Abstract: The Renzidong site is located at 118°5′46″E and 31°5′23″N , in Fanchang County, Anhui Province, China. Two cave-fissure filling deposits w ere discovered here in 1998. During two years' excavations, some stone artifacts, bone artifacts, and a great variety of vertebrate fossils, including Procynocephalus, were found in situ.
Based on a preliminary identificatin, the vertebrate fossils from Renzidong include turtles, birds and 67 mammal species that are similar to those of the Early pleistocene faunas from other parts of China. The mammal assemblage shows some primitive characters. It consists mainly of extinct forms. The Tertiary relic forms are also numero us such as Homotherium, Sinomastodon, Nestoritherium etc. Micromammals include Beremendia , Hypolagus, Mimomys, Kowaskia, Brachy rhizomys shansius. The large mammals include Pachycrocuta licenti , Equus sanmenensis, Muntiacus nanus, Metacervulus capreolinus, Cervavitus ultimus, Cervus cf. phyilisi etc. They are common members of the Late Tertiary and Early Quaternary mammal faunas in northern China. Some mammals such as Cervuscf. Philisican be compared with those of European villafranchian faunas. 15 species are commonly shared by Renzidong and Wushan fauna. Compared with the other Early Pleistocene faunas from northern and southern China , its percentage of extinct genera and species is relatively higher. On the other hand, the appearance of Equus in the fauna shows that the fauna should be later than 2. 6 Ma. Taken as a whole, the geologicalage of the Renzidong fauna is very likely the Early stage of the Early Pleistocene if 2. 6 Ma is considered as the low er boundary of the Pleistocene as most of the Chinese stratigraphers recommended. The Renzidong fauna is closer to those of northern China. It implies that there should be a cold period in China in the early stage of Early Pleistocene that pushed the northern faunas to migrate southward and made the areas south of Yangtza transitional zone between the Palaearctic and Oriental Regions. The discovery of Renzidong fauna is of great help for the study of the environmental background to the hominid evolution, and the evolution of zoogeography and paleoclimate of China in the Quaternary.

Key words: Renzidong , Early Pleistocene, Cave-fissure filling deposits, Mammalian fauna