobert 1828 cat
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Mustela cf. altaica Pallas 1811 weasel
Meles chiai badger
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ailuropoda microta Pei 1962 giant panda
 Carnivora - Canidae
Nyctereutes sp. Temminck 1839 raccoon dog
Nyctereutes cf. sinensis Schlosser 1903 raccoon dog
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus sanmeniensis Teilhard de Chardin and Piveteau 1930 horse
 Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae
Nestoritherium sp. Kaup 1859 chalicothere
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Rhinoceros sinensis Owen 1870 one-horned rhinoceros
see also Tong et al. 2002
Dicerorhinus sp. Gloger 1841 rhinoceros
 Perissodactyla - Tapiridae
Tapirus sanyuanensis Huang and Fang 1991 tapir
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
Cervus unicolor Kerr 1792 sambar
subgenus Rusa
Muntiacus nanus Teilhard de Chardin and Trassaert 1937 muntjak
Cervavitus ultimus Lin et al. 1978 deer
"Cervus cf. philisi" = Metacervocerus philisi Mennecart et al. 2017 deer
 Artiodactyla - Moschidae
Moschus sp. Linnaeus 1758 musk deer
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Bibos sp. Hodgson 1837 antelope
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Soriculus cf. parva red-toothed shrew
Soriculus sp. Blyth 1845 red-toothed shrew
more than one additional species
Chimarrogale cf. himalayica Asiatic water shrew
Sorex sp. Linnaeus 1758 long-tailed shrew
more than one species
"Blarinella cf. quadraticauda" = Sorex quadraticauda Milne-Edwards 1972 long-tailed shrew
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
Talpa sp. Linnaeus 1758 mole
Scaptochirus cf. primitivus Short-faced mole
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Petaurista cf. brachyodus Giant flying squirrel
Trogopterus sp. Heude 1898 complex-toothed flying squirrel
Sciurotamias cf. praecox Chinese rock squirrel
 Rodentia - Muridae
Chiropodomys sp. Peters 1868 pencil-tailed tree mouse
Apodemus dominans Eurasian field mouse
Hapalomys sp. Blyth 1859 marmoset rat
Rattus sp. Fischer 1803 rat
"Apodemus cf. sylvaticus" = Mus sylvaticus Linnaeus 1758 wood mouse
Micromys cf. minutis harvest mouse
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Cricetulus sp. Milne-Edwards 1867 mouse
"Kowalskia sp." = Neocricetodon Schaub 1934 mouse
 Rodentia -
Typhlomys cf. intermedius Chinese pygmy dormouse
 Rodentia - Spalacidae
 Rodentia - Hystricidae
Hystrix magna porcupine
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
 Primates - Cercopithecidae
Procynocephalus sp. Schlosser 1924 monkey