BRITISH AVONIAN CONODONT FAUNAS 5 
Studies of amino acid content and of ultramicroscopic structure of conodonts at 
present in progress may provide important new information on their affinities 
(Schwab, 1966 ; Armstrong & Tarlo, 1966). 
In spite of the uncertainty concerning their nature and function, studies on cono- 
dont successions during the last decade have shown conodonts to be one of the most 
sensitive and useful fossil groups available for stratigraphic correlation. Recent 
work by German palaeontologists (see p. 8 for detailed references) on the conodont 
faunas of the type sections of the Upper Devonian and Lower Carboniferous has 
provided the means of making even more precise regional correlation than those 
recognized by goniatites upon which “ standard ”’ correlations have been established 
(see, for example, Ziegler 1962). Furthermore, a broadly similar zonal sequence of 
conodonts has been established in the Mississippi Valley. 
The purpose of the present paper is to describe conodont faunas from the 
“ Lower ”’ Carboniferous rocks of the type section in the Avon Gorge, Bristol, from 
various parts of South Wales, and from Shropshire, Yorkshire and Scotland. Over 
600 samples from these areas have been processed, and have yielded over 25,000 
identifiable specimens. The sequence of the conodont faunas at present described 
provides the basis for a conodont zonation, which not only assists intra- and inter- 
basinal correlation in Britain, but also allows the first precise correlation with North 
America and Continental Europe. 
iE HISTORY OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH 
(a) History of previous conodont research in Britain 
Conodonts were first described by Pander (1856) and, although they were reported 
shortly afterwards from several localities in Britain, comparatively little attention 
has been paid to them in this country. 
Walliser (1958) recorded the oldest known stratigraphic occurrence in Britain, 
when he discovered a “‘ paraconodont ”’ from the Upper Cambrian Comley Limestone 
of Shropshire. 
Ordovician conodont faunas from Britain have been described from the Arenigian 
of the Southern Uplands (Smith 1907 ; Lamont & Lindstrém 1957) ; the Llan- 
deilian Llandeilo Limestone of Carmarthenshire (Rhodes 1953), and Castell Lime- 
stone of Pembrokeshire (Bergstr6m 1964) ; the Upper Llandeilian and Lower 
Caradocian of the Southern Uplands ; the Caradocian wilsoni Shales of the Southern 
Uplands (Lindstrém 1957), Gelligrin, Pen-y-garnedd, Crig and Bryn Pig Limestones 
of Wales (Rhodes 1953: Lindstrém 1959: Bergstrém 1964) and the Ashgillian 
Keisley Limestone of Westmorland (Rhodes 1955) and Birdshill Limestone of 
Carmarthenshire (Bergstrém 1964). 
A number of early workers, including Harley (1861), Moore (1864), Young (1880A) 
and Smith & Jones (1881), recorded conodonts from Silurian rocks in Britain. 
A basal Llandovery fauna referable to the celloni Zone of Walliser (1964) from the 
Malverns was described by Brooks & Druce (1965). Llandoverian conodonts have 
also been noted by Whittard (1927) from the Pentamerus Beds of Shropshire and by 
Squirrell & Tucker (1960) from the Upper Llandoverian of the Woolhope Inlier. 
