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Activities of Ostracodologists

(listed by country)

This webpage contains all information received during the 1999 appeal for ostracode activity reports.  Key words can be searched for on this page with most Internet browsers by using the "find" command.

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ALGERIA

Correspondent: --- open ---

No report submitted in 1999.

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ARGENTINA

Correspondent: Alwine Bertels <bertels@tango.gl.fcen.uba.ar>

Ballent, Sara C. The work was centered on the study of Lower Cretaceous marine ostracoda of the Argentina Neuquén and Austral basins. Tending to reach optimum hydrocarbon prospection, the elaboration of a reliable correlation scheme, based on biostratigraphic data as well as paleobiogeographic results is one of the main purposes. Together with Robin Whatley of Aberystwyth (Wales), who visited Argentina during the months of May and June of 1998, two manuscripts are prepared. In one of them, based on the variation of the percentages at the Suborder/ Superfamily levels, the changes in the structure of the marine Ostracoda microfaunas from west-central Argentina, during the Hettangian-Tithonian interval, are analyzed. In the second a review of the genus Procytherura Whatley, of wide Gondwanic distribution, during the Jurassic and lower Cretaceous is made as well as the probable usefulness of some other taxa as biostratigraphic markers are evaluated.

Bertels, Alwine. Alwine continues directing the doctoral theses of: (1) Laura Ferrero, Miocropaleontología y paleoecología (ostrácodos y foraminíferos) del Cuaternario del sudeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires and (2) Dina E. Martínez, Ostrácodos marinos y no marinos del Cuaternario del Sur de la provincia de Buenos Aires, consideraciones paleoambientales. In these theses, the research comprises the study of Foramininifera and marine and nonmarine Ostracoda, the last being compared with some recent taxa collected in neighboring regions. Current work includes: (1) the continuation of micropaleontological studies of nonmarine ostracodes of the Nahuel Huapi Group, of middle Tertiary age, which crop out in the Rio Negro province; in part it is carried out with Gabriela Cusminsky; (2) Holocene marine and nonmarine ostracodes of the Buenos Aires province; some of them are developed together with Dina E. Martínez and Cecilia Laprida and (3) the study of fossil ostracodes of southern Patagonia maars; in these analysis is working now a geologist, Bettina Ercolano, who lives in southern Patagonia; I hope she will begin and continue studying Ostracodes.

Cusminsky, Gabriela C. Gabriela is dedicated to the study of ostracodes within the frame of the development of several projects: (1) Comahue lakes; (2) study of lacustrine ostracoda of Patagonia, in colaboration with Antje Schwald (Postdam University, Germany); the name of this project is PATO and is directed by V. Markgraf and D. Aristeguis; (4) Lacustrine ostracodes of the northwestern region (Puna) of Argentina, being the project "Climatic change in arid Andes" and directed by H. Weit, and (5) Recent Ostracoda and quiromids in northern Patagonia; the study is focused in the birth-rate of Ostracoda derived from resistant eggs.

Echevarría, Alicia E., She continues devoted to the study of Tertiary Ostracoda from Patagonia and, related to the topic, her current work is the systematic study of marine Ostracoda of the Oligocene Centinela Formation of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina.

Ferrero, Laura. Laura continues working on her doctoral theses "Micropaleontología y paleoecología (ostrácodos y foraminíferos) del Cuaternario del sudeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires", and is carrying out a research project about the evolution of the sedimentary environments during the last 20,000 years in the Quequén Grande River basin.

Laprida, Cecilia. Cecilia continues her work on Quaternary marginal marine ostracodes and foraminifers of northeastern Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Main focus is on taxonomic aspects as well as on paleoecological interpretation of the successions. Current research activities include studies of Ostracoda from several outcrops of Holocene marginal marine environments belonging to the Destacamento Río Salado and Las Escobas Formations.

Martínez, Dina E. Dina continues working on her doctoral Theses and on nonmarine and marine ostracodes of the southern region of the Buenos Aires province. The paper in press was mentioned above (see Bertels)

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AUSTRALIA

Correspondent: Stephen Eager <Stephen.Eagar@vuw.ac.nz>

DeDeckker, Patrick. I have been still quite active with trace element work on nonmarine ostracods. One paper has just come out in the Palaeo-3 special issue resulting from the Chatham ostracods meeting. Another was published with Guy Wansard [Chemical Geology], and a 3rd one with Lyn Ingram and Allan Chivas and other colleagues on material from San Francisco Bay [Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta]. I am preparing a new paper on trace elements on ostracods from the hypersaline Lake Frome from South Australia for presentation at the Spring meeting of AGU. Finally, preparation for the AGU special session on ostracod and foram shell chemistry in Boston is taking a bit of my time. Hopefully, a book to be edited by Johnathan Holmes will be the bi-product of this meeting. Allan Chivas is completing the stable-isotope analysis of the large ostracod Australocypris [some 1500 individuals] which Patrick cultured in different types of waters some..... years ago. Again, results will be presented at the AGU meeting.

Jones, Peter. Peter completed accounts on Devonian and Carboniferous ostracods for a book to be published on the Palaeobiogeography of Australasian Faunas and Floras. He is jointly working (at a distance) with Pamela Diaz Saravia (Tucuman, Argentina) on some Carboniferous (Namurian) ostracods from Patagonia, and with Michel Coen (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium) on a comparison of ostracod species from the Early Carboniferous (Tournaisian) of Belgium and northwestern Australia. As the proposed revised edition of the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Paleozoic Ostracoda (TIPPO) will not be published, the Eridostraca MS that Peter submitted to the TIPPO project will be published elsewhere.

Neil, John. I am continuing to work on Tertiary southeast Australian faunas and related problems and undertake a faunal analysis of a Recent Bass Strait assemblage from Erith Island, in particular the relationships between intraspecific variation, microreticulation and aggradation/degradation effects.

Parker, Andrew. I am describing about 60 new species (including 3 new genera) of Cypridinidae (Myodocopida) from baited traps off eastern Australia. Here I am compiling a DELTA (Descriptive Language for Taxonomy) database to make natural language descriptions and produce a computer-generated key to the family Cypridinidae. I currently have two large grants, ABRS and ARC, which fund this work and my work on animal structural colours and evolution respectively. I am writing a book on my work on the cause of the Cambrian explosion, as summarized in New Scientist (21 November 1998, No. 2161, pages 42-46). I am preparing to leave the Australian Museum (in August 1999) to take up a Lecturer position at Reading University, UK, although this involves mainly research. I attended three conferences in 1998: Crustacean Society Conference (Amsterdam - presented paper), Optical Design in Nature (Bath, UK – plenary speaker) and Pacific Ocean Research (Hawaii - plenary speaker). I also worked in Zurich and England, which included a visit to David Siveter. I am continuing with my descriptions of the East Australian Cypridinidae. I am working on segmentation in Myodocopida with Akira Tsukagoshi and Jean Vannier. I am describing a new mechanoreceptor (velocity detector) in Lowrya (Cypridinidae), which is acted upon by the viscous drag of the surrounding fluid. This probably functions to detect vibrations in the substrate; either steady fluid drainage motion or acoustic motion in the surrounding liquid. I will be visiting Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef (Queensland) to examine bioluminescent cypridinids.

Warne, Mark. Mark has taken up an appointment as a lecturer in Earth Sciences within the School of Ecology and Environment at Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. He continues his research work on the Cretaceous and Tertiary Ostracoda of Australia.

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AUSTRIA

Correspondent: Dan Danielopol <Dan.Danielopol@oeaw.ac.at>

Danielopol, Dan. Dan was involved in projects dealing with the ecology and evolution of various groundwater crustacean groups. Beside ostracods (cooperation with Angel Baltanas, Dave Horne, Koen Martens, Pierre Marmonier, Tadeusz Namiotko) he collaborated with colleagues dealing with cyclopoids (cooperation with Peter Pospisil), isopods (cooperation with Ionel Tabacaru) and amphipods (cooperation with Raymond Rouch and Claude Bou). Within the Evolutionary Ecology direction we concentrated on the processes which explain the biodiversity of groundwater communities and ecological adaptations of various species belonging to the various taxocenosis within one groundwater assemblage. The morphologic diversity of the carapace shape of the various ostracod Cryptocandona species were further studied. Using Fourier analysis and multivariate statistics Baltanas and Danielopol showed that the carapace shape is very plastic within this group and is not directly related to the groundwater environment. Marmonier, Namiotko and Danielopol continued to work on the description of the new subspecies Cr. kieferi danubialis widely distributed along the Danube from Austria to Romania. The number of ostracodologists working in this country reduced significantly during the last 2-3 years. However we organized during 29.05.98-1.06.98 a very enjoyable and productive meeting for the German speaking ostracodologists. The first two days were reserved to talks that were given in the delightful residence (a middle-age castle) of Professor Alex. Tollmann at Altbrechtsberg in Lower Austria. Colleagues from Germany and Austria presented a summary of their ostracodological activities and had time to speak each other in a relaxed atmosphere. The meeting was dedicated to the memory of our colleague Edith Kristan-Tollmann and we are much indebted to Professor Alex. Tollmann for the superb organization of our stay in Albrechtsberg. A special day was spent in Mondsee at the Limnological Institute were the participants had a look to Recent (living) ostracods as well as at fossil material, mainly Tertiary ostracods, on which Irene Zorn is mainly working. Irene prepared a wonderful poster too. Helga Groos-Uffenorde and Irene Zorn helped Dan in many ways with the organization of this extremely pleasant and useful meeting.

Geiger, Walter. Walter is now working in Spain.

Gross, Martin. Last year Martin started to work on marine Middle Miocene (Badenian) ostracodes from the Vienna Basin (Hainburg Mountains). The investigated samples originate from 53 exploration wells taken in lateral distances less than hundred meters for a Danube power station. Various lithologies, ranging from coralline limestones to marls and sandy sediments, offer the chance to study small scale facial interfingering caused by terrigenous influx and different depositional depths on the eastern margin of the basin. The aim of the current project, which is supported by the Austrian Science Foundation is to evaluate the paleoecological value of the different ostracod-assemblages. Preliminary results are presented on the annual meetings of the Austrian Paleontological Society and the Workshop of Austrian Sedimentologists.

Loeffler, Heinz. Heinz retired from the Limnology department of the University of Vienna, working now only on a free basis.

Mette, Wolfgang. (Innsbruck) 1) I am currently working on Upper Triassic ostracods from the northern Calcareous Alps in Austria. I am also working on Upper Cretaceous ostracods of Austria in cooperation with J.P. Colin. I will start a project on Jurassic ostracods in Madagascar next year. 2) Sinuocythere n. gen. (Ostracoda, Limnocytheridae, Timiriaseviinae), a new genus of limnic ostracode from southern Tethyan Middle and Upper Jurassic.

Zorn, Irene. Irene continued her studies on ostracodes from the Badenian within the scope of the project "Systematics, biostratigraphy and paleoecology of the ostracodes from the Badenian (Middle Miocene) in Austria with special emphasis on the species described by Reuss (1850)", which is supported by the Austrian Science Foundation. She investigated the ostracode faunas of classical localities and new outcrops from Lower Austria, Vienna and Burgenland, as for instance Baden-Sooss, Nußdorf and Steinebrunn, including the marly sequences in the so-called "Leithakalk" and the typical clay marl deposits of the so- called "Badener Tegel". The material of this project and the preceding project (Early Miocene ostracodes from the Molasse Zone of Upper Austria and the Korneuburg Basin in Lower Austria) was presented at the meeting of the German-speaking ostracodologists in Albrechtsberg/Mondsee. For comparison she studied Badenian ostracodes from Slowakian localities and boreholes at the Geological Survey in Bratislava. Mrs. Zorn cooperated with Horst Janz for the project "Ökosysteme und Meerwasserentwicklung im süddeutschen Molassebecken in Abhängigkeit von Klimaschwankungen und Beckenentwicklung of the Sonderforschungsbereich" (SFB) 275 (part B4) of the University of Tübingen and helped with discussions of the localities and the determination of Austrian material of the Early and Late Miocene from the Vienna Basin and the Molasse Zone. Furthermore she has started to study ostracodes from the Lower Gosau Subgroup of the Weißenbachalm area in the Northern Calcareous Alps (Late Cretaceous). A multidisciplinary study (mineralogy and micropaleontology) is in progress on this area. Her current work includes research on the history of micropaleontology in Austria.

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BELORUSSIA

Correspondent: Stanislav Zubovicz

Zubovicz, Stanislav. The Belarusian State University (named after M. Tank) remained the only scientific center in the Republic of Belarus where independent ostracodological investigations were carried out in 1998. The main theme of our scientific work was connected with recent and fossil fauna studies of ostracodes of the Pleistocene. A considerable expansion of the lowest crawfish in fresh water reservoirs of Belarus was recently documented. The connection between their biocenosis and an 11-year cycle of sun activity was revealed. Parameters of optimal conditions for vital functions of a number of crawfish types were defined. The potential usage of a number of ostracode taxons as indicators for paleogeographic reconstructions for the Pleistocene and the creation of perspective forecast of climate development on the planet increased. In addition, monitoring observations kept in the Vilja Reserve helped evaluate the qualitative analysis of water for revealing technogene contamination catchment basin.

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BELGIUM

Correspondent: Karel Wouters <kwouters@kbinirsnb.be>

Casier, Jean Georges. Jean is continuing research on Upper Paleozoic ostracodes from the world, particularly in relation with the Late Devonian mass extinction (Frasnian/Famennian boundary) and with the Hangenberg event (Devonian/Carboniferous boundary). He is currently working, in collaboration with Francis Lethiers (University Paris VI), on ostracodes from France, Germany, Poland, Nevada and New-York.

Coen, Michel. Michel continues working on Tournaisian ostracodes of Guangxi, southern China. Together with Peter Jones, he also became interested in paraparchitids and knoxiellids from the Devonian-Carboniferous transition beds in the Ardennes, the Russian platform and the Bonaparte basin of NW Australia. The revision of various taxa related to one or another of the preceding topics further led him to go and examine the Grundel collection in Freiberg and the Kummerow collection in Berlin (Spandau).

Martens, Koen. Koen is continuing studies on taxonomy, morphology and ecology of nonmarine ostracodes from Africa and the Levant. In addition he is working on the comparative and evolutionary ecology of zoobenthos in large and ancient lakes (Baikal, Tanganyika, Nyasa/Malawi and Titicaca). Taxonomy of Tanganyikan Cytherideidae is conducted together with Karel Wouters, Tanganyikan Gomphocythere is studied with Lisa Park, Lake Baikal ostracodes are studied in collaboration with Galina Mazepova, those of Lake Titicaca together with Philippe Mourguiart. Koen is also working on comparisons between morphological and molecular evolution in the Cytherissa species flock in Lake Baikal and the Cyprideis species flock in Lake Tanganyika (with Isa Schön). He continues his interest in DNA-repair and general purpose genotype in darwinulid ostracodes (with Isa Schön, Roger Butlin and Karine Van Doninck). Koen is working on the revision of Darwinuloidea with G. Rossetti (Recent), Mesozoic (with Dave Horne) and Palaeozoic (with F. Lethiers). Another project is focused on the origin and evolution of nonmarine Cyprididoidea (with Dave Horne). For the Treatise, he is working on post-Cretaceous nonmarine Cypridacea, Limnocytheridae and Darwinulacea. Last year, he edited the book "Sex and Parthenogenesis, Evolutionary ecology of reproductive modes in nonmarine ostracods" (Backhuys Publ., Leiden, 1998), the proceedings of the "Jan Stock Memorial Symposium" (with Dan L. Danielopol, special issue Crustaceana 1999) and the proceedings of the ISO 97 symposium (with Dave Horne, "Evolutionary biology and ecology of Ostracoda", special issue Hydrobiologia 1999).

Schön, Isa. Isa is working on comparisons between morphological and molecular evolution in the Cytherissa-flock from Lake Baikal and the Cyprideis-flock from Lake Tanganyika (with Koen Martens). In addition, research is focused on DNA repair and general purpose genotype in darwinulid ostracods (with Koen Martens, Roger Butlin and Karine van Doninck) and the molecular phylogeny of the Darwinulidae (with Koen Martens and Giampaolo Rossetti).

Wansard, Guy. Guy is working on the incorporation of trace-elements in lacustrine ostracode valves. He is preparing papers that discuss geochemical results obtained from laboratory cultures of Candona neglecta and Heterocypris salina, and from field collection of Herpetocypris intermedia (in collaboration with Dr J. R. Roca and F. Mezquita, Valencia University). He is also working on paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental reconstructions from Quaternary sequences, including lacustrine ostracode assemblages and valve geochemistry studies in Spain (in collaboration with the team of Prof. R. Julia, Barcelona), in Bolivia (in collaboration with Prof. Pirard, University of Liège, Belgium, and Prof. Pool, University of Oruro, Bolivia), and in Belgium (Holocene tufa sequences).

Wouters, Karel. Karel is continuing research on marine and brackish Cypridacea, mostly from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This resulted in the description of a new genus. He is also reviewing the complex taxonomical imbroglio of the genera Phlyctenophora, Aglaiocypris, Aglaiella, Ghardaglaia and Gerdocypris. Further projects are: (1) description of new species of the Cyprideis species flock of Lake Tanganyika (in collaboration with K. Martens). (2) The temporal distribution of the genus Liasina, a low diversity lineage. (3) The taxonomic position and the (palaeo)-zoogeography of the family Saididae. He is supervising the Licentiate thesis of Ronald Gravendeel (University of Leuven) on Eocene (Lutetian) Ostracoda from Cassel (N. France).

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BRAZIL

Correspondent: João Carlos Coimbra <coimbra@if.ufrgs.br>

Carmo, Dermeval Aparecido Do. Dermeval has successfully finished his PhD. His dissertation is about nonmarine ostracodes and associated calcareous microfossils (taxonomy, biostratigraphy and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions) from the Cretaceous Alagamar Formation, Potiguar basin, northeastern Brazil. Presently he is working at University of Brasília (UnB), in the capital of Brazil. He has four papers in press.

Coimbra, João Carlos. I have been very busy with administration functions at CECLIMAR-Marine, Limnological and Coastal Research Center, a little Center of the Rio Grande do Sul Federal University, located near the beach, around 130km from Porto Alegre (where I have my laboratory of ostracodes). However, I continue to work on Neocenozoic and Cretaceous ostracodes of Brazilian basins, with emphasis on the taxonomy and zoogeography of the Brazilian Equatorial ostracode fauna. My Masters student, Cristianini Trescastro Bergue, has changed his thesis subject and is now working with Quaternary ostracodes from three deep sea drillings from Santos Basin, southeastern Brazil.

De Lacerda Grillo, Jeanine. Jeanine is working on the studies related to the biostratigraphic refinement of the Rio da Serra local stage (correlated to Neocomian in age) from Reconcavo Basin, northeastern Brazil, with emphasis on Caruaçu Member, as part of the Caruaçu Project. She will also continue working on the biostratigraphy and paleogeography of the Early Cretaceous sequences of the Reconcavo, Camamu and Almada Basins.

Guzzo, Jarbas V. P. Jarvas is continuing to work on the biostratigraphy of the Brazilian Lower Cretaceous Rift Basins, mainly Campos Basin and Potiguar Basin. Current research activities include: (1) empirical observations on paleoecological significance of ostracode assemblages in cuttings and bore hole samples from diverse paleoenvironmental data; (2) base level change and organic carbon accumulation in lakes from oxygen and carbon stable isotopes; (3) an introductory course on Paleolimnology for petroleum geologists; (4) a comparison between Jurassic (?) limnic ostracods from Interior Congo Basin (Africa) and Reconcavo Basin (Brazil) (with Jean-Paul Colin, France).

Ramos, Maria Inês Feijó. Just finished her PhD on Taxonomy and zoogeography of Recent marine Ostracoda from South Brazilian Continental Shelf. She is currently working on Quaternary marine Ostracoda from Brazilian Continental Shelf with João Carlos Coimbra (UFRGS, Brazil) and Robin Whatley (University of Wales, Aberystwyth). She is also working on Quaternary marine Ostracoda from Uruguayan and Argentinian littoral and shelf and Recent marine Ostracoda from Antarctica deep and shallow water with R. Whatley, A. Moguilevsky, N. Toy, J. Chadwick and D.J. Coxill (University of Wales, Aberystwyth). Also in progress is a project on the chemical analysis of Quaternary marine and mixohaline ostracode carapace from Enseada do Flamengo, Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil in collaboration with J. C. Coimbra (UFRGS, Brazil), J. Holmes (Kingston University), R. Whatley (University of Wales) and A. Coimbra Horbe (Universidade do Amazonas, Brazil). Maria is supervising a undergraduate geology student, Priscila Noronha Serra, "Projeto de Iniciação Científica" (PIBIC) and Trabalho de Conclusão (TFC), Project "Organization and Catalogation of "Ward’s Collection from Paleontology Laboratory of Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Departamento de Geociências, Universidade do Amazonas". This project includes the production of an atlas with the best specimens of the collection.

Souza, Carlos Jose. Carlos is working with lacustrine ostracodes of Lower Cretaceous age (Valanginian to Aptian – Rio da Serra to Alagoas local stages) from Pendencia and Alagamar formations, Potiguar Basin.

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CANADA

Correspondent: Ursala Grigg <Ursula.Grigg@Stmarys.ca>

Siddiqui, Quadeer. Quadeer is continuing work on the remaining undescribed fauna of the Sor and Sulaiman Ranges (Paleocene-Eocene) of Pakistan. Papers on Neocyprideis and on Paijenborchella and Neomonoceratina are in press. Observations on local shallow marine ostracodes continues, especially the genera Perissocytheridea and Cytherura. He expects to attend the EOM meeting in Adana, Turkey, in July.

Grigg, U.M. Ursula continues to work on the local shallow marine and freshwater ostracods, especially Perissocytheridea and other cytherids. Some progress has been made on the Nova Scotia Museum's ostracode collection and the Curatorial Report. She is seeking funds for visits to the Smithsonian Institution and museums in Britain.

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PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Correspondent: Jin-Lan Peng <pengjl@public1.ptt.js.cn>

Cao, Mei-Zhen is working on (1) Ostracoda of Jehol fauna; (2) Middle Triassic Ostracoda from Qingyan; (3) Jurassic ostracoda from North China.

Chen, Chun-Rui. With Yao Dan and Ye De-Quan, I finished a paper entitled ‘Strata Evalution System of Ostracoda Fossil in Songliao Basin’ (written by Yao Dan, Chen Chun-Rui and Ye De-Quan), which will be published in 1999.

Feng, Xiao-jie is working on the stable isotope of carbon and oxygen of microfossils. It is interesting that the carbon and oxygen isotope variation is cooperated with extinctions and climate changes.

Gou, Yun-Xian continues the revision of Ostracoda of China, Part 2: Paleozoic, Mesozoic Cenozoic (marine) Ostracoda of China.

Guan, Sao-Zeng In 1998, I’ve been working on the project "The rise and fall, evolution and ecology and environment of Genus Cypridea (Ostracoda)" aided financially by the fund of the National Natural Science (No:49572074), it is the last year for this study and I finally finished it. In this year, I investigated the sections of the boundary of Cretaceous and Tertiary in Nanxiong Basin, Guangdong of China, and analyzed and identified some ostracoda and the other kind of fossils. During September-October, I was invited by my colleagues to visit Russia, discussed a study plan and surveyed many sections of Cambrian to Pliocene along the bank of Black Sea and West Coucasus, as well as some modern volcanoes (salse). From 1999 to 2001, I will be engaged in the project ‘Late Tertiary strata, environment and its resources between the southern foot of South Tianshan and the northern foot of West Kunlun’ supported by the fund of the National Natural Science of China.

Hou, You-Tang continues the revision of Ostracoda of China, Part 2: Paleozoic, Mesozoic Cenozoic (marine) Ostracoda of China.

Li, Dong-Ming is focusing on the modern stratigraphy research in oil field.

Li, Yuan-Fang. I was engaged in work on modern Ostracoda in transitional zone between land and sea at the northeast Arctic Alaska. In 1999 I’m working on Recent and Quaternary ostracoda from the Qingha –Xizang Plateau, China and Barrow area, the northeast Alaskan Arctic.

Pang, Qi-Qing continues his work on the nonmarine Mesozoic and Cenozoic Ostracoda of Northern China.

Peng, Jin-Lan. I finished my Ph.D. thesis entitled ‘Ostracoda and Environmental Analysis during the past 150,000 years in the Heqing Basin, Yunnan of China’ in August. And I continue to study Quaternary Ostracoda and environmental changes.

Sun, Zhen-Cheng I am working within a project together with Yang Fan and others on: (1) ostracoda ecology in Qaidam Basin of northwestern China; (2) the main factors control the present and thriving of ostracoda in East China; (3) stable isotope of Carbon and Oxygen of ostracoda in Cenozoic lacustrine deposition in Qaidam Basin; (4) ostracoda of lake Bosten in Xinjiang, northwestern China.

Wang, Qiang I continue to study Quaternary Ostracoda and environmental changes.

Wang, Shang-Qi continues work on Sinoleperditiini (Leperditiidae) from the Devonian of South China and its adjacent areas, including phylogeny, evolutionary trends, paleoecology, paleoenvironments, paleogeographical distribution of Sinoleperditiini. Manuscripts on Myodocopes (Ostracoda) from the Llandovery of China, with co-worker Dr. D. J. Siveter, and on Palaeobiology of leperditiids (Ostracoda), with co-worker Dr. Jean Vannier, has been completed.

Wei, Min. I take part in the project on "Devonian Biotic Community and its Environmental Significance from Southwestern Margin of Yangtze Platform".

Yang, Fan is working within a project together with Sun Zhen-Cheng on ostracoda ecology in Qaidam Basin, NW China.

Yao, Dan. I finished a paper entitled ‘Strata Evaluation System of Ostracoda Fossil in Songliao Basin’ (written by Yao Dan, Chen Chun-Rui and Ye De-Quan), which will be published in 1999.

Ye, De-Quan. I’m preparing the report ‘The distribution and contrast of Jurassic in northern China’ which will be finished in 1999. With Zhang Yin et al., I plan to write a book named ‘Biostratigraphy of Cretaceous Ostracoda Fossils in the Songliao Basin’ in 1999. And a paper entitled ‘Strata Evaluation System of Ostracoda Fossil in Songliao Basin’ (written by Yao Dan, Chen Chun-Rui and Ye De-Quan) is in press.

Yin, Yu finished his study in the Institute of Limnology, Austrian Academy of Sciences and obtained his Ph.D. of the Vienna University in January 1998. The title of his thesis is "Contribution to the morphology and ecology of Ostracoda Limnoctheridae and Candonidae – Comparative studies between Austrian and Chinese Crustacea". He is mainly working on his projects, "Clonal ecology of Limnocythere and its application to reconstruction of paleoenvironment" and "polymorphism and adaptation ecology of Limnocythere". He also participated in a project, "Recent sedimentation of lakes in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau". He sampled 35 lakes (2000-5000 m.a.s.l.) with different salinity in Tibet. His work is focused on comparative morphology and life history adaptation of nonmarine ostracods.

Zhang, Yin With Ye De-Quan et al., I plan to write a book named ‘Biostratigraphy of Cretaceous Ostracoda Fossils in the Songliao Basin’ in 1999.

Zhao, Quan-Hong is continuously working on: (1) Modern and Quaternary Ostracoda of China seas, (2) Cenozoic Ostracoda of W. Pacific DSDP cores, (3) Shell chemistry of Paleogene ostracods from oil-bearing basins of East China and its implication in paleoenvironmental reconstruction.

Zhou, Bao-Cun In 1998 my main work on Ostracoda was the development of an ostracod database for the South China Sea. This work was done in collaboration with a friend of mine in a software company in Tokyo. The database is recorded on a CD and can be opened on any Pentium-series computer that is installed with Windows-95 or -NT. One can use it to watch the SEM photos of a given ostracod species from SCS, to draw the map of its geographical distribution, and to get the information of its distribution range.

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COLUMBIA

Correspondent: --- open ---

No report submitted in 1999.

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CROATIA

Correspondent: Ana Sokac

No report submitted in 1999.

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CZECH REPUBLIC

Correspondent: Jaromir Zelenka

Kopecky, Jirka. I am continuing my PhD study of ecology of freshwater ostracods. I have sampled about 150 temporary and permanent pools, backwaters, inundated sandpits etc. in the inundation area of the Morava and Dyje (Thaya) rivers. In 1999 I am going to continue in regular sampling of 4 localities (2 temporary pools) and in study of population biology and seasonal dynamics of the most abundant species.

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EGYPT

Correspondent: --- open ---

No report submitted in 1999.

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ESTONIA

Correspondent: To-nu Meidla <tmeidla@math.ut.ee>

No report submitted in 1999.

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FRANCE

Correspondent: Jean-Francois Babinot <reef@newsup.univ-mrs.fr>

Andreu, Bernard. Working on: a) Lias and Dogger from the "Grands Causses", France, b) Callovian to Oxfordian from Portugal, c) Callovian - Oxfordian and Cretaceous from High and Middle Atlas, High Moulouya, Morocco, d) Late Cretaceous from Pyrenees, France, e) Late Cretaceous from Tercis (Landes, France). Projects: a) Synthesis on ostracode assemblages from the Cretaceous of Agadir and Essaouira Basins, Morocco, b) Ostracode assemblages from the Lias - Dogger and Cretaceous of Pyrenees, France. Long-term project: Synthesis on ostracode assemblages from the Cretaceous of Morocco: biostratigraphy, paleoecology, paleobiogeography. Thesis supervision (co management): M. El Attachfini: " Cenomanian - Turonian moroccan series: lithology, micropalaeontology and sequence stratigraphy"; E. Lara Corona: "Comparative studies of Cretaceous series from the Sierra Madre (Mexico) and Pyrenees (France)"; O. Nzaba Macaya: " Ostracode assemblages from the Carixian-Domerian of Quercy and Grands Causses, South France: systematics, biostratigraphy, sequence analysis, palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography ; comparisons with Portugal"; M. A. Rossi: "Lower Cretaceous ostracodes from the Agadir and Essaouira regions, Morocco".

Babinot, Jean-François. Working on : a) Aptian ostracodes (stratotypes, Lower/Late Aptian crisis) from Southeastern France, b) Maastrichtian to Danian ostracode assemblages (Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary) from Mahajunga Basin, Malagasy Republic (with J.P. Colin, Cl. Guernet and G. Bignot), c) Messinian basinal and carbonate platforms deposits from Western Algeria and Southeastern Spain, d) Ostracodes from Quaternary human sites (S. France, Spain).

Bodergat, Anne-Marie. Working on : a) Distribution and geochemistry of Recent ostracodes from Kagoshima Bay, Japan (with K. Ishizaki and K. Oki, Japan), b) Palaeoecology of Lower Jurassic Ostracodes, c) Studies of microfaunal colonization following the construction of Maka Diama Dam (Senegal). Thesis supervision: Mohamed Hajjaji: "Ostracods from the Plio-Pleistocene of Rhode (Greece)"; Radovan Pipik: "Neogene freshwater ostracodes from Slovakia" (Co-direction : G. Carbonnel).

Braccini, Eric. Petroleum routine analyses (ostracodology and mainly palynology). All geological setting worldwide.

Carbonnel, Gilles. Working on a) Propositions for a new approach of ostracode ornamentation, based on the disturbances of both primary, reticulated and hexagonal networks (see Carbonnel, 1998), b) Upper Neogene ostracods from Lebanon (with T.H. Chahine, Beyruth Univ.), c) Paleogene ostracods from the Ivory Coast (level with or without Togoina) (with B. Igbehi, Coccody Univ., Abidjan) d) Outside Ostracode works: Software "FLORALP" for alpine flora (now available 1500 pictures, 500 species and more). Thesis supervision: Ali Bachnou: "Modélisation mathématique du contour latéral externe des ostracodes. Traitement informatique graphique"; Radovan Pipic (Comenius University, Facullty of Sciences, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Mlynska dolina, SK 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia): "Ostracodes lacustres (formes et habitats) des bassins intramontagneux de la Slovaquie (Miocène moyen - supérieur)" (co-direction with A.M. Bodergat).

Colin, Jean-Paul. Working on: a) Callovian-Oxfordian nonmarine ostracodes from Tunisia, Morocco and Portugal (with M.C. Cabral, Lisbon, F. Depeche, Paris and W. Mette, Innsbrück; papers in preparation with description of a new genus of Timiriaseviinae and Candoninae), b) Upper Cretaceous from Gosau, Austria (with W. Mette, Innsbrück), c) Maastrichtian ostracodes from Madagascar, d) Upper Cretaceous from Mexico and Paleogene ostracodes from Pakistan (with Y. Tambrareau), e) Nonmarine ostracodes from Inter-trappean beds of Rajasthan, India (with A. Bandhari, Dehra Dun), f) Upper Jurassic form Oleron Island, W. France (with P. Hantzpergue, Lyon), g) Middle Jurassic nonmarine ostracodes from Brazil and Zaire (with J. Guzzo, Petrobras, Rio de Janeiro), h) Maastrichtian-Danian ostracodes from Brazil (with G. Fauth and P. Bengtson, Heidelberg and E. Koutzoukos, Petrobras, Ro de Janeiro, i) On the genus Nucleolina (with J.F. Babinot, Marseille and Y. Tambareau, Toulouse).

Crasquin-Soleau, Sylvie. This year 1998 was mainly devoted to defend the "Habilitation à diriger les recherches", a french examination for professor position. Working on: a) Peri-Tethys Program with edition of books, 2 were published in 1998 and 3 are in preparation for 1999, b) Palaeogeography of Eastern European Basin during the Late Carboniferous - Early Permian (with B. Chuvachov) and Late Permian - Early Triassic of Precaspian Depression (with D. M. Kukhtinov), c) research in progress on the Late Permian of Oman.

Guernet, Claude. Working on: bathyal ostracodes from Paleocene to Eocene in the Atlantic Ocean. Thesis supervision: Chait, Rafika: Ostracode distribution (bathymetry) in some transects on the Atlantic and Mediterranean borderlands (France, Iberic Peninsula and Morocco).

Lethiers, Francis. Working on: 1) Devonian to Permian ostracode faunas; biostratigraphy, palaeogeography and palaeoecology , 2) Upper Devonian events with reference to ostracode faunas, c) Permian freshwater ostracodes.

Marmonier, Pierre. Working on: a) Hypogean Candoninae from Morocco (collaboration with Univ. Rabat and Marrakech): systematics, morphology, biogeography, b) Benthic and interstitial ostracods from an alpine floodplain in Switzerland : assemblage composition, spatial distribution, temporal succession after snowmelt, biogeography (with J. Ward, EAWAG Zurich, Switzerland).

N'Zaba-Makaya, Odette. Working on: a) Comparative analysis on Domerian ostracode assemblages from South Quercy and West Grands-Causses: biostratigraphy, palaeobiogeography, sequence analysis, palaeoecology, correspondance analysis) (D.E.A., Toulouse Univ. 1996), b) Ostracode assemblages from the Carixian-Domerian (Pliensbachian) from Quercy and Grands-Causses, Southern France (thesis).

Oertli, Henri J. Continues abstracting of papers on Post-Paleozoic ostracodes for the "Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie" (approx. 170 papers analyzed in 1998; increase in sight for 1999!). Thesis supervision: Jacques Sauvagnat (Geneva Univ., Switzerland) on Aptian-Albian ostracodes of the Jura Mountains (thesis to be achieved in spring 1999).

Sauvagnat, Jacques. Working on Aptian to Albian ostracodes from the Jura Mountains. Dissertation achieved, with maintaining on April 15, 1999 (Geneva University, Switzerland).

Tambareau, Yvette. Yvette retired recently but continues studies on Tethyan Upper Cretaceous and Lower Paleogene microfaunas from Pakistan to Mexico. We wish to our friend a merry new life and a very good health. Working on: a) Ostracodes from Pakistan (with J.P. Colin), b) Field trips and studies in Jamaica, Cuba and Oman (foraminifers and ostracodes).

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GERMANY

Correspondent: Dietmar Keyser <Keyser@zoologie.uni-hamburg.de>

Arlt, Guenther. Guenther is working about the significance of the meiofauna of the pelagial and benthal connections in the Baltic Sea. He is studying especially the activity of Cyprideis torosa in resuspension processes and its strong influence in particle structure of the upper layer of the sediment.

Becker, Gerhard. Gerhard has continued in (1) editing his Treatise pre-printing series (POC); from the Palaeozoic superfamilies asked to revise by the then Editor, the Superfamilies Kirkbyacea and Nodellacea have been finished (POC, Nos. 1-10), and the Superfamilies Bairdiocypridacea and Bairdiacea (Palaeozoic only) will follow. Part Q (Paleozoic Ostracoda, revised) will not appear at reasonable time, however, POC will offer Treatise standard. Furthermore, in (2) studies on pelagic ostracods along the Devonian/Carbonife. H. Blumenstengel is working on Devonian and lower Carboniferous ostracods especially connected to the Thueringer Oekotyp and also Devonian shallow water faunas near the Baltic Sea island Ruegen.

Frenzel, Peter. Peter has changed with a post-doc fellowship his working place to Angers (France) now. He is working on Holocene brackish water ostracods, foraminifer from the southern Baltic Sea and Pleistocene ostracods (marine, brackish and freshwater) and foraminifer from Northern Germany, and Upper Cretaceous benthic foraminifera from the European "Boreal". Here in Angers he is studying the influence of oyster farming on marine littoral ostracod and foraminifer associations within a bay of the French Atlantic coast.

Fuhrmann, Roland. The Recent and Quaternary freshwater ostracods are still the subject of his scientific interest.

Gramann, F. Dr. Gramann has now reached retirement and tries to catch up with his beloved ostracods. He is right now finishing a paper on nonmarine occurrences of Pleistocene and recent Cyprideis torosa in Lower Saxonia.

Janz, Horst. I am continuing to work with freshwater ostracods (Recent to Tertiary) and extend my work since last year to Miocene marine species. Together with Mark J. Grygier from Lake Biwa Museum (Japan) I carry on the investigation started in late 1997 about the recent ostracods from Lake Biwa. In the scope of the climatic research program of the University of Tuebingen (SFB 275) I work together with Irene Zorn on the geochemical composition of marine ostracods of the Molasse in respect to oxygen and carbon.

Jellinkek, Thomas. 1998 was a busy year. I have had the unique opportunity to join several international projects dealing with deep-sea ecology and climatology mainly in the southern Pacific Ocean (Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Zealand) and the Mediterranean. The greatest success in obtaining living ostracode material from the deep sea we had in the Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea. Therefore, future work will be focused on that material in co-operation with Kerry Swanson (New Zealand)!

Kussius, Karina. I will hopefully finish my thesis this year. It concerns Upper Jurassic Ostracodes from Eastern Spain. In the meantime in collaboration with some colleagues, I started an investigation about the Neogene Pigadia Basin of Karpathos Island. We will be looking at calcareous nannofossils, ostracodes and fish.

Langer, Wolfhart. Wolfhart is now retired and is keeping up his research of the Paleozoic.

Luger, Peter. Finally, I managed to re-join the "Ostracon" community after having moved from Bremen back to Berlin. I wish to apologize to everyone who might have tried to reach me during the time of my absence from the list for not having announced this "event" - neither in time nor to the "Ostracon" public. For those, who may have joined the community during the time of my "stay-away" (and for those who might be interested anyway). Now I'm housed at the Technical University of Berlin as a sort of a "visiting scientist". My special interests are (predominantly) marine Ostracoda from the Jurassic through Paleogene of Africa and Arabia; presently I'm struggling to complete my studies on Cretaceous Ostracoda from Somalia (Barremian: "Wealden-tye"; Aptian-Cenomanian, ?Campanian-Maastrichtian: shallow marine).

Matzke-Karasz, Renate. Renate is happy having found a half-time job at the University of Munich. She is now busy with a revision of the European Cyclocypris - fossil and living. Each spare specimen of this genus that you can find in your personal collections would be welcome and gratefully appreciated!

Mette, Wolfgang. I am still working on the ostracods of the alpine Upper Triassic (Koessener Formation, Zlambach Layers). Besides that I have started a cooperation with J.P. Colin about the ostracods of the alpine Upper Cretaceous (Gosau Gruppe). Planned is another project about the Jurassic and Upper Cretaceous ostracods of Madagaskar (Morondava Becken). The following papers are in preparation: 1) Sinuocythere n.gen. (Ostracoda, Limnocytheridae, Timiriaseviinae), new genus of limnic ostracode in the South Tethyan Middle and Upper Jurassic. - Micropalaeontology. 2) Rhaetische Ostrakoden aus der Slope- und Beckenfazies der noerdlichen Kalkalpen (Koessener Formation, Steinplatte von Waidring), Teil 1: Systematik. - Geologisch-Palaeontologische Mitteilungen Innsbruck. 3) Rhaetische Ostrakoden aus der Slope- und beckenfazies der noerdlichen Kalkalpen (Koessener Formation, Steinplatte von Waidring), Teil 2: Paloekologie, Palaeobiogeographie. - Geologisch-Palaeontologische Mitteilungen Innsbruck.

Mischke, Steffen. Steffen continues his investigations of Pleistocene and Holocene nonmarine ostracodes from Central Asia (NW China and Mongolia) in order to reconstruct the history of environment and climate. He is interested in an exchange not only of information about ostracode taxonomy and palaeoclimatic studies, but also of specimens from this region.

Mostafawi, Nasser. Nasser continues to study the systematic, ecology and stratigraphy of Neogene ostracods in the Aegean area. He is working with M. Handl and H. Brueckener (Marburg) on Holocene ostracods of Milet (west Turkey) and with B. Chatenoux and A. Weber ( student at the University of Geneva )on Plio-Pleistocene ostracods of Crete. A paper on Upper Oligocene ostracods of Northwestern Germany is in press. Other studies include ecology of the living ostracods in the Persian Gulf. During the Gulf war (1991), Kuwaiti oil springs were destroyed and set fire to. So an immense amount of oil ran into the Persian Gulf and contaminated the fauna and flora, especially at the western coast of the Persian Gulf. Recent ostracods dredged November 1991, show the extent of the ecological damage of the senseless war.

Nuernberg, Dirk. Dirk is working at a project funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG), August 1, 1997 -July 31, 1999, Nuernberg, D.: "Paleoceanographic reconstructions from earth alkaline metals in calcitic microorganisms: Case study Westiberian continental margin". Abstract: The general objective of the research project is the paleoceanographic reconstruction of the study area based on Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios in biotic calcite. The Western Iberian continental slope, the late Pleistocene oceanography of it will be performed in addition to the investigation of selected sediment cores.

Pietrzeniuk, Erika. The projects "Ostracods from the Sauria Chalks from Tendaguru" and "Pleistocene and Holocene freshwater ostracods in Jakutien" are continued.

Scharf, Burkhard. Burkhard has a new address. He is working on the living and fossil ostracods of lakes in Northern Germany. He supervised some Ph.D-students with paleoclimatic themes, including some on Ostracoda, especially in Sweden and Germany.

Schudack, Michael. Michael continues research on ostracods, charophytes, and foraminifers. Main current activities on ostracods include Late Jurassic in Europe (with K. Kussius and U. Schudack, Berlin), East Africa (Tendaguru Formation) and North America (Morrison Formation). Main focus (depending on the project) is on biostratigraphy, paleoecology, biogeography, paleoclimatology, and stable isotope shell geochemistry. Thesis supervision: (1) Late Jurassic ostracods from eastern Spain (K. Kussius), (2) Rhaetian ostracods from northern Germany (K. Oppermann), and (3) Quaternary ostracods from lakes in the Gobi Desert (S. Mischke).

Schudack, Ulla. Ulla has finished research on the marine and nonmarine ostracods from the Upper Jurassic of northern Spain. She is currently working on the Upper Jurassic of Tanzania (Tendaguru Formation). A future project (in the state of application) deals with the Upper Jurassic ostracods of southwestern France, Portugal, and Nova Scotia, as part of the Upper Jurassic biogeography project.

Schwalb, Antje. 1998 started with a month of fieldwork in Patagonia, Argentina. As a member of the Patagonian Lake Drilling Team, a USA-CH-AR-D research initiative, I sampled modern sediments, ostracods and waters that will serve as calibration sets for future work on lake cores. Other sites I am currently working on are Lake Constance, lakes in the Midwest, USA, and the Chilean Altiplano. With Huw Griffiths we are analyzing lacustrine ostracod assemblages from Iran (DAAD-ARC grant).

Uffenorde, Henning. Henning has completed his paper entitled "Untermiozaene Ostracoden-Faunen. Ein Vergleich norddeutscher, daenischer und niederlaendischer Profile" in January 1998, which will be published in the "Greifswalder Geowiss. Beitraege, 6 (Festschrift Prof. Herrig), started work on the NW German Tertiary lithostratigraphic scheme for the German Subcommission on Tertiary Stratigraphy.

Viehberg, Finn. Vinn thinks that the following information would be of interest for the community. 1) I started on ostracods in 1995. My main interests focused on the individual density of recent freshwater ostracods. By now I worked out a simple method of collecting for both aims quantity and quality. On the other side I still have a look through the Instituts collected material. 2) I will finish my diploma thesis this year. "Faunistical and ecological research on the Ostracod fauna in chosen freshwaters around Greifswald". Its aim is to get a check-list of the freshwater Ostracoda around Greifswald, compare it with the material found a century ago and estimates the biomass percentage of Ostracoda in eutrophic small ponds.

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GREECE

Correspondent: Stelios Galoukas

No report submitted in 1999.

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HUNGARY

Correspondent: Miklós Monostori <Monost@ludens.elte.hu>

Kiss, A. I am working on ostracods of recent lakes.

Kozur, H. I am working on Carboniferous to Liassic ostracods of the Tethys and soft parts of Triassic ostracods.

Monostori, Miklós. I am working on Eocene and Oligocene ostracods and their paleoecology in Hungary, Jurassic marine ostracods from Hungary and Triassic marine and non marine ostracods.

Szuromi-Korecz, A. I am working on Neogene marine, marine brackish and limno-brackish fauna from Hungary.

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INDIA

Correspondent: --- open ---

Hussain, Shaik M. The research work on the ecology, distribution and taxonomy of Recent marine ostracodes from the inner shelf sediments off Tuticorin (Gulf of Mannar), off Rameswaram (Palk Bay), off Mahabalipuram, near Madras (Bay of Bengal) is being continued. Similar studies on the brackish water fauna of the Adyar River estuary and also the beach sediment samples collected from Kanyakumari, Vattakottai, and other locations are going on. Mrs. A. Mini Kumari has been awarded a Ph.D. Degree for her doctoral thesis entitled, "Systematics, Distribution and Ecology of Recent Ostracoda from off Mahabalipuram, near Madras, Tamil Nadu, South India" under the supervision of Prof. S. P. Mohan (April 12, 1998).

Mallikarjuna, U. B. I am a Young Scientist awardee working on biostratigraphic, paleoecologic and paleobiogeographic implications of Middle Jurassic-Early Cretaceous ostracodes and charophytes of western Indian formations under the "Young Scientist" project of the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, India. I have started a collaborative work on various aspects of fresh water ostracodes from the Kota Formation (Middle Jurassic), Pranhita-Godavari valley, Central India with Prof.G.V.R. Prasad (Univ. of Jammu, India) and Prof. K.G. McKenzie (Wagha, Wagha, Australia).

Mannikeri, M. S. I am continuing my studies on Jurassic and Palaeogene marine and nonmarine microfauna of the Western Rajasthan. I am also working on the taxonomy, morphology and ecology of the Recent marine and nonmarine ostracodes from North Karnataka, Andhara Pradesh and Goa. I attended and chaired a technical session on ostracodes at the XVI Indian Colloquium on Micropalaeontology and Stratigraphy held at N.I.O. Goa from 22-25 January, 1998. I delivered a special lecture at this meeting on the "Role of Ostracoda in Micropalaeontological Research".

Singh, Pratap. At present I am working as a petroleum exploration biostratigraphy consultant and continuing my study of Mesozoic-Recent ostracods. I am working on Tertiary ostracods of Kachchh in collaboration with M. P. Singh (Department of Geology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow). I am also studying Tertiary ostracods of the Subathu Group of the Himalayas.

Vaidya, Arun S. I am presently continuing studies on Quaternary marine and brackish (estuarine) and nonmarine ostracode and foraminifers from India. I attended and presented a research paper at the XVI Indian Colloquium on Micropalaeontology and Stratigraphy (see Recent Papers list) held at N.I.O. Goa from 22-25 January, 1998. I also attended and presented a research paper on ostracodes at the National Seminar on Coastal Zone Management held at S.D.M. Engineering College, Dharwad from 10-11 December 1998.

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IRAQ

Correspondent: --open--

Al-Jumaily, Wajih A.K. I continue as a member of the Department of Geology staff, University of Nasir, Al-Khoms City, Libya. I attended the First Earth Science Conference held in Benghazi, Libya, on November 22-24, 1998 and presented a paper, "Palaeozoogeography of shallow marine Ostracoda from Holocene sediments, Southern Iraq" (with Dr. S. S. Al-Sheikhly). While attending the Geological Conference on Exploration in Murzuq Basin, in Sabha-Libya on September 20-22, 1998, I was very happy to meet Prof. A. Seilacher and Prof. E. Klitzsch. I am currently working on Quaternary Ostracoda and Foraminifera from the Gargarish Formation (Quaternary) from the coast of Libya. I am also working on Miocene Ostracoda and benthic foraminifera from Ras-Abd-al-Jalil Foramtion (offshore, Az-Zawiyah, Libya). This is a joint study with Ms. Luila S. Hafed, Petroleum Research Centre, Tripoli, Libya. I have two research students: Mr. Omar M. Abd-al-Salam and Mr. Yehya S. Abu-Jenah, who are studying aspects of the palynofacies and palynological study of some Jurassic sediments in the Gharian area of Libya. Other work I am involved in includes work on the genetic differentiation in Cyprideis torosa, with Dr. Ammar M. Saleh (Microbiology unit, University of Nasir.

Al-Khashab, Sanad A. I am in the last year of my PhD research. Lower Cretaceous formations like Zubair, Garagu, and Zangura have been investigated. Presently, more than 90 species have been found belonging to genera like Cytherella, Cytherelloidea, Bairdia, Paraycypris, Pontocyprella, Metacytheropteron, Eocytheropteron, Cythereis, Rehacythereis, Isocythereis, Protobuntonia, Dolocytheridea, Asciocythere, Centrocythere, Neocythere, Paijenborchillina, Macrocypris, Matronella, and Veenia.

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ISRAEL

Correspondents: Avraham Honigstein <ahonigstein@mni.gov.il> and

Amnon Rosenfeld <rosenfeld@mail.gsi.gov.il>.

Amnon Rosenfeld and Avi Honigstein continue working on Jurassic – Early Tertiary ostracode assemblages from Israel and the Middle East. A paper on Eocene ostracodes and foraminifera from southern Israel is in its final stage of preparation. Also, our bibliography of paleontological studies in Israel and Jordan will be soon in press. A.R. and A.H. participated in the Shallow Tethys (ST) 5 symposium in Chiang Mai, Thailand, 1999, where a lecture on the migration paths of Cretaceous faunas was given. A.H. took also part in the 5^th Jurassic Conference in Vancouver, B.C., 1998.

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ITALY

Correspondent: Gioacchio Bonaduce, Giuseppe Aiello and Diana Barra

Giuseppe Aiello, Diana Barra and Gioacchino Bonaduce are continuing the work on the paleoecological interpretation of the bathyal Plio-Pleistocene of Sicily (manuscript). G. Bonaduce and D. Barra are studying some brackish ostracod assemblages of Pliocene of Southern Italy. D Barra and G. Bonaduce are completing a manuscript on the genus Echinocythereis in the Mediterranean area. G. Bonaduce, D. Barra and G. Aiello are engaged in the systematic, paleoecological and stratigraphic study of ostracods of sections from Burdigalian to the Tortonian of the Malta and Tremiti Islands. D. Barra is revising the Cistacythereis and Hiltermannicythere genera and related species from Miocene to Recent of the Mediterranean area. D. Barra is studying the ostracods of the Pleistocene-holocene of the coastal plaines of Campania region (Southern Italy). G. Aiello is working with Prof. Janina Szczechura (Warsaw, Poland) on the systematics and paleoecology of the Badenian ostracods of the Southern Poland and continues to study the upper Miocene ostracods from Calabria (southern Italy).

Nevio Pugliese, Gianguido Salvi, and Mario Masoli are working on the systematics, ecology and palaeoecology of marine Ostracoda in the Mediterranean Basin, and the Antarctic and periantarctic areas since Pleistocene. They are also working on the systematics, ecology and palaeoecology of freshwater Ostracoda in the northern Italy (Quaternary) and Ostracoda in geoarchaeology (Pleistocene of Monte Poggiolo, near Forli; Holocene of Aquileia, northern Adriatic coastal area). Topics of theses include: Infralittoral Ostracoda from Sardinia (student: Viviana Evangelista); The Camoebian and Ostracoda as indicators of fresh water environments and palaeoenvironments (student: Michela Repetti); Ostracoda of two cores coming from western part of Magellan Strait (student: Sara Boschetti).

Elsa Gliozzi and her collaborators Ilaria Mazzini and Costanza Faranda carry out their ostracodological researches in Roma. Elsa Gliozzi studies Italian Neogene-Quaternary freshwater and brackish ostracods as biochronological and palaeoenvironmental indicators of different sites in Italy. At present she is involved in the study of Late Miocene brackish water assemblages coming from several localities of northern and central Italy (Velona and Baccinello basins (Tuscany) Tortonian-early Messinian;Blera basin (Latium) and Perticara (Marche), uppermost Messinian). Moreover she is involved in a multidisciplinary research with palaeoclimatological purposes in central Italy. At present, she is looking at the ostracodes coming from a drillhole bored on Late Pleistocene-Holocene lacustrine sediments in the Rieti plain. Ilaria Mazzini is, at present, deeply involved in the geological survey of the new Geological Chart of Italy 1:50.000, but her interest in Plio-Quaternary freshwater and brackish ostracods is still alive. During the summer 1998 she had the opportunity to fly to Socotra Island (Yemen) and came back with a lot of samples which are now waiting for her attention. At present, she is almost at the end of the study of a Holocene freshwater lacustrine succession in Umbria, providing interesting faunal assemblages with Cytherissa lacustris. Besides, Elsa Gliozzi and Ilaria Mazzini are carrying out a study on the ostracod assemblages of the Middle- Upper Pliocene succession of the Tiberino Lake (Umbria, central Italy). Costanza Faranda is going on with her researches on Plio-Pleistocene marine ostracods. At present she is looking at several ostracod assemblages coming from the Plio-Pleistocene coastal sediments of northern Latium.

Alessandro Bossio continues his researches concerning the systematic and biostratigraphy of the Neogene Ostracoda of the Salentina Peninsula (Apulia) and Tuscany. In addition, he is currently working on the last 20.000 years Ostracofaunas of the Gulf of Naples and Pozzuoli for a MURST program, co-ordinated by Prof. G. Ciampo.

Barbara Dall'Antonia is carrying on her a Ph. D. (third year), entitled "Contribution to the taxonomy, biostratigraphy and palaeocology of the Miocene ostracofaunas of the Apulian-Iblean Foreland with palaeogeographic considerations" and is supervised by Prof. A. Bossio. At present she is treating the Middle Miocene ostracode faunas of some Sicilian sections.

Andrea Chiellini, a student, is currently working on the revision of the Ostracofauna of the Langhian Stratotype.

Pietro Miculan is currently working on: Middle Miocene deep-water ostracods from South-Eastern Sicily (Southern Italy); Lacustrine ostracods of the Italian Uppermost Miocene (Paratethyan-type faunas) from the Adriatic foreland of the Northern Appennines, Central Italy; Oligocene marine ostracods from Cyrenaica (Lybia)

Valeria Rossi, Paolo Menozzi, Giorgio Benassi, and Andrea Gandolfi continue their activities on population ecology and genetics of Heterocypris incongruens and Darwinula stevensoni.

Giampaolo Rossetti cooperates with Koen Martens (KBIN, Brussels) on the assessment of extant diversity of Darwinulidae. Work in progress includes phylogeny of Darwinuloidea.

Giorgio Benassi, Ireneo Ferrari, Sandra Sei and Ken G. McKenzie continue their work on the ecology and taxonomy of planktic ostracods of Antarctica (Ross Sea) and Magellan Strait. Students and thesis topics: Andrea Gandolfi (PhD student) is completing his thesis on DNA markers and population genetics of Darwinula stevensoni, Eucypris virens, and Heterocypris incongruen. Mattia Calzolari, Monica Gallani, Luisa Garulli, and Barbara Tondelli are performing their graduation theses on different topics concerning the ecology and the population genetics of Heterocypris incongruens.

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JAPAN

Correspondent: Takahiro Kamiya <takamiya@kenroku.kanazawa-u.ac.jp>

Hayashi, Keiichi. I am working on the nonmarine ostracode biostratigraphy and correlation of Lower Cretaceous formations in southwestern Japan and southwestern Korea.

Hiruta, Shin-Ichi. I am working on a faunal study of myodocopids from Kyushu.

Ikeya, Noriyuki. I am continuing to work on the database of Japanese Ostracoda with members of the Japanese Society of the Study of Ostracoda (JASSO), which will be completed by 2000. A CD-ROM will be issued on the occasion of ISO 2001 at Shizuoka. While supervising six students on the taxonomy, ecology and evolution of marine ostracodes, I am still working on the administration as Dean of the combined Physical Science and Engineering College. Students and their topics: Gengo Tanaka, Natural history of littoral Ostracoda from the West Pacific; Yuriko Nakao, Phylogeny of Ostracoda by muscle arrangements on appendages; Yusaku Kaseda, Paleobiological study of the genus Hemicytherura (Ostracoda, Crustacea); Masako Kato, Taxonomy and faunal analysis of the littoral Ostracoda from Antarctica; Hiromasa Kondo, Cuticular structure of fossil and living ostracode carapaces; Kiyotaka Hatanaka, Classification of Hemicytheridae (Ostracoda) from Australia.

Irizuki, Toshiaki. I am continuing to work mainly on two projects, 1) migration and speciation of Neogene ostracodes from Japan in association with global climatic changes, and 2) shell chemistry, taphonomy and paleoecology of Holocene ostracodes. This year I will start to investigate Recent Chinese marine ostracode faunas with N. Ikeya, Wang Pingxlan, Zhao Quan-Hong and Zhao Bao-Chun. I currently have one graduate student, Katsura Yamada, who is working on cyclic changes of late Pliocene ostracode faunas in northern Japan.

Ishizaki, Kunihiro. I am working on ostracodes from Late Cenozoic paleoenvironments. I am currently working on ostracodes from Kagoshima Bay and a supplementary study of ostracodes in the Sendai area, northeastern Japan.

Kamiya, Takahiro. I have an eight-month sabbatical this year and am visiting the UK (Dave Horn), Belgium (Koen Martens), Germany (Dietmar Keyser), Italy (G. Bonaduce) and the USA (Tom Cronin) from March to November, 1999. I am currently working on two projects, 1) the phylogeny of cytheracean and cypridacean ostracodes based on DDP (Differentiation of Distribution pattern of Pore-systems), and 2) the phylogeny of some cytheracean ostracodes by mt-DNA analysis. I am working with several graduate students. Hirokazu Ozawa (D3) is working on the Recent ostracode faunas in the Sea of Japan, discussing the relationship of water mass structure and the faunas, both for Plio-Pleistocene and Recent, and will complete his doctoral thesis next January. Toru Ishii (D1) has completed his master thesis on the study of the phylogeny of species of Loxoconcha based on the DDP and its post-Miocene distribution around Japan. Toshihiro Fujita (M2) is studying the mode of molting of cytheracean ostracodes, Ishizakiella and Spinileberis, and has already found fantastic results on the regulation and cyclicity. Takeharu Ishizaki (M1) is working on the phylogenetic relationship of superfamilies of Podocopida by DDP. Daisuke Higashi (M1) is working on the Recent ostracode faunas in the inner bay and shallow marine environments of southeastern Asia. Mayumi Obata (M1) is working on the taxonomy, ethology and population ecology of Neonesidea (Bairdiacea).

Tabuki, Ryouichi. I am studying 1) the ecology and taxonomy of reef ostracodes from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, 2) the submarine cave ostracodes in the Ryukyu Islands, Palau Islands and Philippine Islands, and 3) predation scars on the carapaces of benthic ostracodes in the Ryukyu Islands. I am working with several graduate students. T. Takamine is writing a masters thesis on the ostracode fauna and sedimentary environment of the Pleistocene Chine Sand, Okinawa Island. Y. Nikawadori is writing a graduate thesis on the predation scars on carapaces of ostracodes from the Pleistocene Chine Sand, Okinawa Island.

Tsukagoshi, Akira. I am studying the segmentation (with Andrew Parker, Australian Museum) and homology of the urosome on ostracoda. Recently I have concentrated my work on the soft anatomy of Platycopa, which is very good material for understanding the ostracode body plan. With a postgraduate student, I am describing brackish-water species from the mouth of the Obitsu River, Chiba Prefecture. This work will include descriptions of one new genus and three new species, along with 17 genera and 21 species. I guide two postgraduate students: Shigetaka Tamaguchi (Institute of Geology, The University of Tokyo) and Yuriko Nakao (College of Humanity and Sciences, Nihon University). S. Yamaguchi finished a study using molecular analysis to analyze the relationships of the genus Ishizakiella populations around Japan. Now he is interested in higher taxonomy of Ostracoda using molecular and morphological analysis. Y. Nakao is involved in research on the brackish-water ostracod and foraminiferal facies in the mouth of the Obitsu River, Chiba Prefecture, in view of seasonal and decadal changes. She will move to Shizuoka University after April 1999. I will also be moving to Shizuoka University after April 1999.

Yajima, Michiko. I finished the Hilgendorf Exhibition at five museums in Japan. I continue to study the history of paleontology in order to introduce the new movement of history of paleontology in America and England since the 1970’s and to establish a good base of ostracodology in Japan.

Yumoto, Michiaki. I have researched the influence of the ENSO (El Nino-South Oscillation) and global climate change upon tropical cyclone activity in the northwestern Pacific. So I am now suspending my work on ostracodes.

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JORDAN

Correspondent: S. H. Basha

No report submitted in 1999.

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KOREA

Correspondent: Eui-Hyeong Lee <ehlee@kuccnx.korea.ac.kr>

Huh, Min. Min is working on (1) marine Miocene Ostracoda from the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent seas (East Sea, Japan, and Russian samples), (2) Quaternary Ostracoda using the cores from the East Sea (Sea of Japan), (3) Recent marine ostracodes as indicators of water pollution from the adjacent sea of Korean Peninsula, with Dr. Schornikov and Dr. E. H. Lee. General interests include paleoecology and paleobiogeographic research.

Lee, Eui-Hyeong. Eui is working on the ecology and taxonomy of Recent marine ostracods from shallow seas around the Korean Peninsula. This year I will finish a joint project with Dr. E.I. Schornikov and Dr. Min Huh, working on ostracods as indicators of water pollution from the east coast of Korean Peninsula. Other current research interests: (1) Cenozoic marine and Mesozoic freshwater ostracods in subsurface cores from the continental shelves around Korean Peninsula, (2) Quaternary ostracods from the Cheju Island. [Editor’s note: we thank Dr. Lee for volunteering this year to become Korea’s CYPRIS country correspondent. Many thanks, Eui.]

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LUXEMBURG

Correspondent: Karel Wouters <kwouters@kbinirsnb.be>

Meisch, Claude. Claude is continuing research on the systematics and geographical distribution of Recent freshwater Ostracoda of Europe and the Mid Atlantic Isles. A comprehensive guide including descriptions, illustrations, and keys to the freshwater ostracodes occurring in western and central Europe is ready and planned to be published in 2000. The area of the synopsis covers the British Isles, France north of Lyon, the Benelux countries, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. A paper on the origin and evolution of the putative furca of extant Ostracoda is in preparation.

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MEXICO

Correspondent: Ana Luisa Carreño <anacar@servidor.unam.mx>

Carreño, Ana Luisa. I am working with Recent marine ostracodes from the equatorial offshore Brazil (with Joao Carlos Coimbra Universidad Federal do Rio Grande do Sul). I am also continuing my long-term research on Baja California Tertiary calcareous microfauna and microflora (Ostracoda, Foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton). My teaching activities include advising a M. Sc. research project (Guillermo, Alvarado V.) on the lacustrine ostracods and the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Laguna de Babicora, Chihuahua, Mexico with the collaboration of Manuel Palacios-Fest (Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona) and a Bachelors thesis on foraminifera and ostracoda of the type locality of the Tepetate Formation, Baja California Sur, Mexico (Guerrero-Arenas, Rosalía).

Machain-Castillo, Ma. Luisa and Gío-Argáez, F. Raúl continue working on Quaternary ostracodes of the Mexican seas, especially in the diversity and distribution patterns of the continental shelf & coastal areas of Campeche Bay (with W.A. van den Bold). They are also working on the distribution Atlas & Maps of the ostracoda of Southern Gulf of Mexico and a project on microfossils (ostracodes, foraminifers and mollusks) assemblages of the Thalassia plains in the Yucatán Peninsula (with P.R. Krutak, B.K. Sen Gupta and L. C. Anderson). Teaching activities of María Luisa Machain-Castillo include supervision of F. R. Gío-Argáez in his PhD thesis entitled "Distibución y Ecología de los ostrácodos de la plataforma continental y zona costera del Estado de Campeche, México".

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MOROCCO

Correspondent: Ratiba Bekkali

Nachite, Driss and Bekkali, Ratiba are working on (1) Neogene lacustrine Ostracoda of Granada Basin (south of Spain) and Saïss Basin (north of Morocco), and limno-brackish Ostracoda from the N.O. of Morocco.(2) Holocene ostracoda of the Alboran Sea with A. El Hmaidi from Moulay Ismail Univ. (Meknes, Morocco). During the summer, D. Nachite worked in Bordeaux (DGO) with P. Carbonel on the freshwater ostracoda from Saïss Bassin N. O. of Morocco.

Rossi, Abdelhmid. I'm still working on Lower Cretaceous Ostracoda of Atlantic mountains (Essaouira-Agadir Basin, Morocco).

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THE NETHERLANDS

Correspondent: Dick Van Harten <hard@geo.vu.nl>

Bless, Martin. No report received.

Lissenberg, Theo. Theo is planning to describe some Mesozoic ostracode faunas from a borehole in the eastern part of The Netherlands (Lower Cenomanian, Upper and Middle Albian, Aptian, Early Bajocian and Late Toarcian). NIAG-TNO has decided to continue the activities of the Mesozoic foram and ostracode department albeit in far lower gear than in the old days.

van den Bold, Willem. Willem’s work on the synopsis of the Neogene and Quaternary ostracodes of the Caribbean was delayed owing to serious illness. He is on the mend now and hopes to be able to take up his studies shortly.

van Harten, Dick. Dick analyzed a marine fauna of a boring into the Eemian of Amsterdam (in co-operation with NIAG-TNO) and is now working on Recent deep-sea ostracodes collected near whale falls in the Pacific (in co-operation with Craig Smith of Honolulu, Hawaii).

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NEW CALEDONIA

Correspondent: --- open ---

Hoibian, Thierry. I began last year another survey about ecological distribution of actual ostracods from the Thio estuary, situated on the east coast of New-Caledonia, from fresh water to marine coral reef environments, with the aim to compare estuaries of the east coast, exposed to trade winds, more humid and those of the west coast, drier. I made also some progress in the study of the relation between seaweeds and ostracod species (and other biotopes) of coral reef flats with the aim of paleoenvironmental reconstruction. I am also working on a project concerning climatic incidences on benthic ostracod populations in transitional estuarine environments of the intertropical zone (with examples from the Thio estuary and the Nera delta - Bourail – New Caledonia). I am also interested in the incidence of anthropogenic factors on ostracod distributions and short time evolution. I am presently completing a database on ostracods of the southwest Pacific and developing GIS for environmental survey (including ostracods).

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NEW ZEALAND

Correspondent: Stephen Eager <Stephen.Eagar@vuw.ac.nz>

Eagar, Stephen. Stephen revisited Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati (Gilbert Islands) to study the effects of the sewage discharge outlets on the environment. These are not as intense as might be expected with such a dense population as the facilities are flushed with sea water. The results of this work are being published in a book due out late in 1999. In addition, some freshwater ponds were sampled and some of them contained ostracods. Stephen also went to the 28 SOPAC (South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission) Conference hosted by the Federated States of Micronesia in Suva, Fiji where he presented a paper on "Ostracods from Tarawa: their place in the Pacific scheme of things". A new project on the ostracods from Funafuti, Tuvalu (Ellice Islands) looking at some samples collected by SOPAC and himself. Work is also continuing on some Pleistocene marine faunas from eastern New Zealand. An inventory of all ostracod species is being prepared for a Millenial Symposium to be held in Wellington, New Zealand. An honours degree student, Jane Atkinson, is working on the sediments of Nabuca Reef flat in Suva Harbour, Fiji which have good ostracod faunas. She is looking at why the main channel is silting up, which may be related to the Suva earthquake of 1954.

Mason, Graeme. My present central pursuit (which I expect to be at the core of future work) is to develop and test a theory of the deep structural patterns to be found displayed in the Ostracoda. Peripheral to this project is work mainly based on the New Zealand freshwater ostracods.

Swanson, Kerry. Kerry, along with Thomas Jellinek, represented the interests of ostracodology by participating in the GEOMAR sponsored 'TASQWA" project which is to study hydrological and climatic change in the Southern Ocean over the last 200,000 years. The cruise on the research vessel 'Sonne' occurred on October and November of '98. As part of a joint effort with Patrick DeDeckker (ANU), the recovery of a large number of living ostracods from the deep sea was a prime objective. To date we estimate we have about 70 podocopid species with soft parts, and about 30 myodocopid species. Thomas joined Kerry in Christchurch early in '99 to begin the laboratory work associated with the dissection and photography of the podocopids. It is hoped that this part of the project will be ready for publication late in 2000. A series of cores from the Tasman Sea and Campbell Plateau were also taken for ostracod paleothermometry amongst a raft of other studies by other specialists. Much of the information gathered will be presented at the 'Acheron Symposium' to be organized by Kerry, Thomas and Gerrit van der Lingen (GRAINZ), this meeting will be held in Westport in 2001. The individuals above will also edit the conference proceedings which will be published within a year of the symposium. Jane Guise has also started work on ostracods with Kerry. She will examine the biology and taxonomy of two species from the Avon and Heathcote Estuaries near Christchurch.

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NIGERIA

Correspondent: Constance Moro

No report submitted in 1999.

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NORWAY

Correspondent: --- open ---

Titterton, Rosemary. Since my move to Statoil, Norway I have had very little chance to even see an ostracod. So a very quiet year for me.

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PAKISTAN

Correspondent: S. Farah Fatmi

No report submitted in 1999.

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POLAND

Correspondent: Janina Szczechura <janina.s@twarda.pan.pl>

Klimowicz, Malgorzata. no information.

Krzyminska, Jarmila. Jarmila is still engaged in her studies on Quaternary fauna (including ostracodes) from the southern Baltic Sea.

Malec, Jan. Jan is continuing his studies on the Lower and Middle Devonian ostracodes from the Holy Cross Mountains, as well as work on the Upper Silurian ostracodes of this area.

Namiotko, Tadeusz. Tadeusz, after six-month stay in Chatham (from December 1977 to June 1988), where he was contributing to the development of the NODE database (Nonmarine Ostracod Distribution in Europe), coordinated by David J. Horne, continues his work on ecology, taxonomy and distribution of living and subfossil (Quaternary) European nonmarine ostracodes. Works in progress: 1) Changes in Holocene assemblages of profundal lacustrine Ostracoda due to eutrophication process; 2) Morphology, geographical distribution and ecology of Cryptocandona species (with Dan L. Danielopol, Pierre Marmonier and Angel Baltanas); 3) Pleistocene ostracodes from lacustrine chalk of Kruklanki, Northern Poland (with Janina Szczechura).

Nehring-Lefeld, Maria. Maria is retired, however she completes data on Devonian ostracodes from Poland, which will be presented in Atlas of the Devonian fossils from Poland.

Olempska, Ewa. Ewa is continuing her work on Devonian entomozoaceans from the Holy Cross Mountains and, at the same time, she examines Palaeozoic Microcheilinella species and its relationship to Mesozoic Cardobairdia. In cooperation with Janusz Blaszyk she works on Callovian ostracodes from Lukow outcrop, eastern Poland.

Paruch-Kulczycka, Jolanta. Jolanta is still busy with preparation of exhibitions, including microfossils, in the Geological Museum of the Polish Geological Institute, in Warsaw. She also expects to continue her studies on the Middle Miocene ostracodes of Poland.

Sell, Jerzy. No information.

Smolen, Jolanta. Jolanta collected freshwater ostracodes of uppermost Jurassic (Tithonian) from boreholes, from northwestern Poland. Now she is curator of the Jurassic microfaunal collections in the Polish Geological Institute, in Warsaw.

Sywula, Tadeusz. no information.

Szczechura, Janina. Janina is currently dealing with the Middle Miocene ostracodes of the Carpathian Foredeep, now in collaboration with Giuseppe Aiello, of the University of Naples, who stays for seven month in the Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, in Warsaw. Of ostracodes collected from the upper part of the Middle Miocene of the Upper Silesias there are recognized more than one hundred ostracode species. Their taxonomy, origin and environment are the main problems to be resolved. At the same she also works with Tadeusz Namiotko on the subfossil (Pleistocene) lacustrine ostracodes of northern Poland. Paper almost ready to be pressed concerns Middle Miocene ostracodes from boreholes from the Carpathian Foredeep, containing typical, known bathyal forms as well as those characteristic of areas with hydrothermal seeps. She is supervisor of a Ph. D. thesis by Julia Didenko (Museum of Natural History, in Lvov) on Upper Cretaceous ostracodes from Ukraine (so far, ostracodes collected are from deep-water and are known from other areas of Europe).

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ROMANIA

Correspondent: Radu Olteanu <geol@igr.sfos.ro>

Olteanu, Radu. During the second Romanian National Symposium of Paleontology (October 1999) I will present a new paper: "The Kimmerian ostracodes and Ponto-Caspian bioprovinces problem. A critical view" (in Acta Paleontologica Romaniae, nr.2, Univ. Babes-Boliay, Cluj). Now, I'm working on a sharp and fragile problem about the taxonomy, systematics and classification of Limnocardiids (Bivalvia) from Sarmatian to Recent. Recently I finished a greater work (247 pages) about the ostracodes and mollusks from a Neogene brackish – water facies from Ponto-Caspian areas (including the Carpathian area).

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RUSSIA

Correspondent: L. M. Melnikova <lmelnik@paleo.msk.su>

Abushik, Anna. Anna prepared papers on Silurian ostracodes and the Early Devonian leperditicopids, both contributed to the monograph on Severnaya Zemlya that will be published in Geodiversitas in Paris. This work was made under the IGCP Project 406 "Circum Arctic Palaeozoic Vertebrates". She is currently working on Silurian ostracodes and Devonian leperditicopids from the Kotelny Island (Novosibirsk Islands, North-East of Russia).

Aladin, Nick. This year I am studying osmoregulation of Ostracoda from the Caspian and Baltic Sea. I am also studying Ostracoda shells from short cores collected from Caspian and Aral Seas and from some karstic lakes in Tatarstan. At present I am still working with about 200 cores from the Aral Sea collected by Russian Ecological Survey in 1990-1991.

Chavtur, V.G. I am the Head of Laboratory of Planktonology. During past year I was busy with the preparation of some papers on the pelagic ostracodes of the subfamilies Halocypridinae and Euconchoecinae from the North Pacific. Besides that, I finished the investigation on the morphological variability of closely related species of the genus Halocypris on the materials from tropical and subtropical zones of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Now I have started preparing a voluminous paper on the revision of the pelagic ostracods of the new tribe Metaconchoecini.

Evdokimova, Irina. Irina prepared the paper on Early Devonian non-leperditicopids contributed to the monograph on Severnaya Zemlya (Russia) that will be published in Geodiversitas in Paris. This work was made under the IGCP Project 406 "Circum Arctic Palaeozoic Vertebrates". Irina is currently working on Frasnian ostracodes from the Main Devonian Field, northwest of the Russian platform (taxonomy, biostratigraphy, palaeoecology), and Devonian ostracodes of Kotelny Island (Novosibirsk Islands, NE Russia).

Kukhtinov-Saratov, D. During 1998 I've done: 1) analysis of possibilities and detail studying of interregional correlation of continental deposits of the Upper Permian and Triassic of Euroasia on the basis of ostracoda fauna; 2) peculiarities and causes of great change in ostracoda fauna at the boundary of the Permian and Triassic were carried out; general cause of basing of the complexes - change from Darwinula to Suchonella in the first case and full inversion in the second; 3) study of marine ostracods from the Upper Permian (Kazanian stage) and Moscowian stage of the Southern part of the Russian plate (with student A. Apostolov) was carried out.

Melnikova, Mila. My current research activities include research on Ordovician ostracods of the East-European Platform (Leningrad district, continuing work), Taimyr Peninsula and Middle Asia. I, along with E. D. Michailova, prepared for publication 2 papers in which characteristic and comparison of the Archalyk and Minkuchar ostracods assemlages from the Zeravshan-Gissar Mountain Region are given (based on the key section Shakhriomon -II). The Archalyk assemblage is represented by 15 species and Minkuchar one includes 25 species.

Michailova, Elena. Elena continues to study ostracoda associations, paleoecology, and biostratigraphy of Upper Silurian and Lower Devonian deposits from folded framing of Turan platform.

Neustrueva, Irina. Irina is working on Paleozoic and Mesozoic limnic Ostracoda.

Nikolaeva, Irina. Irina is working on Paleogene ostracodes from the Northern Caucasus region: paleoecology and application in the stratigraphic zonal schemes.

Savelieva, Julia. Julia is working on the Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene ostracods from Tetis. She is also working on collections of Cretaceous and Paleogene ostracods from Crimea and Turkmenistan (Maly Balkhan).

Schornikov, E.I., Sci., continues his research on ecology, morphology and taxonomy of ostracods. Dr. Schornikov is investigating ostracods in the following topics: 1) monographic research of Paleozoic Bythocytheridae, 2) heterochrony and morphological evolution of ostracods, 3) Ostracoda - indicators of conditions and dynamic of water ecosystems; 4) Ostracoda of Sea of Japan. Dr. Schornikov is working with D. A. Sokolenko, a post-graduate student (see the report below) and with J. A. Pykhtina, a post-graduate student who is studying ostracoda of Candonidae family of the southern Primorye Territory, (Maritime Province).

Sobolev, Dmitryi. Dmitryi completed his Ph.D. on Tournaisian ostracods of the northeastern European part of Russia.

Sokolenko, D.A. I am a post-graduate student currently working on Ostracoda as indicators of conditions and dynamic of water ecosystems (on examples of several areas of Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan). I am also working on ostracods as indicators of anthropogenic influence in ports of southern Primorye Territory, Russia, and am researching ostracodes of the Sea of Japan.

Tesakova, Ekaterina. Ekaterina is currently writing her Ph.D. on the Jurassic ostracodes of central parts of Russian Platform, which she hopes to complete to September 1999.

Tschizhova, Vera A. My current work is focused on monographical study of the Tournaisian ostracods of the eastern part of Russian Platform.

Zenkova Galina G. I have prepared for publication 2 papers: 1) ?Silurian ostracodes from the central part of Ufa Amphitheater? in which ostracode associations from the Landoverian, Wenlock and Lundlow stage of Western slope of the Middle Urals in the central part of Ufa 5Amphiteatre are examined; seven new species are described. 2) ?Pridolian ostracode from the central part of Ufa Amphitheater, in which ostracode associations from the Pridolian Stage of Western Slope of the Urals in the central part of Ufa Amphitheater are examined; seven new species and one known species are described. Biostratigraphic ostracode subdivisions are distinguished in the Silurian and Lower Devonian beds of this territory and them correlation with provincial zones.

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SLOVAKIA

Correspondent: --- open ---

No report submitted in 1999.

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SPAIN

Correspondent: Julio Rodriquez-Lazaro <gpprolaj@lg.ehu.es>

Baltanasis, Angel. Angel is currently dealing with many results from the activity developed in the EU-project on 'The Evolutionary Ecology of Reproductive Modes in Nonmarine ostracods'. He is mainly involved in morphometric analysis of nonmarine ostracods and a small project on morphometry of Mixtacandona species and its evolutionary significance (together with Dan Danielopol). Another research topic is based on reproductive strategies of ostracods living in temporary habitats. A simulation analysis of bet-hedging strategies in ostracods is done together with Laura Arqueros. Angel has the following students: Paloma Alcorlo, Laura Arqueros, Marina Otero.

Civis-Llovera Jorge. Jorge is working with Neogene to Quaternary continental and transitional ostracods from the Duero and Guadalquivir Basins (W and SW Spain). Ostracod assemblages and isotopic analyses of carapaces are used to biostratigraphic and palaeoecologic interpretations of these basins. Jorge has the following student: Luis de Luque-Ripoll, who is starting with a thesis that partially deals with Pleistocene continental and littoral ostracods from the Betic Ranges (S Spain), under the supervision of J.L. Goy and Jorge Civis-Llovera (University of Salamanca).

Gabas i Gasa, Montse. Montse is preparing her PhD thesis on Quaternary from the Baza Basin (S Spain). Under supervision of Dr. Pere Anadon (Barcelona), she is working with geochemistry of continental ostracods from the Baza Basin.

Gonzalez Porta, Jordi. Jordi is working in two projects related to palaeolimnology of ostracods: 1) Ostracods from the Albufera des Grau (Menorca, Balearic Islands), with the study of a 10 m core of Holocene sediments, 2) with several cores from the Recent, within an European project about eutrophication in European lakes.

Gonzalez-Regalado, Mary Luz and Ruiz-Muñoz, Francisco. Mary Luz and Francisco are involved in the following topics: (1) Ostracod distribution of the estuarine Holocene from the SW Spain. (2) Recent ostracods of the outer-shelf and talus from the Gulf of Cadiz, SW Spain. (3) Ostracods as palaeoenvironmental indicators: pollution, storms, earthquakes etc. (4) Freshwater ostracods of Doñana National Park (SW Spain).

Gozalo, Rodolfo. Rodolfo is involved in the taxonomy and biostratigraphy of the Upper Devonian marine ostracods from Spain, in collaboration with Luis Sanchez de Posada and Miguel Pardo Alonso. He is also working with the taxonomy and biostratigraphy of Cambrian trilobites and ostracods, in collaboration with Eladio Liñán and Ingelore Hinz-Schalreuter.

Mezquita-Juanes, Francesc. Francesc successfully obtained the doctoral degree in December-1998 with the Ph.D. entitled "Ecology of ostracods from springs, rivers and lakes on the eastern Iberian Peninsula". Funding to continue working on ostracods are not available at the moment, but he applied for a post-doctoral fellowship to work at a British laboratory for one or two years. In the meantime he is collaborating with colleagues from the Department of Ecology of the Univ. of Valencia (J. R. Roca, J. Rueda, R. Oltra, M.R. Miracle, A. Sanz, T. Camacho, D. Boronat), the Univ. of Barcelona (J.L.Pretus, J. Gonzalez), the Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, Barcelona (R. Julia), and the Univ. Cath. Louvain (G. Wansard). Studies in progress are related to ostracod community ecology from Spanish lakes; the biogeography and community ecology of ostracods in water bodies of the Balearic Islands; the population ecology of Cyclocypris ovum in Lake La Cruz and Cyprideis torosa in the Salines of Santa Pola; Holocene ostracods as palaeoecological indicators in some European lakes; seasonal changes in populations and trace elements of ostracods in a freshwater spring.

Otero, Marina. Marina is finishing her Master Thesis on the life history of Eucypris virens.

Roca-Rosell, Josep. Josep is continuing research on (1) Late Holocene ostracods from limnocrene karstic systems, together with Guy Wansard (University of Louvain); (2) influence of water temperature and water chemistry on developing and trace element incorporation of several species of the genus Herpetocypris, in collaboration also with Guy Wansard and Francesc Mezquita (University of Valencia).

Rodriguez-Lazaro, Julio. Julio is working with the following topics: (1) Cenomanian ostracods and isotopic signals in the Leioa section (Basque Basin). (2) Taxonomy and palaeoecology of Quaternary ostracods from the Little Bahama Bank. The genus Krithe and its potential in palaeoceanography (both with Tom Cronin, USGS, Reston, USA, and others). (3) Pliocene lacustrine ostracods from Villarroya (Spain), with Pere Anadon, CSIC Barcelona, and other colleagues. Isotopic and trace elements analysis of the ostracods for (palaeo)hydrological characterization. (4) Quaternary ostracods from the Gernika Estuary (Bay of Biscay), with Ana Pascual and Fernando Caballero (University of the Basque Country). (5) Turonian ostracods from the Basco-Cantabrian and Anglo-Paris basins: comparative study (with Ian Slipper, David Horne, Andrew Gale; Greenwich Univ.). Future work: (1) The genus Krithe from the Bay of Biscay (with Pierre Carbonel and other colleagues from Univ. of Bordeaux). Julio has the following students: Maite Martin is preparing a thesis on Neogene to Recent lacustrine ostracods from the Ebro Basin (N Spain), testing the potential for isotopic analysis of ostracod valves to fine palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in this basin. Fernando Caballero has started a thesis on the Holocene of the Gernika Estuary (Bay of Biscay), dealing with microfaunas (ostracods, forams) and high resolution stratigraphy to test palaeoenvironmental evolution and anthropogenic effect in this estuary.

Sanchez de Posada, Luis. Luis is involved in the taxonomy and biostratigraphy of the Upper Devonian marine ostracods from Spain, in collaboration with Rodolfo Gozalo. He is also working on Carboniferous ostracods from Spain, a global project on Paleozoic basins; taxonomic studies on Kirbyocopina and Hollinomorpha from the Carboniferous of Leon (NW Spain) and Cambrian ostracods from the Ossa Morena.

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SWEDEN

Correspondent: --- open ---

Majoran, Stefan. Stefan will move to Copenhagen, Denmark, in the summer of 1999 and plans to stay there for two years to work with Richard Dingle. He is financed by a Postdoctoral fellowship provided by the Carlsberg Foundation and will mainly be working on Tertiary deep-sea ostracods of the South Atlantic and the Southern Ocean.

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TUNISIA

--- open ---

No report submitted in 1999.

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TURKEY

Correspondent: Nuran Sonmez-Gokcen

Altinsacli, Selcuk. I am working on the ecology, taxonomy, and biogeographical distribution of freshwater, brackish and marine ostracods in the Biology Department of Istanbul University. I have finished up the project entitled as" The Freshwater Ostracoda (Crustacea) Fauna of Lake Kus (Manyas) and Zoogeographical Distributions". I am working with The Freshwater Ostracoda (Crustacea) Fauna of Lake Camici (Bafa).

Kilic, Mustafa. I am working marine ostracods in seas of Turkey (Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea).

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The UNITED KINGDOM of GREAT BRITAIN and N. IRELAND

Correspondent: Ian Slipper <I.J.Slipper@gre.ac.uk>

Ainsworth, Nigel Richard. My main current activity concerns my constancy work on the litho- and biostratigraphy of the Mesozoic basins of Northwest Europe, especially the North Sea and Atlantic Margins of Britain and Ireland. I am currently involved in the following research activities: 1) Statistical analyses using Ostracoda, in conjunction with wireline logs (with co-worker David Melnyk), 2) Ostracod and foraminiferid colour change by thermal alteration in both the offshore and onshore sections, 3) Lower Jurassic Ostracoda from the western margins of Scotland (with co-worker Ian Boomer), and 4) Stratigraphy of the Britannia Field Reservoir (Late Barremian – Late Aptian), UK North Sea (with co workers Les Riley, Liam Gallagher, Hayden Bailey).

Athersuch, John A. All my time is taken up with StrataData business. We have now released version 1.5 of StrataBugs, our biostratigraphic data management software.

Bate, Ray. 1998 was spent completing a large project dealing with Lower Cretaceous lacustrine sediments of the onshore/offshore Kwanza Basin (Angola). A large number of new ostracod species have been identified and it is hoped to be able to find sufficient time to write these up for publication. Hopefully during 1999. Current work in progress is as outlined above with respect to the two major faunal provinces of northern West Africa/Brazil (Gabon/Reconcavo) and southern West Africa/Brazil (Angola/Campos). This research falls within the remit of IGCP Project 381 on the Mesozoic of the South Atlantic. I have written a stratigraphical paper on the lacustrine sediments of the Kwanza Basin and am waiting on industry approval.

Boomer, Ian. I am working on the following projects: 1) Use of microfossil assemblages to qualitatively and quantitatively reconstruct past environmental changes. This is mainly within the context of continental, saline lakes (Iberian Peninsula, Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Aral Sea, Lake Balkhash), 2) Establishing quantitative relationships between ostracod species and the physico-chemical parameters of their environments as an aid to qualitatively reconstructing past hydrological conditions and monitoring modern habitats, and 3) Various aspects of Jurassic marine and nonmarine Ostracoda. Current work in progress includes: 1) Recently established links with French research groups to work on late Quaternary history of the Caspian and Black Seas, 2) Holocene evolution of the Lincolnshire marshes (with BGS & Reading), 3) Early Jurassic Freshwater environments in NE Italy (with Aberystwyth & Ferrara, Italy), 4) Late Holocene environmental change in N African lakes (CASSARINA – with UCL & Bergen), 5) Establishing research programme with Liverpool on Tibetan Lake records, 6) Continuing research activities relating to North Norfolk Holocene sedimentary record, 6) Ongoing research assisting with revision of Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology with Whatley (Aberystwyth), 7) Research links with Nigel Ainsworth on Early Jurassic micropalaeontology and environments of the Hebrides Sea, and 8) Departmental research links on Portuguese Holocene estuarine sites, Nonmarine Quaternary deposits from English Midlands, Quaternary to Recent records of Ostracoda from caves in northern Britain and high resolution UK Holocene climate records.

Frogley, Michael. I continue to hold a Research Fellowship at St John’s College, Cambridge. This year I have concentrated on consolidating and publishing the results from a palaeoclimatic investigation of a 600ka, 319m lacustrine sequence from NW Greece. This includes details of the previously undocumented modern and Late Quaternary ostracod fauna from the lake (including several endemics), which I am compiling with Huw Griffiths. In addition, ongoing work from the site includes the improvement in resolution of the last glacial - Holocene stable isotopic record derived from ostracod shell calcite, being carried out in collaboration with Tim Heaton of the NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory in Keyworth, Nottingham.

Horne, David J. I am currently working on the following projects: 1) Phylogeny of marine and brackish water ostracod lineages, collaborative project currently being developed with Dr T. Kamiya (Kanazawa University, Japan) who is spending two months working at the University of Greenwich, April - June 1999; 2) Purbeck-Wealden (Jurassic - Cretaceous) Palaeoenvironments and Biostratigraphy; chapter for new "Biostratigraphical Atlas of British Ostracoda" (in press, publication due 1999); Collaborative work on Purbeck-Wealden ostracod palaeobiology with Dr K. Martens (Brussels) continues; contributed to review of Purbeck palaeoclimates by P. Allen (Reading University). Currently preparing papers on Purbeck-Wealden ostracod palaeoecology; 3) Supervising a Ph.D. student, Alasdair Bruce, on Holocene microfaunas and the evolution of the Fleet (Dorset); (co-supervisor J.E. Whittaker, Natural History Museum), completion expected May 1999; 4) Part of Acciones Integradas project (see under Ian Slipper), and 5) I will contribute to a workshop session on living ostracods (biology, ecology, behaviour) at the American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, May 31 - June 4, 1999 (Workshop on ostracod biology, ecology and paleoecology for a better understanding of ostracod shell geochemistry, organized by P. De Deckker, T. Cronin & J. Holmes).

Johnson, Nicola A. I am over halfway through a 3 year work contract with the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge as a Geological Data Assistant (which started at the beginning of July 1997). The job remit is to update, maintain and develop the use of BAS’ central geological database using Oracle and Microsoft Access, with a view to GIS and Web manipulation/presentation of the data in the future. I have no current ostracod work at present as I am concentrating on my job. However, I expect to find time in the future to continue my interest in ostracods (I am becoming particularly interested in Antarctica and any ostracods that live there!).

Lord, Alan R. No ostracod work in last year other than editing ISO97 papers (see below). I am writing-up Pleistocene/Holocene boundary ostracods from Skagen, N. Denmark. I am working on papers with Dr C. Arias (Spain) and Dr D.J. Horne, and special issue of Marine Micropaleontology edited with Dr I.D. Boomer on ‘Ostracoda and Global Change’. I am working with a Masters student, Mr I. Hawkes, who is working on Holocene ostracods from a lake in the Nile Delta.

Miller, C. Giles. My research on ostracods has not progressed rapidly this year mainly because much of my research time has been spent on conodonts. I have had time to illustrate some particularly beautiful palaeocopes from the Wenlock (Silurian) of the Canadian arctic and plan to publish on them in the near future. I continue to curate the Natural History Museum’s ostracod collections as part of my job.

Slipper, Ian J. The Spring of 1998 saw the start of an Acciones Integradas project, together with Julio Rodriguez-Lazaro, Ana Pascual and Xavier Elorza from the Universidad del Pais Vasco, Bilbao, and David J. Horne and Andy Gale from the University of Greenwich. The project is to compare the Turonian ostracod faunas of the Anglo-Paris and Basco Cantabrian Basins. Initial field work and sample collection was undertaken in Sussex and northern Spain. As secretary of Ostracod Group I co-organized the 1998 spring field meeting, with the assistance of Alasdair Bruce we visited his Ph.D. localities of the Fleet. Roy Clements also led us for a day of the classic Purbeck/Weladen section at Durlston Bay. Thank you from the Ostracod Group for your help. The summer of 1998 saw students from local schools with Nuffield Science Foundation bursaries working in the micropalaeontolgy laboratories looking at Ostracoda in Turonian samples from Germany. The delivery & commissioning of a new environmental chamber SEM in the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences has kept me very busy with users wanting to discover the delights of low vacuum SEM. Trying to find time for own research has been difficult. March 1999 saw the start of a collaborative project with Takahiro Kamiya and David J. Horne on the phylogenetic position of certain key ostracod taxa using pore mapping techniques. I am currently working on the task of converting my thesis of Turonian Ostracoda from S.E. England into a monograph for the Palaeontographcal Society. My survey of Gault Clay (Albian) ostracods from Folkestone, Kent is nearing completion, and the results will appear in the forthcoming Palaeontological Society’s Book, ‘Fossils of the Gault’ edited by Jeremy Young, Jackie Skipper and Andy Gale. A return to my undergraduate project area of Isle of Wight Oligocene ostracods is part of a study investigating depositional environments and glauconite formation with Andy Gale and Jenny Hugget.

Wilkinson, Ian P. Much of my time during the last year has been spent working on Foraminiferas and projects that do not involve ostracods. However, a small project on an unusual occurrence of late Jurassic ostracods (and forams), brought to the surface from depth by a series of cold water springs in south western England, has been prepared for publication. A second project currently underway concerns late Aptian ostracods from southern England. I have been working on a couple of boreholes from the North Downs, just to the south of London, and the information has been added to my database. I have been gradually collecting data for a few years and hope that a publication on Aptian assemblages from the Wessex Basin-Weald-Woburn area will be forthcoming. Finally, a series of boreholes from the type area of the old "Selbornian" (Albian) have yielded Foraminifera, Radiolaria and a few ostracods, all of which are being worked on with a view to publish.

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United States of America

Correspondent: Pamela Borne Blanchard <PamB@lsu.edu>

Blanchard, Pamela Borne. I finished my Ph.D. at Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge) in May 1998 under the direction of Joe Hazel. The title of my dissertation is "Pliocene and Pleistocene Marine Ostracoda of the Limón Basin, Costa Rica: A Record of Paleoenvironmental Change". I am currently employed as an Assistant Professor of Research at LSU for the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program and am coordinating their marine education program.

Briggs, Bill. Bill is currently working on ostracodes in box cores from the Western Arctic Ocean and Chukchi Sea; Shelf and Atlantic-water ostracodes from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Brouwers, Elisabeth. Elly has been occupied with administrative tasks related to running the Central Region of the Geologic Division, USGS in Denver. This is a great learning experience, providing some great insights into how other USGS groups such as Water Resources, Biological Resources, and the National Mapping Divisions, as well as working on opportunities on interdisciplinary project work. In the little time available for ostracode work, I am working on a CD-ROM that has a chapter on Paleogene ostracodes from Pakistan and a chapter on modern ostracodes from Rio Que Quen, Argentina. In addition, I am doing some biostratigraphic zonation for Tertiary ostracodes from South Florida related to studies of the aquifer system, and providing some reconstructions of aquatic biological systems on an historical time scale for a watershed in Colorado severely impacted by hard rock mining and the consequent acid mine drainage and metal loading.

Cohen, Anne C. I'm working on manuscripts describing Caribbean myodocopids that perform bioluminescent mating displays and the evolution of bioluminescence in the Cypridinidae, as well as the Treatise post-Paleozoic Myodocopida. I am writing [with assistance from Dawn Peterson] the Ostracoda section for the next [4th] edition of The Light and Smith Manual [Intertidal Invertebrates of the Central California Coast], edited by James T. Carlton, and would be grateful for any information or advice on that topic.

Cronin, Tom. My current research is on Holocene climate and ecosystem history of Chesapeake Bay and Florida Bay, as well as shell chemistry of Loxoconcha and Peratocytheridea, deep-sea Krithe Mg/Ca shell geochemistry and Quaternary paleoceanography (with Gary Dwyer and Baker at Duke University). I am also working on deep-sea Quaternary ostracodes with Julio Rodriguez-Lazaro, the tropical Neogene with Pam Blanchard, and Antarctic ostracodes (helping Masako Kato of Shizuoka). In addition, I am teaching a climate change course at George Mason University (GMU). A book developed from the GMU course, called "Principles of Paleoclimatology" is due out (Columbia University Press) in June 1999. I have two students working with me, Alex Karlsen (GMU Masters on Chesapeake benthic Foraminifera) and Sarah Gorden (Penn State University Masters on Chesapeake Bay sedimentation).

Curry, Brandon. I have been busy with our new theme at the Illinois State Geological Survey: geologic mapping. I try to maintain a modicum of research regarding ostracodes, paleohydrology, and paleoclimate, but these do not quite fit into our main program. Work involving ostracodes that is in progress includes examination of two Holocene lacustrine records, and several near-glacial sites in Illinois. The latter investigations emphasize fine-tuning the chronology of deglaciation of the Lake Michigan Lobe. I also have been working with Dr. Feng Shen Hu (a new faculty member here at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) on ostracode and biogeochemical records from Alaska. I have been working with Emi Ito on understanding the population dynamics and biogeochemistry of common pond-dwelling ostracodes in Champaign, Illinois. I was a reader for Jason Mann's Master's thesis (under Dr. Jim Teller, University of Manitoba) entitled " Using ostracodes and sediments in paleolagoons behind the Upper Campbell beach of glacial Lake Agassiz to reconstruct its history during the Emerson Phase" (1999, 293 p.). Jason used ostracodes to help him reconstruct environments in a paleolagoon environment associated with Lake Agassiz. I was merely a reader on his committee.

Forester, Rick. My current work involves using ostracode species assemblages from various cores in the Great Basin and other data sets, such as diatom species assemblages, stable isotope profiles, and plant macrofossils from packrat middens, in collaboration with many colleagues, to estimate the general characteristics of climate for the next 10,000 years in southern Nevada. The climates include the modern climate, a strong monsoon, and a glacial transition. The characteristics of the climates are derived from analog meteorological stations and those station data used as input to an infiltration model. The infiltration model output then feeds a performance assessment model that strives to evaluate the suitability of Yucca Mountain Nevada as a geologic repository for high level nuclear waste. Other work includes looking at ostracodes from cores and outcrops covering the Holocene and the Quaternary from throughout the Great Basin of the USA.

Hays, Karen. Karen is a graduate student of Emi Ito. She is working on the laboratory calibration of stable isotope and trace element fractionation by lacustrine ostracodes, a collaborative study with Alison Smith and Rick Forester.

Hazel, Joe. I have been working on organizing and curating collections, and trying to set up a website that would, in part, be a clearinghouse for stratigraphic information, including North American ostracodes. But it goes slowly. I had one student complete her doctoral dissertation this past year, Pam Borne Blanchard.

Ito, Emi. I am working, with Alison Smith and Rick Forester, on the calibration of lacustrine ostracode shell chemistry. My student Karen Hays is about to start culture work on several "common" lacustrine nektic and benthic species. Field collection of ostracodes from lakes and wetlands of different hydrochemistry is continuing. In addition, I am also working on a stable isotope and trace element study of fossil ostracodes collected by David Williams from Matanuska Valley in Alaska. This study is progressing slowly, as is the study of fossil ostracodes from Lake Zeribar, Iran (collected nearly 40 years ago by Herb Wright). The latter is being carried out by Lora Stevens with the assemblage study being carried out by Antje Schwalb and Huw Griffiths.

Kaesler, Roger. I continue to serve as Director of the Paleontological Institute, Editor of the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, and Curator-in-Charge of the Division of Invertebrate Paleontology of the Natural History Museum. I am also Professor of Geology and teach courses in paleontology, micropaleontology, and paleoecology. Next year I am scheduled to teach for the first time an introductory-level course entitled Prehistoric Life, which will be geared for students who do not plan to pursue a degree in geology. With a co-author, I am working on a textbook on historical geology in my spare time. W. Scott Heath is preparing a magisterial thesis on taphofacies analyses using microfossils. He is basing his study on the highly fossiliferous Hughes Creek Shale Member of the Foraker Limestone in east-central Kansas, an Upper Carboniferous unit. Karin Fischer is preparing a magisterial thesis on the ostracode fauna of the Beil Limestone Member of the Lecompton Limestone, a highly fossiliferous Upper Carboniferous unit in east central Kansas. Several other students are working on theses and dissertations that do not deal with ostracodes. I have three doctoral students who are working outside the area of ostracodes and three magisterial students, one of whom is not working on ostracodes. My own research and writing are directed largely toward the development of databases in paleontology, although I also do some work on late Paleozoic ostracodes from rocks of the mid-continent of North America. Well underway is volume 2 of Part H (Brachiopoda, revised) of the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, publication of which is expected in mid-1999.

Kontrovitz, Mervin. I continue with studies of the taphonomy of ostracodes and Foraminifera. Currently, I am working on shell ornamentation and differential transport as applied to ostracodes and other shelled groups. I have one student, Chris Sampagnaro, who is working on the taphonomy of agglutinated foraminifera.

Krutak, Paul. Although I am nearing retirement in June 1999, I still have a strong interest in modern ostracodes of Mexico. I am pursuing these interests by applying for a W. Storrs Cole Memorial Fellowship from the Geological Society of America for 1999-2000. If successful, I will work on epiphytal and carbonate-sand interstitial ostracodes from the Laguna Chunyaxche and the Bahía Emiliano Zapata along the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula. The work will be done jointly with the academic and administrative staff of the Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología at Universidad Nacionál Autónoma de Mexico in Mexico City. This work will be done in collaboration with Dra. Maria Luisa Machain-Castillo and M en C. Raul Gio-Argáez at their branch research station at Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo. In April 1999, Raul Gio-Argáez and I will be presenting a pre-convention American Association Petroleum Geologists field trip, "Reefal Development in a Terrigenous Province – Veracruz/Anton Lizardo Reefs, Mexico". Upon retiring, I plan to remain active as a consultant in geology and micropaleontology. I will be named Emeritus at Fort Hays State University and periodically will serve on committees here in Hays. My wife and I will maintain our residence in Colorado.

Kuglitsch, Jeff. I’m a conodont worker who has been seduced by ostracodes. I'm presently working with Dr. David L. Clark at U.W.-Madison (Silurian conodont biostratigraphy and conodont strontium isotope stratigraphy). My current work involves completing a detailed description of an ostracode fauna from the lower Silurian (Aeronian) Burnt Bluff Group of the Michigan Basin. My other interests include Upper Ordovician ostracodes and Silurian conodont biostratigraphy.

Kulkoyluoglu, Okan. I am enrolled in the Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology program at the University of Nevada, Reno. I am working on my Ph.D. dissertation, which I expect to finish by May 1999. The title of my dissertation is "Taxonomy, Ecology and Biogeographical distribution of spring-dwelling ostracoda (Crustacea) in Nevada". This study is interesting from different ways and aims to (1) complete an extensive (over 200 sites) taxonomic survey on spring ostracodes in Nevada; (2) to present both quantitative and qualitative description of the ecology of spring ostracodes; (3) to estimate their biogeographic distribution in Nevada, and (4) to study the conservation status of natural spring habitats in Nevada. Results show that species diversity and richness of these isolated spring habitats are relatively high. Also, results suggest that an immediate conservation plan must be taken to protect the spring habitats. One other interesting part of this study is that I am using nested subset analyses and the model of the island biogeography theory to understand the historical relationship between species distribution and diversity in the Great Basin area. Last year was not good for me in that my major advisor Dr. Gary L. Vinyard (49) passed away after a sudden heart attack.

Lambert, Pierre. I have been working on Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca analyses of Late Holocene ostracode shells from Crimea (Lakes Saki and Chokrak).

Lundin, Robert. Robert is working on the revision of Jones' (1889) nonpalaeocope ostracodes from the Llandoverian red beds of Gotland (with Harry Birkmann) and nonpalaeocope ostracodes from the Silurian sequence of Gotland (also with Harry Birkmann). Harry Birkmann has completed his dissertation entitled "Podocope, metacope and platycope ostracodes from the Silurian of Gotland: shape analysis, biostratigraphy and systematics".

Oakley, Todd. I am currently working a molecular phylogenetic study of ostracods focusing on family/subfamily relationships in Myodocopa. Currently I have used the rDNA gene 18S with good success, and I plan to add more genes soon. This phylogeny supports the claim of Parker (1995) that compound eyes have origininated in myodocopids independently of all other arthropods. To further test the independent eyes hypothesis, I am examining genes involved in vision. The first such candidate is the opsin gene family. I am currently characterizing opsins of the bioluminescent species, Vargula hilgendorfii. Soon I will characterize opsins from the other four myodocopid families, and podocopid and non-ostracod outgroups. The evolutionary history of this gene family should allow further testing of the independent eyes hypothesis.

Park, Lisa. This year I did field work in Lake Tanganyika, the Paleogene of Oman and in a salt-contaminated marsh in Mentor, Ohio. I organized a symposium on phylogeny reconstruction for the national Geological Society of America meeting in Denver and presented papers at the SIL Congress in Dublin, Ireland and the national GSA in Toronto. Current work is focused on: biogeography of Caribbean nonmarine faunas; ecology of Lake Tanganyika ostracods; phylogenetic reconstruction of Gomphocythere; Afar triangle nonmarine ostracods; nonmarine ostracods of the Panaca Formation, Nevada; and Paleogene ostracods from Oman. I am working with four students: Joshua Whipple, "Geological and Environmental Assessment of Mentor Marsh, Ohio", Michael Bartosek, "Paleoenvironmental Analysis of the Miocene Red Series, Afar Triangle", Julie Brown, "Species Morphological Variability in Lake Tanganyika, East Africa", and Bryce Dingman, "Assessing the Biodiversity Changes of a Salt Contaminated Marsh, Mentor, Ohio".

Peterson, Dawn. I am a curatorial assistant engaged in research at the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California. My current activity includes 1) Research on brackish and freshwater ostracodes and mollusks of early to middle Miocene southern Ecuador, in conjunction with the Swiss Geological Institute. 2) Research into the systematics, paleogeography, and paleoecology of marine ostracode faunas of the middle to late Miocene Darien region of Panama, in conjunction with the Panama Paleontology Project. 3) Research into the Mio-Pliocene ostracode and molluscan faunas of the Bering Strait under Dr. Louie Marincovich. 4) Developing a chapter on intertidal ostracoda, with Dr. Anne Cohen, for the new edition of Light's Manual, "Intertidal Invertebrates of the Central California Coast". 5) I am studying micromolluscs, ostracodes, and Foraminifera of cold-seep carbonates of northern California with Dr. Kathleen A. Campbell of the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Ross, Robert. I run the education program at the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) and have had little time for ostracode research in the past year. My primary activity has been to move my collections (shallow marine Late Cenozoic and Recent equatorial Pacific and Bermuda) into the PRI collections. Many ostracode workers may not realize that PRI is estimated to have one of the largest museum micropaleo slide and bulk sample collections in the United States. In July 1998 we opened a new building for PRI collections, and established the "Fred B. and Helen J. Plummer Micropaleontology Room," in which we intend to set up an SEM donated by Kodak. There are large collections for Cenozoic foraminifera, including many type and figured specimens, of the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plains and the Caribbean, particularly Cuba. Many core samples, cuttings, and slides are from Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, which came to PRI from the several oil companies. There are also large numbers of bulk samples from northern South America and the southern Caribbean made by Floyd and Helen Hodson, during their employment by various oil companies in the 1920's and 1930's. Many of the areas from which the samples came are no longer accessible. Also at PRI are the original collections of James McLean, which served as the basis for his published card sets of ostracodes and foraminifera. The collection has not yet received much curation, but visitors are welcome.

Schellenberg, Stephen A. Majority of this past year was dedicated towards completion of my Ph.D. and submission of numerous post-doctoral proposals. My research efforts were split between ostracode faunal and morphometric work at the Smithsonian NMNH and geochemical work at UC-Santa Cruz. This Ph.D. research will be submitted for publication (see publication list). My future interests and endeavors include morphologic and evolutionary aspects of Agrenocythere and Krithe (in collaboration with Dick Benson), high-resolution study of late Quaternary ostracode faunas within the Santa Barbara Basin, modern distribution and ecology of cold seep ostracodes in the Monterey Bay region, and trace-element and stable isotope work on ostracodes and benthic Foraminifera.

Shapley, Mark. Mark is a graduate student of Emi Ito. He is working on a paleohydrogeologic investigation in Ovando Valley, Montana. He is using sediment cores retrieved from two lakes of contrasting salinity and will study the endogenic carbonate accumulation and ostracode shell chemistry to investigate the variation in the groundwater input to the lakes for the last 8,000 years. This is a collaborative study with Joe Donovan and Alison Smith.

Smith, Allison. I continue to work with colleagues Emi Ito, Dan Engstrom, Sheri Fritz, Eric Grimm, and Joe Donovan in the northern Great Plains of the U.S. to reconstruct drought histories over different time scales, in order to understand the pattern of climate change in that region. The ostracode ecology, isotopic and trace element composition all aid in reconstructing the climate patterns. I am also working with colleagues Ted Moore, Dave Rea, Linda Shane, Thane Anderson, and C.F. Michael Lewis to interpret the paleolimnology of Lake Huron and northern Lake Michigan over Holocene time scales, using the ostracode ecology and isotopic signature. Work continues on the COG project with Emi Ito, Rick Forester, Don Palmer, and myself to calibrate the oxygen isotope signature of ostracodes against that of the water in which they live. We are conducting a number of field calibration studies, including a transect crossing a major climate gradient, a seasonal study (see Sonia Bacon's thesis, below), a study along a precipitation gradient in a variety of hydrologic habitats, and a study along a single hydrologic flow path. Emi Ito is, in addition to doing all the geochemical work on these studies, also conducting culture experiments in order to calibrate the oxygen isotope signature and trace element signature against the values of the water. One part of this study is to prepare the LCO (Lakes-Climate- Ostracodes) dataset initially begun by Rick Forester at the USGS, and continued by Rick, Brandon Curry, myself, and many others, for the World Wide Web. This work is progressing well, and we are still hoping for a release this calendar year. Ohio has many calcareous fen wetlands that are inhabited by semi-terrestrial species as well as spring species. I am continuing to study these interesting taxa, which include Scottia and Microdarwinula species amongst others, and to get students involved in research by studying these local wetlands. Graduate Students 1997-99: John S. Carney, M.S. 1997, Thesis title: The use of ostracodes and stable isotopes as indicators of surface-groundwater interaction in Hayes County, Texas. Dana L. Oleskiewicz, M.S. 1998, Thesis title: The spatial and seasonal distribution of ostracodes in East Twin Lake, Ohio. Sonia W. Bacon, M.S. 1999, Thesis title: Seasonal constraints on oxygen isotope values of living freshwater ostracodes.

Sohn, Greg. Greg Sohn returned to the Museum this past February after an absence. Greg and Bonnie are settled into a new environment (the second major move in the past few years). Greg has had some health problems that had him in and out of the hospital during the holiday season. He is continuing his work on the revision of the ostracode treatise and recently had a paper published in the Journal of Paleontology (see the reference in the Papers in Print listing).

Swain, Frederick. My book "Fossil Nonmarine Ostracoda of the United States" will be published Spring 1999 be Elsevier Science-NL. I decided against posting it on the Internet as suggested in Cypris 98 based on advice from colleagues. Also I am studying some micro-ostracodes from Eocene of Atlantic region.

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YUGOSLAVIA

Correspondent: Ljupko Rundic <banjac@afrodita.rcub.bg.ac.yu>

Krstic, Nadezda. Nadezda’s main topic of research is the evolution of the lacustrine sedimentary cycles between Mediterranean and Paratethys. Lacustrine cycles differ from marine cycles by "half a step" (Krstic, 1999a). The position of the region on the transition from temperate to subtropical climatic belts produce fast alternation of the water chemistry in different lakes. By using ostracodes, all the changes could be traced to the heavy mineralized water, which is poisoned when mineral ores precipitate from solution. Saline is always the middle part of a sedimentary cycle. There are some abberations in salinity, like in the Upper Pliocene of Kosovo (Krstic, 1998a). Many curious ostracodes, mostly Candoninae, were dwellers of the more or less saline lakes; the continuity of long evolution of ostracodes lasting at least for whole Tertiary. Scarcity of continental areas and diversity of ostracode assemblages make it difficult to obtain a clear picture. Some distant communities, for ex. Early Eocene of eastern China (Guan, 1997, in: Acta Micropal. Sin., 14/3) and the Pliocene of the Middle Danube (Pannonian) Basin (Sokac, 1978, in: Paleont. Jug., 20) is striking by its simillarity.

Rundic, Ljupko. I am continuing my research on Miocene caspibrackish ostracodes of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and other parts of Paratethys. Related to this, I attended a Paratethys Neogene Stratigraphy Workshop last July at Comenius University, Bratislava-Slovakia. There colleagues from Poland, Czech, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine and Yugoslavia worked on three main topics: 1) to define the most problematic boundaries in Neogene of the study region; 2) to define the most used stratigraphic biozones and their correlation to mA ages; 3) to compare the observed reflection of the eustatic changes in studied area with global curve (Haque, 1987). As conclusions, I hope that we will prepare a joint report for this year. 13th Yugoslav Geological Congress held in Herceg Novi, Monte Negro last October with about 300 articles (summary in English). I presented a paper (with S. Mitrovic) on modern terminology in stratigraphy and biostratigraphy. Dr. Natalia Trofimovich from Lvov University, Ukraina (she works on forams) visited some Neogene localities of Serbia and Bosnia. She collected samples from marine Badenian sediments and we will prepare some common articles. Current research includes: 1) Neogene marine and caspibrackish ostracodes of Bosnia and Yugoslavia; 2) Biostratigraphy and paleoecology of freshwater ostracodes from some Miocene lakes of Serbia.

Zlatko, Jecmenica. Jecmenica, a former member of the Tuzla University (East Bosnia) staff, pushed by the war to Ugljevik coal mine, just started research of the Lower Miocene lacustrine ostracodes from NE Bosnia.

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CYPRIS No. 17 (1999): home page, table of contents, ostracode research by country list