ABSTRACT            Succession of Lower Devonian primitive ammonoids
 of South China is the most complete over the world.  They may be divid-
 ed into four faunas and six zones as follows in ascending order: Luo-
 fuceras-Ruanites fauna (Luofuceras multicostatum and Ruanites patulus
 zones ) , Anetoceras fauna (Ruanites obliquecostatus and Anetoceras ele-
 gantulum zones), Teneroceras fauna (Teneroceras tangdingense or Convo-
 luticeras discordans Zone) and Teneroceras/Latanarcestes Interval fauna
 (Teneroceras/Latanarcestes interval Zone).  The primitive ammonoids in
 South China are distributed in belt coinciding with some important syn-
 depositional rift faults.  Palaeoecologically, the primitive ammonoids are
 inferred to be poor swimmers and epibenthic scavengers and occasional-
 ly predators on the slope with steeper gradient.