Cervid fossils from Bailong Cave (Yunxi, Hubei) indicating a turnover on deer fauna around Mid-Pleistocene Transition in southern China

Bailong Cave (Bailongdong), dating back to the Middle Pleistocene, is a very important Palaeolithic site in southern China with some hominin remains and substantial mammalian fossils unearthed. Cervid fossils are one of the most common elements in this site, and antler fossils from Bailong Cave were preserved in a better condition than any other Pleistocene site in southern China. Here, we describe the materials of <i>Elaphodus cephalophus, Muntiacus reevesi, Muntiacus muntjak, Cervavitus ultimus</i> and <i>Cervus grayi</i>, while the remains of <i>Rusa unicolor</i> have been described separately in previous paper. The antler fossil of <i>E. cephalophus</i> represents the earliest and undisputed record of this species known currently. The fossils of <i>C. ultimus</i> represent the latest occurrence of this species according to the current knowledge. Overviewing the geological distribution of Quaternary cervids based on 19 sites in southern China, we can find that there was a significant turnover on deer fauna around Mid-Pleistocene Transition in southern China.

白龙洞（Bailongdong）可追溯至中更新世，是中国南方一处极为重要的旧石器时代遗址，曾出土古人类遗存与大量哺乳动物化石。鹿科动物化石是该遗址最常见的遗存类群之一，而白龙洞出土的鹿角化石保存完好程度优于中国南方其他所有更新世遗址的同类标本。本文记述了毛冠鹿（Elaphodus cephalophus）、小麂（Muntiacus reevesi）、赤麂（Muntiacus muntjak）、终极鹿（Cervavitus ultimus）以及格氏鹿（Cervus grayi）的标本材料，而水鹿（Rusa unicolor）的遗存已在先前的研究论文中单独发表。毛冠鹿的鹿角化石是目前已知的该物种最早且确凿无误的化石记录。根据现有研究认知，终极鹿的化石代表了该物种的最晚出现记录。基于中国南方19处遗址的第四纪鹿科动物地理分布数据进行梳理后可见，中国南方的鹿类动物群在中更新世过渡期前后发生了显著的演替更替。