关键词: 华龙洞;安徽东至;人类化石;形态特征

Abstract: In 2006, one human lower second molar and two pieces of frontal fragments were found from the excavation at Hualong Cave in Dongzhi County, Anhui Province. According to the faunal composition and stratigraphy, human and mammal fossils of Hualong Cave come from the Middle Pleistocene. In the present study, morphologies of the Hualong Cave human fossils were described and compared with related human fossils. Our study indicates that both the Hualong Cave frontal bone and lower molar exhibit a suit of features that are usually found in East Asian Homo erectus. Two pieces of the Hualong Cave frontal bones fit well together indicating they come from the same individual. The frontal bone has small curvature but shows a robust temporal line and thick cranial wall. Besides, the Hualong Cave frontal bone has a metopic suture and enlarged frontal sinus. The lower second molar of the Hualong Cave looks robust. On its occlusal surface, there are cusp 5, cusp 6 and cusp 7. Crown dimensions are within variations of Homo erectus and much larger than those of early modern human, contemporary human and European Middle Pleistocene humans. Considering the cranial and dental morphological patterns of the Hualong Cave human fossils revealed from the present study, we propose that the human fossils found from the Hualong Cave represent Homo erectus living during the Middle Pleistocene.

Key words: Hualong Cave; Dongzhi, Anhui; Human fossil; Morphology