The midsubtropical low mountain and hilly region in middle Hunan is warm and humid in climate,covered with flourishing vegetation that has an abundant resource of soil animals in the soils underneath.A total of 36 018 animal samples were gathered from sampling sites during soil animal investigation in the hilly mountains of Middle-Hunan Province.They could be sorted into 31 groups,with Acarina,Collembola and Nematoda,being the dominant groups,which occupied 9233% of the total samples,and formed the main body of the forest soil animal community.The others were common groups and rare groups,accounting for 5.28% and 2.39%,separately.Soil animal intensity (10 ⁴ ind m ^-3) was affected by a number of factors,and vegetation and drywet alternation of soil are the main limiting factors.The findings at 4 sample sites showed the zonal evergreen broad-leaved forest and bushes-weeds were the highest in average density of soil animal,reaching up to 78.41 (10 ⁴ ind m ^-3) and 75.33 (10 ⁴ ind m ^-3),respectively,and the artificial coniferous forest the lowest,being only 56.41 (10 ⁴ ind m ^-3).The vertical distribution of soil animals in the soil was closely related with the surface accumulation of organic matter and the vertical variation of soil physiochemical characteristics.The results show the soil animals are mainly distributed in litter and humus layers,showing an obvious phenomenon of surface accumulation,and a downward decreasing trend.