Sara C. Ballent Papers in press: (1) Ballent, S.C., Ronchi, D.Y., and Whatley, R., The ostracod genus Majungaella Grekoff (Ostracoda) in Argentina: Revista Geologica de Chile; (2) Ballent, S.C. and Whatley, R., The Ostracoda and environmental evidence in the marine Jurassic of Argentina: 13th Colloquium of African Micropaleontology, Yaounde, Camerun, March 1997.

Alwine Bertels continues directing several doctoral theses: (1) Laura Ferrero, Micropaleontologia y paleoecologia (ostracodos y foraminiferos) del cuaternario del sudeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires; (2) Dina E. Martinez, Ostracodos marinos y no marinos del Cuaternario del Sur de la provincia de Buenos Aires, consideraciones paleoambientales. In these theses, the research compresses the study of fossil Foraminifera and marine and nonmarine Ostracoda, the last being compared with some recent taxa collected in the regions.
Current work includes: Bertels-Psotka, A. (1) Quaternary Foraminifera of the northeastern and central coastal areas of the Buenos Aires Province, (2) Quaternary marine and nonmarine Ostracoda of the Buenos Aires Province, (3) Oligocene and Miocene nonmarine Ostracoda of Argentina; Bertels, A. and Cusminsky, G.C., Micropaleontology of the Nahuel Huapi Group, San Carlos de Bariloche area; Bertels-Psotka, A. and Martinez, D.E., Holocene nonmarine Ostracoda of the south of the Buenos Aires Province; Bertels-Psotka, A. and Laprida, C., (1) Holocene benthonic Foraminifera of the Canal 18 Member, Las Escobas Formation, Buenos Aires Province, (2) Benthonic Foraminifera, palaeoecology and taphonomy of Holocene littoral ridges of the Salado Basin, Argentina.
Papers in press: (1) Bertels-Psotka, A. and Cusminsky, G.C., Nuevas especies de ostracodos no marinos de la Formacion Nirihuau, provincia de Rio Negro, Argentina: Amerghiniana; (2) Bertels-Psotka, A. and Laprida, C., Ostracodos (Arthropoda, Crustacea) del Miembro Cerro de la Gloria, Formacion Las Escobas (Holoceno), provincia de Buenos Aires, Republica Argentina: Rev. Espanola Micropaleontol.; (3) Bertels-Psotka, A., and Laprida, C., Ostracoda (Arthropoda, Crustacea) holocenos del miembro Canal 18 (Formacion Las Escobas), provincia de Buenos Aires, Republica Argentina: Rev. Espanola Micropaleont.; (4) Bertels-Psotka, A. and Laprida, C., Ostracodos (Arthropoda, Crustacea) de la Formacion Las Escobas (Hloceno) cuenca del Salado, provincia de Buenos Aires, Republica Argentina: Ameghiniana.

Gabriela C. Cusminsky During January to March of 1997 she visited the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Great Britain; during that time, under the direction of Robin Whatley, marine Ostracoda of the southwestern Austral Atlantic Ocean were studied. Current work includes (1) micropaleontology of the Nahuel Huapi Group of the San Carlos de Bariloche area, under the direction of Alwine Bertels, and (2) Ostracoda of the Comahu lakes, directed by Robin Whatley.
Work in preparation are: (1) Cusminsky, G.C. and Gagliotti, A., Ostracodos y diatomeas de un testigo cuaternario de la laguna El Toro, area de Piedra del Aguila, Neuquen, Argentina; (2) Massaferro, J. and Cusminsky, G.C., Estudio de ostracodos y quironomidos fosiles en un ambiente salino de la estepa patagonica (Laguna Carrilauquen, Piedra del Aguila, Neuquen, Argentina; (3) Cusminsky, G.C. and Whatley, R.C., Ostracodos marinos provenientes de un testigo del oceano Atlantico sudoccidental austral.
Papers in press: (1) Whatley, R.C. and Cusminsky, G.C., Non-marine Ostracoda and late Quaternary palaeoenvironments from the Lake Cari-Laufquen region, Rio Negro province, Argentina: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology; (2) Whatley, R.C. and Cusminsky, G.C., Quaternary lacustrine ostracods from northern Patagonia; a review, in Global Geological Record of Lake Basins, Kelts-Gierlovski-Kordesh, editors.

Alicia Echevarria Current work includes the study of Tertiary marine ostracodes of Patagonia, Argentina, and now, in particular, those of the Oligocene Centinela Formation of the Cardiel Lake area.
Papers in press: Echevarria, A., Ostracodos marinos del Paleogeno del sud-sudeste del lago Cardiel, Santa Cruz, Argentina: Actas Reunion del Paleogeno de America del Sur.

Laura Ferrero Besides her doctoral thesis, she is working out the Ostracoda of a research project related to the evolution of the sedimentary environments in the Quequen Grande river during the last 20,000 years.
Papers in press: Zarate, M.A., Espinosa, M.A., and Ferrero, L., Paleoenvironmental implications of a Holocene diatomite, Pampa Interserrana, Argentina: Quaternary of South America and Antarctic Peninsula, v. 13.

Cecilia Laprida In November, 1997 she defended her Doctoral thesis at the Department of Biology, achieving, with the best qualifications, her Doctor title, with the development of the theme "Micropaleontologia (ostracodos y foraminiferos) y paleoecologia del Cuaternario Tardio del Nordeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina".
Current work includes micropaleontological assemblages (Foraminifera and ostracods) from Destacamento Rio Salado Formation (Holocene), Salado Basin, Argentina.
Works in press are those in collaboration with Alwine Bertels.

Dina E. Martinez Current work: (1) Recent and Quaternary Ostracoda of the Bahia Blanca estuary; (2) Ostracoda of the outcropping Quaternary sediments of the rio Quequen Salado, south of the Buenos Aires Province.

Patrick De Deckker continues his work on Quaternary palaeoclimates of the Australian region, by paying particular attention to the `blue water' marine environments. One satisfactory aspect was the publication last year of a special issue of Palaeo-3: volume 131 (3/4) (which Patrick edited) entitled "The Late Quaternary palaeoceanography of the Australasian region". This represents the product of much fruitful and multi disciplinary collaboration that was commenced at ANU under Patrick's initiative. Several papers in this issue deal with ostracods, including one by V. Passlow, another by K. Swanson, and also another with M. Ayress as senior author. Another paper appeared in this issue that was co-authored by Thierry Correge and Patrick on the ostracod valve composition of Late Quaternary, deep-sea ostracods from the Coral Sea as palaeotemperature recorders. Patrick's collaboration with Guy Wansard on Cyprideis valve chemistry is not completed, and a paper on the subject is in press in Chemical Geology.
An Honors student in the Geology Department, Ms. Kate Warren, completed her thesis in late 1997 on the use of ostracods fr the reconstruction of palaeosalinities from the Lake Eyre Basin in central Australia. More work on the subject is planned for the next three years as Patrick is collaborating on that basin together with John Magee (ANU) and Giff Miller (INSTAAR, Colorado). Several field trips are planned for the arid interior of Australia in the months to come.
Toward the second half of the year, Patrick will conduct chemical analyses on ostracods from several deep-sea cores from the eastern Indian Ocean in order to reconstruct past bottom-water conditions for the late Quaternary in the vicinity of the Western Pacific Warm Pool that is considered to be of global importance for global climate (refer to the Global Conveyor Belt). This work is being conducted in collaboration with Mrs. J. Shelley also from ANU.

Peter Jones Since he retired in mid-1996, Peter used the facilities at the Australian Geological Survey Organization (AGSO) to complete a manuscript on the taxonomy of the Eridostraca, which represents his contribution towards the revision of the Palaeozoic Ostracoda for the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. He also spent some time on database entry for ostracods in the Commonwealth Palaeontological Collection housed at AGSO. In September 1997, he worked with Dr. Michel Coen, from the Geology Department of the University of Louvain, Belgium, who visited AGSO to examine the Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous ostracod collections from northwestern Australia. They have flagged the Paraparchitacea for a joint future study. A few preliminary Silurian ostracod determinations were made in a paper which presented new biostratigraphic and biogeographic data from east-central Iran (Hamedi, M.A. and others, 1997).
Another (less ostracod oriented) task has been a palaeobiogeographical review of Australasian Carboniferous faunas and floras. The initial results were presented at the Palaeobiogeography of Australasian Faunas and Floras (PAFF) Conference held at the University of Wollongong last December. He is coordinating the Carboniferous chapter of a book on this subject, proposed by the conference organizers.
In January of this year, peter was appointed as a visiting fellow in the Geology Department of the Australian National University.

John Neil continues work on the Tertiary faunas of southeastern Australia, taxonomy and palaeoecology Papers in preparation on intraspecific variation and polymorphism in some Miocene ostracodes; comparisons of Recent faunas from coastal locations in Bass Strait, Tasmania, and New South Wales; Stereo-Atlas item on a new Pelecocythere species.
A Palaeocene ostracode fauna from the Pebble Point Formation, Otway Coast, Victoria will be published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria with a 1997 imprint. Intraspecific variation in some Miocene hemicytherid ostracodes (out for review, from 13th ISO, in absentia).

Andrew Parker has two new postdoctoral grants from ARC and ABRS, so he remains a Fellow of the Australian Museum. One of the projects involves describing about 90 new species of scavenging cypridinids (Myodocopida) from the east Australian coast, the other involves assessing the role of "light" in evolution (involves ostracods and other arthropod). I am also working on a project with Akira Tsukagoshi and Jean Vannier on ostracod segmentation. Although some of this work is on animal reflectors in general, much of it is still relevant to ostracods. I will be chairing a conference on this subject at the University of Bath (UK) in July 1998. Todd Oakley (Duke University, USA) will be following up on the ideas that light has been a major stimulus to myodocopid evolution (I have since found a similar trend in a group of crabs) and eyes evolved independently in ostracods. I will be attending the Crustacean Conference in Amsterdam (July) and conducting field work in Hawaii later this year.
In 1997 I gave the Australian Institute of Physics Annual lecture and was a speaker at the Horizons of Science media conference. I am writing a popular science book on the "light switch theory", a new explanation for the cause of the Cambrian explosion.
Papers in press: (1) Parker, A.R., Two new cypridinid genera and species from New South Wales, Australia (Crustacea: Ostracoda: Myodocopina): Rec. Aust. Mus.; (2) Parker, A.R., Color in Burgess Shale animals and the role of light in the Cambrian explosion: Proc. R. Soc. London B; (3) Parker, A.R., McKenzie, D.R., and Ahyong, S., A unique form of light reflector and the evolution of signaling in Ovalipes (Crustacea: Decapoda: Portunidae): Proc. R. Soc. London B; (4) Parker, A.R., Hegedus, Z., and Watts, R.A., Solar absorber type antireflection on the eye of an Eocene fly: Proc. R. Soc. London B; (5) Parker, A.R., McKenzie, D.R., and Large, M.C.J., Multilayer reflectors in animals using green and gold beetles as contrasting examples: J. Exp. Biol.

Iradj Yassini was inactive for most of 1997, having stopped work on forams and ostracods. Late last year he received funding to prepare a CD-ROM on Life in the Lake. This work includes description and illustration of forams, ostracods, crabs, diatoms, filamentous algae, sea grasses, birds, fishes, and foreshore vegetation of the estuarine environment. Chris Chafer is my co-author and we are hopeful to release the material on the net for public use.

Martin Gross has started work on ostracodes within his sedimentological-paleontological diploma work on the Upper Miocene of southeastern Styria. He described several species from the Pannonian.

Heinz Loeffler is continuing to investigate with much enthusiasm ostracods living and subfossils from Austria and Africa (Lake Nakuru).

Friederike Moesslacher analyzed the ecophysiological tolerances of F. wegelini to various concentrations of potassium chloride and potassium nitrate. The ecotoxicological aspects belong to ongoing doctorate project (Anpassung von interstitiellen Cyclopiden und Ostracoden an unterschiedliche Habitate im Grundwasser); a publication is in print (Subsurface dwelling crustaceans as indicators of environmental conditions in an alluvial aquifer: Int. Rev. ges. Hydrobiol.).
In press: (1) Moesslacher, F., 1997, Subsurface dwelling crustaceans as indicators of environmental conditions in an alluvial aquifer: Int. Rev. ges. Hydrobiol. Horne, D.J., K., and (2) Martens, and F. Moesslacher, 1997, Is there brood selection in Darwinula stevensoni,?, in: Crasquin, S., Braccini, E., and Lethiers, F., eds., Proceedings of the 3rd European Ostracodologists Meeting. Bull. Centr. Rech. Explor.- Prod. Elf-Aquitaine.

Yu Yin finished his doctoral thesis (Contribution to the morphology and ecology of Ostracoda, Limnocytheridae and CandonidaeComparative studies between Austrian and Chinese Crustacea) which was successfully defended at the University of Vienna. The thesis deals mainly with the comparative ecology of Limnocythere inopinata from various saline and freshwater habitats. It is based on a high amount of work and will be of a large interest for many ostracodologists. Yu returned to Nanjing at the Limnological Institute of the Academia Sinica. He will be one of the first Chinese ostracodologists working mainly with living ostracods. The Journal Hydrobiologia in the December 1997 issue published a description of a new Recent candonid from China and the cover of the journal presents this new species!

Irene Zorn studied Miocene ostracodes from the Molassezone of lower Austria for the geological mapping program of the Geological Survey, especially from the sheet 22 (Hollabrunn 1:50,000). The study includes classical Miocene localities of the Lower Sarmatian (Ziersdorf area), the transition of the Lower Badenian and the Karpatian (surroundings of Grund) and the Eggenburgian from Unternalb. Additionally, she worked on the variability of the ostracodes from the marine-brackish sediments of the Karpathian from the Kroneuburg Basin.
In the second half of the year she started to work in 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. The duration of the project will be two years. In the first phase, the study focused on the Middle Miocene ostracode faunas of Vienna and the surrounding areas, including preserved geological monuments and building sites.
After finishing her thesis about Lower Miocene ostracodes from Lower and Upper Austria in the middle of the year, I. Zorn is employed as a micropaleontologist at the Geological Survey of Austria since the end of the year. The current working activities are given at the following web site: http://www.geolba.ac.at/ddeppa18.htm. (In German)
In press: Zorn, I., Ostracoda aus dem Karpatium (Unter-Miozaen) des Korneuburger Beckens (Niederoesterreich): Beitr. Palaeont., 22.


BELARUS

S.F. Zubovich The scientific students laboratory of the faculty of natural sciences at the Belorussian State University of Education is the only establishment in our Republic which carries on ostracodologic research. On the whole, the ostracodes of Cenozoic times are studied. In 1996 the researchers finished their scientific works on the methods to identify the monitoring for discovering changes in the quality of water based on ostracodologic research. The sediments of different interglacial to the Pleistocene have been studied lately. The following new species of ostracodes from the lake sediments of the Shclov interglacial were published in 1997: Cypridopsis roslavliensis Zubowicz sp. nov., Candona dementevi Zubowicz sp. nov., Cypria trapeciaformica Zubowicz sp. nov., Candona subovala Zubowicz sp. nov., Candona woroshilovae Zubowicz sp. nov., Cytherissa sklovica Zubowicz sp. nov., Cytherissa gurskyi Zubowicz sp. nov.

Jean-Georges Casier is continuing research on Devonian ostracods from the world, particularly in relation with the Late Devonian Mass extinction. He is currently working on ostracods from the Frasnian/Famennian boundary of Germany, France, Utah, and Nevada and from the Devonian/Carboniferous boundary of France.
Papers in press: (1) Casier, J.-G. and Lethiers, F., Ostracods Late Devonian mass extinction: the Schmidt quarry parastratotype (Kellerwald, Germany): Comptes rendus Acad. Sci. Paris, Earth and Planetary Sci., 325; (2) Casier, J-G. and Lethiers, F., Les Ostracodes du Frasnien terminal (Zonelinguiformis des Conodontes) de la coupe du col de Devils Gate (Nevada, USA): Bull. Roy. Sci. nat. Belgique, Sci. de la Terre, 66: 77-95; (3) Lethiers, F., Baudin, F., and Casier, J.-G., Ostracodes de la limite Frasnien-Famennien en environnement anoxique (La Serre, Montagne Noire, France): Rev. Micropal.

Michel Coen visited Peter Jones in Canberra in order to examine the collections kept there from northwestern Australia and to discuss the biogeographic connections between these and South Chinese ostracod faunas. He is currently busy with Tournaisian ostracods of Guangxi and paleobiology of Leperditiids (together with Jean Vannier and Wand Shangqi).

Koen Martens (1) Continuing studies on taxonomy, morphology, and ecology of African non-marine ostracods, with special reference to southern and eastern Africa; finalizing a fauna on the non-marine ostracods of southern Africa. (2) Taxonomy, morphology, and ecology of non-marine Israeli ostracods. (3) Comparative and evolutionary ecology of zoobenthos in large and ancient lakes (Baikal, Tanganyika, Nyasa/Malawi, and Titicaca), partim ostracods. Taxonomy of Tanganyikan Cytheroidea is conducted together with Karel Wouters, of Lake Baikal ostracods together with Galina Mazepova, of Lake Titicaca together with Philippe Mourguiart. (4) Postdoc project: The effects of reproductive mode and multiple invasions on speciation of ancient lake ostracods; comparative molecular genetics of Baikalian Cytherissa, with I. Sch"n and E. Verheyen. (5) Editing a book on evolutionary ecology of reproductive modes in non-marine ostracods (with participants of former EU-network). (6) For Treatise: post-Cretaceous non-marine Cyproidea and Limnocytheridae.

Wolfgang Mette carried during 1997 field work and ostracod studies (taxonomy, paleoecology) in the Koessener Formation (Rhaetian, Northern Calcareous Alps). The results will probably published in 1998. He will start during 1998 to work on ostracods from the Zlambach Formation (Rhaetian, Northern Calcareous Alps) and Kassianer Formation (Karnian, Southern Alps.).
For 1999 a project on Jurassic ostracods from East Africa is planned. This project will be concerned with ostracod paleobiology and paleoecology.

J.C. Coimbra has worked with administrative 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 130 km from Porto Alegre (where I have my ostracode laboratory). Notwithstanding, I continue to work on marine ostracodes from the Brazilian shelf, with emphasis on the taxonomy and zoogeography of the Brazilian equatorial ostracode fauna. A second project involves Cretaceous marine and nonmarine ostracodes from two northeastern Brazilian basins: Araripe and Potiguar. Finally, a third project involves the taxonomy, biostratigraphy, and paleogeology of southern Brazilian Cenozoic ostracodes from the Pelotas Basin.
Current work in progress includes: (1) zoogeography and ecology of the Family Cytheruridae along the Brazilian equatorial shelf; (2) the Family Trachyleberididae in Recent sediments of northern Brazil; (3) taxonomy and distribution patterns of Holocene equatorial shallow marine ostracodes from Brazil; (4) conchostracans and ostracodes: indicators of paleoenvironments in the Alto Saofranchiscana Basin, Olhos D'Agua area, Minas Gerais, Brazil; (5) Cretaceous marine ostracodes from Potiguar Basin, northeastern Brazil.
In press: (1) Ramos, M.I.F., Coimbra, J.C., Whatley, R.C., and Moguilevsky, A., Taxonomy and ecology of the Family Cytheruridae (Ostracoda) in the Recent sediments from the northern Rio de Janeiro coast, Brazil: Journal of Micropalaeontology; (2) Fauth, G. and Coimbra, J.C., Zoogeography of the ostracode genera Auradilus and Radimella on the Brazilian continental shelf: Neue Jahrbuch fur Geologie und Palaontologie; (3) Coimbra, J.C., Pinto, K.D., and Wurdig, N.L., Zoogeography of Holocene Podocopina Ostracoda from the Brazilian equatorial continental shelf: Marine Micropaleontology.
Students: Cristianini Trescastro Bergue, working on Brazilian ostracodes: Taxonomy and ecology of the Recent ostracodes from Sepetiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil: a review.

Piero Ascoli continues his biostratigraphic studies on Mesozoic Ostracoda from offshore wells of the Canadian Atlantic shelf.

Ursula Grigg has (1) renewed contacts at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, of which she is a Research Associate, to work on the Invertebrate Collections and to build an ostracod collection. This is part of a project to place the holdings of East coast and Arctic Canadian ostracods, presently at Saint Mary's University, into the Museum. (2) Preparing, among other things, a new edition of Curatorial Report No. 53 of the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History (1985... Cenozoic Ostracoda...of Canadian East Coast). The original was tentative and had a very small distribution. (3) A paper on a local Perissocytheridea, with Q.A. Siddiqui, is nearly ready.

Trajan Petkovski is continuing, now here in Canada, my taxonomic research on freshwater Ostracoda from Macedonia and surroundings. It is also anticipated determination of ostracod material collected by Dr. W. Janetzky from continental waters of Jamaica.
In press: (1) Two papers on Candona and Heterocypris species from central and western Balkan, together with Burkhard Scharf; (2) one paper on Hemicypris species from rice fields of Macedonia, together with Huw Griffiths; (3) one paper on a Stenocypris species from China, together with C. Meisch.

Qadeer Siddiqui attended the ISO97 in Chatham, England, in July, 1997, and presented a poster on the Holocene fauna from cores taken in Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland (more of Geoff Davis's Honors thesis). Work in progress includes continuing with the undescribed fauna of the Sor and Sulaiman Ranges (Paleocene-Eocene) of Pakistan(1) a paper on Neocyprideis is in press, (2) a paper on Paijenborchella and Neomonoceratina is nearly ready, (3) work on Cytheruridae is begun. A paper on a species of Perissocytheridea (with Ursula Grigg) is nearly finished.

Geoffrey Davis has left micropaleontology to study the biology of fish.

Cao Mei-Zhen continues research on Jurassic Ostracoda from North China and Ostracoda of Jehol fauna.

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

Guan Sao-Zeng in 1997 took part in 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), visited late Jurassic and early Cretaceous sections in Luanping, Hebei Province and Beipiao, Liaoning Province. The latter section had yielded the primitive fossils. In 27-31 July, 1997, I attended the 13th International Symposium on Ostracoda at the University of Greenwich, London, UK, and read the paper "Early Eocene Cypridea from Pingyi Basin of Shandong, China". The article will be published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimate, Palaeoecology. In 23-26 September, 1997, I attended the International SymposiumGeology of South Carpathians in the Danube Gorges in Yugoslavia. After the meeting I made a visit and geological investigation in Yugoslavia for about one month.

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

Li Yuanfang is working on Late Quaternary ostracode paleontology and environmental change of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (northern Tibet), Inner Mongolia of China and Barrow, Alaskan Arctic.

Pang Qi-Qing continues his work on the non-marine Mesozoic and Cenozoic Ostracoda of Northern China. Paper in press: Pang Qi-Qing, Guan Shao-Zeng, and Xiao Zong-Zheng, The early Cretaceous coal-bearing strata and Ostracoda in Yanggao, Shanxi: Professional Papers Stratigraphy and Palaeontology, 27.

Peng Jin-Lan is in the last year of her Ph.D. The dissertation is entitled "Ostracod fauna and their environmental significance during past 200,000 years in Yunnan-Ghizhou Plateau, China".

Shan Huai-Guang issued the book entitled "Neogene palaeontology from north of Shandong", together with Li Jing-Rong and others. 14 genera and 40 species belonging to Cytherididae, Cyprididae, and Darwinulidae respectively, including 14 new species have been described in the book and the ostracod fauna can be divided into 3 assemblages and sub-assemblages.

Sun Zhen-Cheng is working within a project, together with Yang Fan, on ostracod ecology in Qaidam Basin, NW China. We are also preparing to study the main factor that control the existence and popularity of Ostracoda in China.

Wang Qiang continues 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, will be finished in 1998.

Wei Min joined the project on Devonian biotic community and its environmental significance from southwestern margin of Yangtze Platform.

Yang Fan studied the geological range and the palaeoecology of the Quaternary ostracode species from the Qaidam Basin in Qinghai Province. In 1998 I intend to make the research for the revisions of nomenclature and descriptions of new ostracode species or genera.

Zhao Quan-Hong is continuously working on (1) modern and Quaternary Ostracoda of China Seas, (2) Cenozoic Ostracoda of west Pacific DSDP cores, (3) shell chemistry of Paleogene ostracods from oil-bearing basins of East China and its implication in paleoenvironmental reconstruction. He has gone to Germany since last November 27th for a 6-month cooperative research with the Geological-Paleontological Institute of University of Kiel on modern and late Quaternary Ostracoda of the Sunda Shelf of the South China Sea.

Zhou Bao-Cun is continuing work with Q. Zhao on the development of ostracod database for China seas. This involves the taxonomic and ecological study of modern ostracod fauna and quantitative analysis of paleoenvironments. I am also interested in the impact of pollution on the ostracods of Shanghai area, and a preliminary research with my colleague is underway.
Paper in press: Zhou, B. and Zhao, Q., 1998, Allochthonous ostracods in the South China Sea and their significance in indicating downslope sediment contamination: Marine Geology.

Fernando Munoz-Torres works in stratigraphy petroleum exploration activities linked to Biostratigraphy Laboratory. The Ph.D thesis "Neogene non-marine ostracods from the Upper Amazon Basin" continues in development. Professor R.C. Whatley is the supervisor. The study in progress is "Tertiary Ostracoda of the Lower Magdalena Valley, NW from Colombia".

Valentina Hajek-Tadesse continues her study on Neogene ostracods, especially the Badenian, Sarmatian, and Pannonian from the Pannonian Basin. She is preparing work for MS. degree on Badenian ostracods, which should be finished this year. In the last few years she studied freshwater Miocene ostracods from Croatia, Recent ostracodes of the Adriatic Sea, and Pleistocene ostracods of Greece. The results of this study were published.

Mirjana Miknic is working on paleogeology and biostratigraphy of the Neogene ostracods and foraminifers. No publications have resulted to date.

Djurdjica Pezelj is starting to study Neogene ostracods from Croatia.

Ana Sokac is working on Neogene and Quaternary ostracods from the Pannonian Basin and Recent ostracods and foraminifers of the Adriatic Sea. In the last few years she published papers on Pontian ostracods in Croatia, Holocene ostracods from Plitvaca Lakes, and Recent ostracods and foraminifers of the Adriatic Sea.

Jan Kantorek is continuing his work on freshwater Ostracoda.

Jirka Kopecky continues the study of the ecology of living ostracods in several types of pools.

Miroslav Mruta sent no report this year.

Jaromir Zelenka is continuing his work on Neogene marine and brackish water ostracodes.

Ashraf M.T. Elewa is currently working on Miocene ostracods of the southeastern Mediterranean, first records from south Wadi Um Ashtan, Mersa Matruh, Western Desert, Egypt.
In press: Elewa, A.M.T., Fourier biometrics: A case study of two species of the ostracode genus Bairdoppilata from the middle Eocene of Egypt: Neues Jahrbuch fur Geologie and Palaontologie Abhandlungen, Stuttgart. Submitted: (1) Elewa, A.M.T., Effect of allochthonous components in the accuracy of results: An example from the Eocene ostracods of Wadi El Rayan, Fayoum, Egypt: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Amsterdam; (2) Elewa, A.M.T., Analysis of shape changes through ontogeny: The ostracod genus Loxoconcha (Loxoconchidae): Journal of Paleontology; (3) Elewa, A.M.T., Ostracod assemblages around the lower/middle Eocene boundary in the Nile Valley, Egypt: Neues Jahrbuch fur Geologie und Palaontologie Abhandlungen, Stuttgart.

Tonu Meidla is working on (1) the lower Ordovician ostracodes and formation of the Ordovician ostracode fauna in Baltoscandia; (2) the mid-Caradocian event and related faunal changes; (3) th3 latest Ordovician ostracodes and stable isotope record of the shell material.
In press: (1) Ainsaar, L., Martma, T., Meidla, T., Rubel, M., and Sidaraciene, N., The Quantitative stratigraphy of sedimentary sequences: a key study of the middle Ordovician event, in Computerized modeling of sedimentary systems: Springer Verlag; (2) Poldvere, A., Kleesment, A., Saadre, T., Meidla, T., Bauert, H., Bauert, G., Stouge, S., Paalits, I., and Valiukevicius, J., Tartu core, Estonian geological sections: Geol. Surv. Estonia Spec. Paper.
Students: Oive Tinn, Ph.D student working on early Ordovician ostracodes from Baltoscandia.

Bernard Andreu is working on (1) Lias and Dogger from the "Grands Causses", France, (2) Callovian to Oxfordian from Portugal, (3) Callovian-Oxfordian and Cretaceous from High Atlas, Morocco, (4) Late Cretaceous from Pyrenees, France.
Projects: (1) Synthesis on ostracode assemblages from the Late Cretaceous of Agadir and Essaouira Basins, Morocco, (2) ostracode assemblages from the Lias-Dogger and Cretaceous of Pyrenees, France.
Long-term project: Synthesis on ostracode assemblages from the Cretaceous of Moroccobiostratigraphy, paleoecology, Palaeobiogeography

Jean-Francois Babinot is working on (1) Aptian ostracodes (stratotypes, Lower/Late Aptian crisis) from southeastern France, (2) Maestrichtian to Danian ostracode assemblages (Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary) from Mahajunga Basin, Malagasy Republic (with J.P. Colin, Cl. Guernet, G. Bignot), (3) Messinian basinal and carbonate platforms deposits from western Algeria, eastern Morocco, and southeastern Spain, (4) Neogene to Quaternary of Corsica (with M. Ferrandini, Corte Univ.).
Papers in press: (1) Babinot, J.F., Rodriguez-Lazaro, J., Floquet, M., and Jolet, P., Correlations entre discontinuites sedimentaires majeures et crises biologiques chez les ostracodes du Sud-Ouest de l'Europe au Cenomanien: Actes 3 Coll. Europeen d'Ostracodologie, Paris-Bierville (8-12 Juillet 1996), Bull. Centres Rech. Explor.-Prod. Elf-Aquitaine, Pau; (2) Babinot, J.F.and Boukli-Hacenes, S., Associations d'ostracodes en facies mixtes de plateforme: l'exemple du Messinien de la region nord des Tessala (Oranie, Algerie): Rev. Micropal.; (3) Babinot, J.F., Colin, J.P., and Rodriguez-Lazaro, J., Ostracodes-Cretace, in Synthese geologique des Pyrenees: B.R.G.M. and I.G.M.E., ed.; (4) Colin, J.P., Babinot, J.F., and Tambareau, Y., On the genera Nucleolina Apostolescu and Deroo, 1966, Ekkehardia and Ducassella nov. gen. (Ostracoda): taxonomy, biostratigraphy and Palaeobiogeography: Greifswalder Geowissenschaftliche Beitrage; (5) Jolet, P., Philip, J., Thomel, G., Lopez, G., Tronchetti, G., and Babinot, J.F., Biostratigraphie integree plate-forme/ basin dans l;intervalle Cenomanien superiuerTuronien interieur en Provence: Rev. Paleobiologie.
Thesis supervision (collaboration): Soraya Boukly-Hacene, Messinian microfaunas from western Orania, Algeria: biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental implications, comparisons with Messinian series of southeastern Spain.

Eric Braccini is conducting routine petroleum analyses. In addition, he is working on (1) palynology of Neogene from Guinea Gulf, (2) ostracodes from the presalt of Angola, (3) graphic correlations (synthesis) within Tertiary basins.

Giles Carbonnel The synthesis on Neogene (N7-N15) ostracods from Algeria is now available (see bibliography). It uses the concept of "heterochron" erected by Bertholon.
The whole ostracod list of his collection will be available with a windows database software at the end of the next year. It will be sent free of charge to every "ostracode research center".
In progress: preliminary data on Neogene ostracodes from Lebanon.
Thesis supervision: Ali Bachnou, Series de Fourier, visualization graphique de profils lateraux des ostracodes (avec choix des harmoniques), integration mathematique des differences, exploration de l'utilisation de ces methodes en systematique et phylogenie.
In press: Carbonnel, G., Epithelium et reseau ornemental, deformation primaire: exemples pris chez quelques especes d'ostracodes du genre Loxoconcha au Neogene: Rev. Micropal.

Jean-Paul Colin is working on: (1) Jurassic non-marine ostracodes from Brazil and central Zaire; (2) Aptian non-marine ostracodes from Portugal (in press with M.C. Cabral, Lisboa); (3) Albo-Aptian limnic ostracodes from intracratonic basins in Brazil and Chad (in press with F. Depeche); (4) Late Cretaceous ostracodes from Mexico (with Y. Tambareau; (5) Late Cretaceous to Paleocene ostracodes from Mali and Pakistan (with Y. Tambareau); (6) Intra-trappean limnic ostracodes from India (with A. Bandari, Dehar Dun, India); (7) SAMC (IGCP Project) coordinator for South Atlantic Mesozoic marine ostracodes.
Papers in press: (1) Colin, J.P. and Depeche, F., Early Cretaceous lacustrine ostracode faunas of intra-cratonic basins of West Africa and Brazil: palaeobiogeographical considerations: SAMC News, 1 p.; (2) Colin, J.P., Tambareau, Y., and Krasheninnikov, V., Maastrichtian and Paleocene ostracode assemblages from Mali (western Africa): Dela Opera SAZU, Ljubljana (Slovenia).

Sylvie Crasquin-Soleau is working on (1) Upper Permian of the Huqf Formation (Sultanate of Oman): systematics, paleoecology and paleobiogeographic implications; (2) Lower Triassic of Dobrogea (Romania): systematics and paleoecology; (3) Upper Permian to Lower Triassic of Cis-Ural/Peri Caspian Depression (with I. Molostovskaya, D. Kukhtinov); (4) Recent from New Guinea (with K. Wouters).
Papers in press: (1) Crasquin-Soleau, S. and Baud, A., New Permian ostracods of Greece (Hydra Island): Jour. Micropal.; (2) Crasquin-Soleau, S., Broutin, J., Roger, J., Platel, J.P., Angolini, L., Baud, A., Bucher, H., Al Hasmi, A., and Marcoux, J., First ostracode fauna from the Upper Permian of Oman (Khuff Formation): Micropaleontology; (3) Said-Benzarti, R. and Crasquin-Soleau, S., Les ostracodes du Permien superieur de Tunisie reconnu en subsurface, in Crasquin-Soleau, S., Braccini, E., and Lethiers, F., eds., What about Ostracoda?: 3rd Congres Europeen d'Ostracodologie: Bull. Centres Rech. Explor.-Prod. Elf Aquitaine; (4) Crasquin-Soleau, S., Broutin, J., Besse, J., and Torco, F., Paleobiogeographical and paleogeographical significance of ostracods and paleobotanical evidence from the Upper Permian of Oman: Marine Micropaleontology.
Edited volumes in press: (1) Crasquin-Soleau, S. and Barrier, E., eds., Peri-Tethys Memoire 3: Stratigraphy and evolution of Peri-Tethyan platforms: Memoire Mus. Nat. Hist., Paris; (2) What about Ostracoda?, 3rd Congres Europeen des Ostracodologists (Paris Bierville, 1996): Bull. Centres Rech. Explor.-Prod. Elf Aquitaine, Pau.


Uli von Grafenstein is a geologist by education, did a doctoral thesis on sand transport in marine shallow water, and learned about ostracods while looking for proper material for stable isotope work on lake sediments. Since 1988, has been working on modern, subfossil, and fossil fresh-water ostracods in pre-alpine lakes, with the aim to reconstruct palaeoclimate and palaeohydrology of the last 15,000 years.
During 1997 he continued a sabbatical with LMCE, a very motivating agglomeration of palaeoclimatologists, climate modelers, and atmospheric scientists, and he spent a considerable time of the year explaining what ostracods are. Besides, he was dealing with a highly resolved sediment sequence from Ammersee (southern Germany), picking late-glacial and early Holocene benthic freshwater ostracods. The stable isotope measurements are in progress, first results very promising. I continued to work on lake sediments from SW-Germany (Collaboration with Prof. J. Schneider, University Gottingen) and from Switzerland (with Prof. B. Ammann, Bern).
In press: (1) U. v. Grafenstein, H. Erlenkeuser, and P. Trimborn, Oxygen and carbon isotopes in modern freshwater ostracod valves: calibration of vital effects and autecological effects for palaeoclimatic studies: Paleo3; (2) U. v. Grafenstein, H. Erlenkeuser, J. Miller, J. Jouzel, and S. Johnsen, The short period 8,200 years ago documented in oxygen isotope records of precipitation in Europe and Greenland: Climate Dynamics; (3) H. Erlenkeuser and U. v. Grafenstein, Stable oxygen isotope ratios in benthic carbonate shells of Ostracoda, Foraminifera, and Bivalvia from surface sediments of the Laptev Sea, summer 1993 and 1994: Zeitschrift fur Polarforschung.

Claude Guernet is working on (1) bathyal ostracodes from Paleocene to Recent in the Atlantic Ocean; (2) Paleogene ostracodes from the Tethyan area; (3) Paleocene ostracodes from Madagascar (with J.F. Babinot, J.P. Colin, G. Bignot).
Papers in press: (1) Guernet, Cl., Bioevenements et ostracodes du Maastrichtien au Rupelien dans les bassins du Nord-Ouest de l'Europe: Sonder. Geol. Inst. Univ. Koln; (2) Guernet, Cl., Neogene and Pleistocene ostracodes of sites 959 and 960, Gulf of Guinea: Proc. Init. Report ODP, Part B; (3_ Chait, R., Dauvin, J.Cl., and Guernet, Cl., Les ostracodes de la Baie de Seine: Geobios.
Thesis supervision: Rafika Chait, Ostracode distribution on the Atlantic and Mediterranean borderlands in France and Morocco.
Francis Lethiers is working on Devonian to Permian ostracode faunas; biostratigraphy, palaeogeography, and palaeoecology, with special emphasis on Frasnian/Famennian and Devonian/Carboniferous events.
Papers in press: (1) Casier, J.G. and Lethiers, F., Les Ostracodes du Frasnien terminal (Zone a Linguiformis des Conodontes) de la coupe du Col de Devils Gate (Nevada, U.S.A.): Bull. Inst. Royal Sc. Belgique; (2) Casier, J.G., Lethiers, F., and Babinot, F., L'extinction en masse du Devonien superieur: ostracodes et anoxie: 6th Congres francais de Sedimentologie, Montpellier; (3) Casier, J.G. and Lethiers, F., Ostracods Late Devonian extinction: the Schmidt quarry parastratotype (Kellerwald, Germany): C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris.

Pierre Marmonier is working on: (1) morphological variability in Cryptocandona kieferi and Cryptocandona vavrai from the Rhone, Rhine, and Danube Rivers catchments (with D. Danielopol, Mondsee and T. Namiotko, Poland); (2) ecology and systematics of shallow interstitial and deep groundwater ostracods from Morocco (with K. Essafi-Chergui, Fes Univ. and M. Yacoubi-Khebiza, Marrakech Univ.).
Papers in press: Marmonier, P., Creuze Des Chateliers, M., Dole-Olivier, M.J.,Plenet, S., and Gibert, J., Rhone groundwater systems, in Ecosystems of the world, subterranean biota (Wilkens, Culver and Humphreys, eds.), Elsevier.

Odette N'Zaba-Makaya is working on (1) comparative analysis of Domerian ostracode assemblages from south Quercy and West Grands-Causses: biostratigraphy, palaeobiogeography, sequence analysis, palaeoecology, correspondence analysis) (D.E.A., Toulouse Univ., 1996); (2) ostracode assemblages from the Carixian-Domerian (Pliensbachian) from Quercy and Grande-Causses, southern France (thesis).
Papers in press: Bonnet, L., Andreu, B., Rey, J., Cubaynes, R., Ruget, C., N'Zaba-Makaya, O., and Brunel, F., Fluctuations of environmental factors as seen in micropaleontological oryctocoenosis from liassic series: Palaios.

Henri J. Oertli continues abstracting of papers on Post-Paleozoic ostracodes for the "Zentralblatt fur Geologie und Palaontologie" (approx. 180 papers analyzed in 1997).
Thesis supervision: Jacques Sauvagnat (Geneva Univ., Switzerland) on Aptian-Albian ostracodes of the Swiss and French Jura Mountains.

Jacques Sauvagnat is working on Aptian to Albian ostracodes from the Jura Mountains (France, Switzerland) under the supervision of H.J. Oertli. Dissertation in progress with maintaining probably in the next future.

Yvette Tambareau is working on (1) continental, shallow marine and deep sea ostracodes of the Cretaceous/Tertiary transitional zone in southern France, northern Spain, and western Africa (with J.P. Colin, J. Rodriguez-Lazaro, J.F. Babinot); (2) Paleocene and lower Eocene ostracodes from Pakistan (with J.P. Colin); (3) Upper Cretaceous ostracodes from Mexico (with J.P. Colin); (4) ostracods and the Middle Eocene/Upper Eocene crisis among larger Foraminifera (GCP 393).

Jean Vannier visited K. Abe (Shizuoka) in June in the framework of a collaborative work on the biomechanics of feeding and the role of ostracodes in coastal food webs; D.J. Siveter (Leicester) in December to study Silurian myodocopes from Australia and southern China; A. Moguilevsky (Aberystwyth) to make an inventory of deep-sea preserved material (Gigantocypris); Wang Shang-Qi (Nanjing) spent one month with me (November, 1997) to study the functional morphology of leperditid ostracodes. I was editor of Europal, the newsletter of the European Palaeontological Association.
Current work includes working on the early colonization of pelagic niches by arthropods with M. Williams, D.J. Siveter, and other non-ostracodologist colleagues. We are using Recent analogues such as halocyprid ostracodes. I have planned to stay two years in Japan starting in January 1999 to work on the adaptations, biodiversity, and origin of pelagic crustaceans, exemplified by West Pacific midwater ostracodes (the project includes molecular studies). I will attend the 4th International Congress on Crustaceans (Amsterdam).
I am the new chairman of the IRGPO (International Research Group on Palaeozoic Ostracoda) since the Greenwich meeting last year in England.
In press: Vannier, J., Abe, K., and Ikuta, K., Feeding in myodocope ostracodes; functional morphology and laboratory observations from videos: Marine Biology.
Students: Maria Jose Salas (Cordoba, Argentina) is doing her Ph.D on Ordovician ostracodes from Argentina (systematics, biostratigraphy, palaeobiogeography) (co-supervised with Prof. Benedetto).

Guenther Arlt is working in a BMBF-Project 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 influence on particle structure.

Gerhard Becker continued work done in 1996: (1) the revision of the Treatise (Pt. Q, Paleozoic Ostracoda, revised), which is, however, found to be a difficult and long-lasting procedure; (2) studies on pelagic ostracods along the Devonian/Carboniferous boundary in Central and West Europe, which will be finished in 1998 (Cour. Forsch. Inst. Senckenberg, in press). The actual DFG Program "Faunenvergleich Rhenohercynikum-Saxothuringikum", established for the benefit of colleagues from the former DDR, was brought to an end; (3) the documentation of Devonian ostracods occurring in the neritic facies realm of the Cantabrian Mountains (N Spain). The first contribution dealing with the Lower Emsian of northern Leon has been submitted to the printer (Palaeontographica A). Although retired, some lectures in paleontology (preparation techniques, nomenclature, and selected micropalaeontological groups) are continued. At the occasion of the 12th ISO, a review was given of some 30 years research effort on the palaeoecology of marine Palaeozoic ostracods.

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. The work with Prof. Becker about the Rhenohercynicum/Saxothuringikum has been finished last year.

Claudia Didie is working on a Ph.D thesis entitled "Characterizing of glacial deep-water masses in polar latitudes by means of ostracod faunas and their stable isotopes during the Late Quaternary" In order to evaluate the reaction of deep-sea benthic ostracods to late Quaternary climate change, two sediment cores from the Iceland Plateau and the Racal Plateau were investigated. Both cores cover the past 200ka. Significant changes in the ostracod assemblage are thought to reflect changes in the deep-water formation. Some species are used for stable isotope measurements. Comparison of two cores from the South Atlantic spanning the same time period will be investigated as well.

Gerson Fauth is currently working on (1) Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary Ostracoda from the Poty Quarry section, northeastern Brazil, and (2) Cretaceous Ostracoda from James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula.

Peter Frenzel will defend his dissertation on Foraminifera of the Lower Maastrichtian of Ruegen.

Roland Fuhrmann is still studying Recent and Quaternary freshwater ostracods.

Hans-Juergen Hahn tries to keep up with ostracod research, but is working mainly on soil acidity in forests.

Joachim Harloff Interests include Mesozoic and Recent ostracods and shape analysis of ostracod valves. He is still looking for a new position in science.

Finn Heinrich At the end of 1995, I started to get into methods and material. I took samples from some selected ponds and lakes around Greifswald. Determining population density of podocopes and relation to chemical parameters until now. Current work in progress: continuing my studies and looking for some more parameters influencing the population.

Ekkehard Herrig is continuing his work on taxonomy, biostratigraphy, palaeobiology, and palaeoecology of Upper Cretaceous ostracods, especially from Pleistocene erratics.

Horst Janz keeps on with the research on ostracods (Recent-Tertiary). He has visited K. Abe and worked there on Recent freshwater ostracods. As a member of the special research cooperation on Climate of the University in Tuebingen, he investigates Tertiary ostracods geochemically on isotopes of oxygen and strontium.

Eugen K. Kempf is now retired, but he is trying to continue his work on the "Cologne Database of Ostracoda". To be successful with this attempt, it is more than ever necessary that all ostracodologists give support and send reprints of their ostracod papers soon after publication. Cordial thanks to all those who did so in the past. Unpublished parts of the database will be sent in exchange for reprints, as far or as soon as those are available. In 1997, volumes 6 to 9 of "Index and Bibliography of Nonmarine Ostracoda" were brought into their final state and published. Now 18 volumes are published from the "Cologne Database Ostracoda". The 12 index volumes are listing together over 65,500 names under which ostracod taxa have been described. Within the 6 bibliography volumes, over 11,500 reliable references are published.

Renate Matzke-Karasz is waiting for a decision on a research funding application. In the meantime, she keeps doing some ostracod homework, and would like to thank all those colleagues protecting her from complete scientific isolation by keeping contact via mail and E-Mail. In February, 1998, a short paper on Zenker's organs of Cypridoidea has been published in the Festschrift for Professor E.K. Kempf. (For those who happen to read it, pictures two and three have been mixed up.)

Dietmar Keyser continues his work of the Aral Sea Project and finished work together with Dr. Nagorskaja (Minsk) on a project about ostracods of Belorussia. Together with C. Schoening he is working on terrestrial ostracods of Africa and Holocene ostracods from Bermuda.

Karina Kussius continued her doctoral thesis on ostracods of the Upper Jurassic of the eastern Iberian Basin.

Peter Luger is housed at the Technical University of Berlin as a "visiting scientist". Special interests are predominantly marine Ostracoda from the Jurassic through Paleogene of Africa and Arabia. Presently I am working on Cretaceous Ostracoda from Somalia (Barremian: Wealden-type; Aptian-Cenomanian, ?Campanian-Maastrichtian) shallow marine as part of my habilitation thesis (which will also include the foraminifers of the time-slice).

Renate Matzke-Karasz is waiting for a decision on a research funding application. In the meantime, she keeps doing some ostracod homework, and would like to thank all those colleagues protecting her from complete scientific isolation by keeping contact via mail and E-Mail. In February, 1998, a short paper on Zenker's organs of Cypridoidea was been published in the Festschrift for Professor E.K. Kempf. (For those who happen to read it, pictures two and three have been mixed up.) She continues her work on Scottia, Psychodromus, Cyclocypris, and Mesocypris.

Wolfgang Mette works on the ostracods of the Koessener strata (Steinplatte Riff, Tirol) and Zlambach Upper Triassic clays. He plans to study the facies/paleoecology of the Kassianer strata (Dolomits, Upper Triassic) soon.

Steffen Mischke graduated from the Institute of Geography at the Free University of Berlin. Following some sedimentological investigations in the Gobi region of northwestern China, I will focus now on investigations of Pleistocene and Holocene ostracodes from Central Asia in order to reconstruct the history of environment and climate. Up to now, Pleistocene ostracodes are collected from dried-up lakes and swamps at the northern margin of the Radain Jaran Sand Sea and in addition, I got some ostracodes from modern lakes in the southern part of the sand sea and from northern Mongolia for determination. Because there is not a lot of published work about Neogene and Quaternary ostracodes from Central Asia, I am interested in an exchange not only of information about ostracode taxonomy and palaeoclimatic studies, but also of specimens from this region.

Nasser Mostafawi is currently working on Neogene ostracods from Aegean Islands. His other research activities include studies on marine ostracods from (1) Upper Oligocene of Hildesheim (northern Germany) and (2) Recent of northern Norway (with A. Freimald, Bremen).

Dirk Nuernberg is performing chemical analyses of different water masses and geochemical studies on benthic microfossils from the Mediterranean outflow area in order to test whether the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) exhibits a typical inorganic chemical fingerprint, which is reflected in the valve chemistry of benthic ostracods. Such approach tests the potential of earth alkali metals within microfossil skeletons to spatially and temporally reconstruct oceanographic changes. During RV METEOR expedition M39/1, water samples from the Gulf of Cadiz and the western Iberian continental margin were investigated for Sr, Mg, and Ca by ICP-OES. The chemical signature was subsequently compared to the Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios of benthic ostracod valves (Henryhowella, Krithe) from corresponding core-top locations. Analyses were performed by ICP-OES and CAMECA electron microprobe. Within the Gulf of Cadiz, the high salinity MOW is characterized by enhanced Mg, Ca, and Sr concentrations. Along the western Iberian continental margin, MOW intruding in between the North Atlantic Central Water (NACW) and the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) can still be traced by high earth alkali metal concentrations. For all water masses mentioned, a linear relationship between salinity and earth alkali metals is manifested as is supported by theoretical considerations. The distinct inorganic-chemical fingerprint of the MOW was initially assumed to cause a clear geochemical signal in benthic ostracods living under this hydrographic regime. Our study shows that neither vertical variations in both seawater Mg and Sr concentrations nor in salinity affect the valve chemistry of ostracods. It is, however, apparent that Krithe from "cold" sites located within the NADW are significantly lower in Mg than specimens from overlying, warmer water masses. Similar to Mg in Krithe, the Sr content of Henryhowella recovered from deep and relatively cold sites within the NADW is significantly depleted in Sr. Our study reveals that differences in bottom water temperature of ca 300C can be resolved by the Mg content in specific ostracod species. Further, MOW and NADW can be clearly distinguished by their ostracod Sr content. The study is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), which is our national funding agency.
Current work in progress: We currently continue with core top Bythocypris from the Portuguese continental margin. Beside wet chemical studies by ICP-OES, microprobe investigations are performed in order to detect intraspecific and interspecific differences. In addition, downcore geochemical studies of ostracods from selected sites within the MOW, from the transitional zone between MOW and NADW, and from the deep NADW are in progress. These studies are supposed to spatially and temporally constrain MOW and NADW distribution patterns.
Students and thesis topics: (1) Anja Mueller, graduate student, diploma in chemistry; (2) Lineke deJong, undergraduate student, environmental science.

Erika Pietrzeniuk is working on ostracods from Jurassic clays from East Africa and Holocene freshwater ostracods in Jakutia.

Gerhard Roedder works on Tertiary marine ostracods from northern and western Europe. The topic of his research is quantitative paleoecology with special interest in sampling problems and clearing up inaccuracies of observation. In the field of synecology, he is busy with methods of paleocommunity descriptions. Concerning autecology, interest is directed to preferences of widely distributed species with reference to variations in shell morphology and dimension as well as shell chemistry and its dependence on ambient environmental conditions and diagenesis. Besides, he works on methods quantifying the geographical distribution of fossil taxa and problems concerning the completeness of the fossil record on the large scale. He started to work on Upper Silurian ostracods from the Beyrichianchalk sequence.

Burkhard Scharf has continued to work on living freshwater ostracods of the Elbe River and Oder River. He finished a work on the paleolimnology, including Ostracoda, of the ancient saline Lake Salziger See in the eastern part of Germany.

Carol Schoening continues her work on the ostracods of Bermuda together with Ruediger Vollbrecht and D. Keyser. She also works with D. Keyser on terrestrial ostracods of Africa.

Kristian Schoning is a graduate student at the Department of Quaternary Research, Stockholm University, Sweden. I am working with Quaternary ostracods, concentrating on marine environments. Current works are: (1) calcareous fossils of the Baltic Sea Yoldia stage with Stefan Wastegerd, including stable isotopes and shell chemistry; (2) changes in the ostracod fauna during the Holocene in the Baltic Sea; (3) marine stratigraphy and tephrochronology at the Younger Dryas/Preboreal transition in western Sweden with Stefan Wastegerd.

Michael Schudack continues research on ostracods, charophytes, and foraminifers. Main current activities on ostracods include (1) Late Jurassic in Europe (with K. Kussius and U. Schudack, Berlin), East Africa (Tendaguru Formation, with E. Petrezniuk, Berlin) and North America (Morrison Formation, with F. Peterson, Denver), and (2) Holocene of Satonda Crater Lake (with J. Reitner, Gottingen). Main focus (depending on the project) is on biostratigraphy, paleoecology, biogeography, paleoclimatology, and shell geochemistry. Future projects: Cenozoic ostracods from the Baikal Rift (as part of the German special research program "Evolution in ancient lakes: a key to the understanding of biodiversity".)
In press: Schudack, M., Turner, C., and Peterson, F., Biostratigraphy, paleoecology, and biogeography of charophytes and ostracodes from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Western Interior, U.S.A.: Modern Geology.
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).

Ulla Schudack has almost finished research on the marine and non-marine ostracods from northern Spain. She is currently carrying out some consulting work on Jurassic boreholes in northern Germany.

Joerg Schwarzkopf continues her work on the ostracods and foraminifers of Cenozoic and Mesozoic times of northwestern Germany, especially about their value for the applied micropalaeontology (stratigraphy and evaluation of palaeobathymetry).

Henning Uffenorde finished a study on the ostracod biozonation and event stratigraphy of Early Miocene sections from the Peel Horst (SE Netherlands), the North German Basin, and the Danish Subbasin (SW Denmark). In this study, ostracod levels at the Oligocene/Miocene boundary were redefined and several deep water ostracod events within the Early Miocene were distinguished in order to trace some of the major maximum flooding surfaces.
In press: Uffenorde, H., Untermiozaene Ostracoden-Faunen, ein vergleich niederlaendischer profile: Greifswalder Geowiss. Beitraege (Festschrift Prof. Herrig).

Agnes Wiehofen Shell morphology of limnocytherids from the Miocene is still the topic of her research.

Rosaline H. Weiss continues her studies of marine Oligocene ostracods from Germany. She finished editorial work on the volume "Festschrift Eugen Karl Kempf" appeared in December 1997. She investigated the genus Muellerina from the Upper Oligocene, Germany. The results are presented in the volume mentioned above.

I. Zagora, K. Zagora are continuing their biostratigraphical and paleoecological research of the Paleozoic (especially Devon) of Ruegen and NE Germany and are very interested in works of paleoecological colleagues.

Fed-Karsten Ziegler works on Tertiary marine ostracods from northern and eastern Europe. The topic of his research is quantitative paleoecology with special interest in sampling problems and clearing up inaccuracies in observation. In the field of synecology, he is busy with methods of paleocommunity description. Concerning autecology, interest is directed to preferences of widely distributed species with reference to variations in shell morphology and dimension as well as shell chemistry and its dependence on ambient environmental conditions and diagenesis. His biostratigraphical attention is focused on a Lower Tertiary species. Besides, he works on methods quantifying the geographical distribution of fossil taxa.

D. Zissler works on the ultrastructure of the reproductive system of Crustacea and Insecta. His special interest is with ostracods.

Stelios Galoukas is working on (1) Late Cenozoic paleogeography of Vatera area (Lesvos Island, Greece). The manuscript will be sent for publication in 1998. It reconstructs Late Cenozoic paleoenvironments of the Vatera area based on the study mainly of ostracodes (limnic) but also taking into account the accompanying fauna and the sedimentological data of the samples. (2) Study of Recent ostracodes from Siggitikos Gulf (north Greece). Recent and subrecent marine ostracode faunas were given to me by Dr. V. Tsapralis. Their study will focus on the information they are able to provide concerning the water circulation and the currents inside this gulf.

A. Kiss is studying ostracods of recent lakes.

A. Szuromi-Korecz is studying marine, marine-brackish, and limno-brackish fauna from Hungary.

H. Kozur is studying Carboniferous to Liassic ostracods of the Tethys, and soft parts of Triassic ostracods.

M. Monostori is studying (1) Eocene ostracods and their Palaeoecology in Hungary; (2) Oligocene ostracods from Hungary and their paleoecology; (3) Cretaceous marine and nonmarine ostracods from Hungary; (4) Jurassic marine ostracods from Hungary; and (5) Triassic marine and nonmarine ostracods from Hungary.

S.K. Battish remained busy in reviewing work on the recent freshwater Ostracoda of India, the manuscript of the paper is being given final touches. Starting the Sowerby's publication of 1840, there have been approximately a hundred papers on the subject, dealing with 194 species belonging to 40 genera known to date. These species include 98 taxa newly described and 23 species left indeterminate. The state-wise distribution of the taxa worked out from the Republic of India shows that a maximum number of genera (20) have been described from the State of Punjab, followed by Tamil Nadu (18). The maximum number of species are known again from Punjab (45) followed by Maharashtra (40). The least number of species (one) has been reported from Assam. It is really surprising that from the States of Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh, no species have been reported so far. Likewise the Union territories having no ostracod records are: Andaman and Nicobar, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Lakshdweep Islands.

Anil Bhandari is finalizing the "Atlas of Early and Middle Miocene ostracodes of Western Indian Basins. Current work includes (1) Post-Paleozoic stratigraphic index of ostracodes of India (with Dr. S.C. Khosla, M.L. Sukhadia, University of Udaipur); (2) study of Recent Ostracoda from the deltaic sub environment and shallow inner shelf, east coast of India.
Papers in press: (1) Bhandar, A. and Colin, J.P., Limnic ostracodes from the Inter-Trappean sediments (uppermost Maastrichtian-basal Paleocene) near Anjar, Kchchh, Gujarat State, India: taxonomy, paleoecology, and paleobiogeographic al affinities: Rev. Micropaleon.; (2) Bhandar, A., Early Paleocene Ostracoda biostratigraphy of West Bengal Basin, India: XVI Indian Coll. Micropal., Paris; (3) Bhandari, A. and Raju, D.S.N., Paleogene biofacies, paleoecology and sea level fluctuations in CambayTampur block, India: XVI Ind. Colloq. Micropal. Strat., Goa.

Sunit Gupta was earlier working on Jurassic foraminifers from the Kachchh region during my Ph.D work. A good number of ostracods were collected during the last investigation, hence I initiated work on Jurassic ostracode faunas. For this I have been awarded a Young Scientist Project from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi, with the title "Biostratigraphic and paleoecologic significance of Jurassic ostracods from Kachchh, western India".
Current work is on samples collected from the mainland Kachchh, Gujarat, western India.

S.C. Khosla is working in collaboration with Anil Bhandari and M.L. Nagori preparing an Atlas of Miocene Ostracodes of Western and Southern India. This should be ready by the end of this year. He is also working on the publication of Stratigraphic Index ostracodes of post-Paleozoic formations f India, for which he is seeking active cooperation with all concerned ostracode workers.
A paper on Costobuntonia, a new ostracode genus from the Inter-trappean beds of east coast of India, is in hand and will be submitted for publication shortly.

U.B. Mallikarjuna successfully completed the Young Scientist Project on ostracode fauna and charophyte flora-based biostratigraphy and palaeoenvironmental analysis of Gondwana Formations of the Peninsular India sponsored by the DST, New Delhi. He worked on ostracode assemblages from Kota (Liassic), Dalmiapuram (Aptian-Albian) and Sivaganga (Neocomian) Formations. Biostratigraphic zones based on ostracodes in the Kota Formation are identified and correlated with the ostracode zones elsewhere. The earlier described ostracodes from Dalmiapuram is revised and brought up to date.
Current work: (1) biostratigraphy, paleoecology and Palaeobiogeography of the South India marine Cretaceous ostracodes, (2) Cretaceous non-marine ostracodes of Southern India; biostratigraphic and paleobiogeographic implications, (3) Jurassic freshwater ostracodes from the Kota Formation, Pranhita-Godavari Valley; biostratigraphic and paleoecologic implications.
In press papers: Ostracodes of the Maastrichtian from the Vridhachalam area, Tamil Nadu, South India: Contributions to XVIth Ind. Colloq. on Micropal. and Strat., Goa (submitted with S. Sugumuran and H.M. Nagajara).

M.S. Mannikeri is continuing studies on Jurassic and Palaeogene marine and nonmarine microfauna of western Rajasthan. Also supervising a CSIR-funded Research Associate programme. He attended and gave a keynote address "Role of Ostracoda in micropalaeontological research" at the XVI Indian Colloquium on Micropalaeontology and Stratigraphy held at N.I. O. Goa from 22-25 January, 1998.
He is supervising a Ph.D. programme of Mr. A.S. Yadav, entitled "Recent Ostracoda from backwaters and their environs of Kerala Coast, India".

S.P. Mohan Ms. A. Mini Kumari has submitted her Ph.D thesis entitled "Systematics, distribution, and ecology of Recent Ostracoda from off Mahabalipuram, near Madras, Tamil Nadu, South India", in May, 1997.

H.M. Nagaraj is working on the project entitled "Ostracodes from the Cretaceous-Tertiary succession of the Cauvery Basin, South India". One of the students, Mr. S. Sugumaran, has prepared a thesis for submission for the award of Ph.D degree with the title "Geologic studies of the Cretaceous-Tertiary succession of the Vridhachalam area, Tamil Nadu, South India". We are currently engaged on ostracodes of the Upper Cretaceous of Thanjavur areas in Tamil Nadu, South India.
I and my students Mr. S. Sugumaran and U.B. Mallikarjuna participated and presented research papers at the following conferences: XVI Indian Colloquium on Micropaleontology and Stratigraphy, Goa, January 1998 and XI Indian Geological Congress, Mysore, February 1998.
Papers in press: (1) S. Sugumaran, H.M. Nagaraj, and U.B. Mallikarjuna, Ostracodes of the Maastrichtian from the Vridhachalam area, Tamil Nadu, South India: Proceedings of the XVI ICMS, Goa; (2) S. Sugumaran and H.M. Nagaraj, Ostracode biozonation, paleoecology and zoogeography of the Cretaceous Tertiary succession of the Vridhachalam, Tamil Nadu, South India: Journal of the Geological Society of India.

Pratap Singh is actively engaged in the study of Tertiary ostracods of the Indian basins. Current work includes the study of Tertiary ostracods of Jammu, Rajasthan, and Kachchh areas in progress and will be submitted for publication in the near future. Dr. Singh will be retiring on January 21, 1998 and will be settling at Lucknow in April, 1998. He plans to continue his work on Ostracoda.
In press: (1) Singh, P., Porwal, D.K., and Joshi, V.P., Eocene ostracods and their significance in depositional history in subsurface sequence of Broach-Jambusar Block. The paper deals with the freshwater and marine ostracods of deltaic freshwater-brackish and marine subsurface sequence of the Broach-Jambusar Block, Cambay Basin, Gujurat, India. Of 30 species of ostracods, 14 species are new. These species belong to genera Bairdia, Bairdoppilata, Bythocypris, Candona, Paracypris, Phlyctenophora, , Ovocytheridea, Neocyprideis, Krithe, Cytheropteron, Cytheridella, Paijenborchella, Alocopocythere, Paracosta, Cytherella, and Frambocythere. The various palaeodepositional environments are identified. (2) Palaeogene ostracods from the Cambay-Tarapur Block, Cambay Basin, Gujurat, India. The Palaeogene subsurface sequence of the Cambay-Tarapur Block, Cambay Basin, Gujurat, India, has yielded a fairly rich assemblage of ostracods represented by 39 species, including 22 new species. Two new genera of ostracods, Ganeshella and Shankarella, are being proposed.

Aurn. S. Vaidya is presently continuing studies on Quaternary marine and brackish (estuary) and nonmarine ostracodes and foraminifers from India. He attended and presented a paper entitled "Recent Ostracoda from beach sands along Goa coast, India" at the XVI Indian Colloquium on Micropalaeontology and Stratigraphy held at N.I.O. Goa from 22-25 January, 1998.

J.M. Al-Bashir is continuing her work on Cretaceous and Tertiary ostracodes in the Oil Exploration Company.

Saleh K. Khalaf continued his work on Recent, Tertiary, and Cretaceous Ostracoda from Iraq.
In press: Salah K. Khalaf and Sanad A. Al-Khashab, The paleogeographic distribution of the Late Cretaceous Ostracoda of Tanuma Formation in Iraq.
Published papers (Authors not provided): (1) Ecology of Recent Ostracoda from Khor Al-Zubair Channel, southern Iraq; (2) New ostracode taxa of the Iraqi Middle Miocene; (3) The Family Trachyleberididae from the Middle Miocene of northern Iraq; (4) The paleoecology of Avanah Formation (Middle Eocene), northern Iraq.
Students and thesis topics: (1) W.Y. Abdullah, Ph.D student, is investigating middle Cretaceous Ostracoda from souther Iraq; (2) S.A. Al-Khashab, Ph.D student, investigating upper Jurassic-lower Cretaceous Ostracoda from different localities in Iraq.

Sanad Al-Khashab finished his first year courses of the Ph.D degree, and is now trying to get samples from the Oil Exploration Company. Because of some problems, my research for Ph.D will be on formations from Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous from selecting boreholes in Iraq, instead of the Cenozoic as mentioned in Cypris 1997.
S.S. Al-Sheikhly continues his work on Recent and Cretaceous Ostracoda from Iraq.
Students and thesis topics: K. Hassan, Ph.D student is writing his thesis on the stratigraphy of Cretaceous in the Iraqi Western Desert.

Amnon Rosenfeld and Avraham Honigstein are continuing work on Mesozoic-Eocene faunas of Israel. The taxonomic part of the Eocene ostracode study from southern Israel is now complete, and they are waiting for the foraminiferal results and will then submit the paper. Both attended the ISO97 in Chatham and presented a talk about Plio-Pleistocene ostracode faunas from southern Israel paleo-lakes. Currently they are working on the Bibliography of Paleontological Works from Israel and Jordan.
In press: Rosenfeld, A. and Honigstein, A., Kimmeridgian ostracodes from the Haluza Formation in Israel: Revista Espanola de Micropaleontologia.

Giuseppe Aiello, Diana Barra, Giocchino Bonaduce are working on bathyal Plio-Pleistocene of Sicily.
G. Bonaduce, D. Barra are studying some brackish assemblages of the Pliocene of Southern Italy. G. Bonaduce is presently working on the Messinian "sea-lake" ostracods of Sicily.
G. Aiello completed his Ph.D thesis on Tortonian-Early Pliocene ostracods of western Calabria (southern Italy) and he continues to work on this material.
In press: (1) Bonaduce, G., Barra, D., and Aiello, G., The genus Henryhowella Puri, 1957 (Crustacea, Ostracoda) in the Atlantic-Mediterranean from Miocene to Recent: Boll. Soc. Paleont. Ital.; (2) Bonaduce, G., Barra, D., and Aiello, G., The areal and bathymetrical distribution of the genus Henryhowella Puri (Ostracoda) in the Gulf of Naples: Bull. Soc. Elf Aquitaine; (3) Barra, D., Bonaduce, G., and Sgarrella, F., Paleoenvironmental bottom water conditions in the early Zanclian of the Capo Rossello area (Agrigento, Sicily): Boll. Soc. Paleontol. Ital.

Giorgio Benassi is working on the ecology and taxonomy of planktic ostracods with Irene Ferrari, Sandra Sei and Ken McKenzie in different projects: National Project P.N.R.A. in Antarctica (Ross Sea); International Project P.N.R.A. in the Magellan Straits; National Project EOCUMM95 (CoNISMa) in the Mediterranean Sea (off the Eolian Islands).

Alessandro Bossio is continuing his research on the Neogene Ostracoda of Tuscany and of the Salentina Peninsula (Apulia). Presently he is working on the documentation of the ostracofaunas of the formations present in the geological map of the eastern Salentina Peninsula, published at the beginning of 1998 (Lenghian-Lower Pleistocene).

Barbara Dall'Antonia is working on her Ph.D thesis. She is currently studying the early middle Miocene Ostracoda of the Iberian Foreland.

Costanza Faranda is mainly interested in Plio-Pleistocene marine ostracods. At present, she is looking at ostracod assemblages coming from the Pliocene "Macco Formation", from northern Latium. In collaboration with Elsa Gliozzi, she is also studying the freshwater ostracods coming from a Middle Pleistocene sediment core from Vallo di Diano (Campania).

Elsa Gliozzi and her collaborators Ilaria Mazzini and Costanza Faranda carry out their ostracodological research in Roma. Elsa studies Itallian Neogene-Quaternary freshwater and brackish Ostracoda as biochronological and palaeoenviornmental 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), Monticino quarry (Emilia Romagna), and Perticara (Marche), uppermost Messinian.
In press: (1) Gliozzi, E. and Mazzini, I., Palaeoenvironmental analysis of Early Pleistocene brackish marshes in the Rieti and Tiberino intrapenninic basins (Latium and Umbria, Italy) using ostracods: Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclim., Palaeoecol.; (2) Calderini, G., Calderoni, G., Cavinato, G.P., Gliozzi, E., and Paccara, P., The upper Quaternary sedimentary sequence at the Rieti basin (Central Italy): a record of sedimentary response to environmental changes: Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclim., Palaeoecol.; (3) Cipllari, P., Cosentino, D., Esu, D., Girotti, O., Gliozzi, E., and Praturlon, A., Central Apenines (Italy) accretionary wedge; recognition of lacustrine environment in a Late Messinian thrust-top basin: Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclim., Palaeoecol.; (4) Gliozzi, E., Late Messinian brackish ostracod assemblage of Paratethyan aspect from Le Vicenne (Abruzzi, Central Italy): Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclim., Palaeoecol.; (5) Gliozzi, E. and Mazzini, I., Palaeoenvironmental analysis of the 250,000-year Quaternary sediment core of Valle di Castiglione (Latium, Italy) using ostracods: Bull. Rech. Pau; (6) Barbieri, M., Carrara, C., Castorina, F., Dai Pra, G., Esu, D., Gliozzi, E., Paganin, G., and Sadori, L., Multi disciplinary study of a Middle-Late Pleistocene sequence in the Piana Pontina (Central Italy): Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclim., Palaeoecol.; (7) Gliozzi, E., Cipollari, P., and Cosentino, D., The Messinian "Lago-Mare" event in central Italy: paleogeographical reconstruction using geological data and ostracod assemblages: IGCP 329 Report, Belgrado; (8) Gliozzi, E. and Mazzini, I., Mixtacandona talianae n. sp. (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from the Holocene of Grotta del Lago (Umbria, central Italy): Micropaleontology; (9) Mazzini, I., Anadon, P., Barbieri, M., Castorina, F., Ferreli, L., Gliozzi, E., Mola, M., an Vittori, E., Late Pleistocene/Holocene sea level changes from subsurface data in the Tyrrhenian coast near Orbetello (Tuscany, central Italy); palaeoenvironmental reconstruction using ostracods: Marine Micropaleontology.

Ilaria Mazzini studies Itallian Plio-Quaternary freshwater and brackish ostracods for biochronology and palaeoenvironmental purposes. She is studying a Holocene freshwater lacustrine succession in Umbria, providing interesting faunal assemblages with Cytherella lacustris. Besides, Elsa Gliozzi and Ilaria Mazzini are carrying ut a study on the ostracod assemblages of the Middle-Upper Pliocene succession of the Tiberino Lake (Umbria, central Italy). Moreover, they are still working on the ostracod assemblage of a submarine cave located with sulfurous springs located in southern Italy.

Pietro Miculan continues to work on marine (mainly deep water) Miocene ostracods of the Mediterranean area. He is completing research on middle Miocene assemblages from southeastern Sicily (southern Italy) and he hopes that results will be submitted for publication in the near future.

Nevio Pugliese, Mario Masoli, Gianguido Salvi are working on (1) systematics, ecology/palaeontology of the ostracods of paralic and shelf Mediterranean settings, northern Italian freshwater settings and antarctic-periantarctic areas, and (2) their application in the definition of the recent and late Quaternary evolution of such areas.
Works in progress: (1) systematics and ecology of ostracods of northern Sardinia infra littoral settings; (2) systematics and ecology of ostracods of the Ross Sea shelf and Magellan Straits area; (3) systematics and ecology of ostracods of lakes of Mantova (northern Italy).
Students: (1) Sara Boschetti, Ostracods of Magellan Strait; Viviana Evangelista, Ostracods of Sardinia.

Valeria Rossi, Paolo Menozzi, Giorgio Benassi, Gentlie Giovanni, Andrea Gandolfi, Giampaolo Rossetti continue their activities on population ecology and population genetics of Heterocypris incongruens, Eucypris virens, and Darwinula stevensoni.
Students and thesis topics: Andrea Gandolfi, doctoral student, DNA markers in the population genetics of E. virens, D. stevensoni, H. incongruens; Silvia Zandonati, undergraduate student, Population genetics of E. virens; Roberta Zandonati, undergraduate student, Population ecology of bisexual populations of E. virens; Antonella Tommasi, undergraduate student, Population ecology of D. stevensoni; Eletta Todeschi, undergraduate student, Population genetics of D. stevensoni; Anita Notaro, undergraduate student, Population ecology of E. virens; M. Chiara Magnani, undergraduate student, Planktonic Ostracoda off the Magellan Straits.
In press: (1) Benassi, G., Ferrari, I., Rossi, V., Sei, S., Angel, M.V., and McKenzie, K.G., Planktonic ostracods off the Eolian Islands (Mediterranean Sea): 3eme Congres Europeen des Ostracodologistes, Paris-Bierville, 8-12 Iuglio 1996; (2) Martens, K., Rossetti, G., Fuhrmann, R., Pleistocene and Recent species of the family Darwinulidae Brady and Norman, 1889 (Crustacea, Ostracoda) in Europe: Hydrobiologia; (3) McKenzie, K.G., Ferrari, I., Benassi, G., Planktonic Ostracoda in the Ross Sea; their distribution and associated environmental factors, in Faranda, F., Guglielmo, L., and Ianora, A., eds., Ross Sea ecology: Italiantartide Expeditions (1987-1995), Springer-Verlag; (4) Moroni, A. and Benassi, G., Ostracoda of the Itallian ricefields ecosystem 1960-1986: Cartongraf, Parma; (5) Rossetti, G. and Martens, K., On Darwinula stevensoni Brady and Robertson: Stereo-Atlas of Ostracod Shells.

Katsumi Abe is working mainly on the natural history of myodocopes. A graduate student, Takuo Ono, concentrates on the anatomical structure of the upper lip, and Koshi Yamada on the evolutionary ecology of some sympatric myodocopid species. Richard Reyment visited him in late spring for the advanced morphometric study, and Todd Oakley (Duke University) in summer for the study of vision of Ostracoda.

Keiichi Hayashi is working on the ostracod biostratigraphy and correlation of the Lower Cretaceous formations in southwestern Japan and southeastern Korea.
Papers in press: Nonmarine Ostracoda from the Lower Cretaceous Wakino Subgroup in Northern Kyushu, Japan: Bull. Tokyo Gakugei Univ. 4.

Shin-Ichi Hiruta is working on (1) faunal study of myodocopids from Shimabara, Kyusyu, (2) bioecology of interstitial ostracods from Hokkaido, with Kazumiti Hori (M2), (3) faunal study of freshwater ostracods from Hokkaido, with Masayosi Honma (M1), and (4) morphology of Vargula species.

Noriyuki Ikeya is making a database of Japanese Ostracoda with members of JASSO (Japanese Society for the study of Ostracoda). This project is supported by the Monbusho Scientific Research Fund (since 1995), and will be completed by 2000. A CD-Rom will be issued on the occasion of ISO 2001 at Shizuoka. He is currently working on taxonomy, ecology, and evolution of marine Ostracoda from the paleobiological viewpoint. Four graduate students are working under his guidance: (1) Gengo Tanaka (Biogeography and quantitative analysis of Ostracoda off southeast Asia for the application to Plio-Pleistocene Japanese warm water fauna); (2) Yusako Kaseda (Taxonomy and biogeography of the genus Hemicytherura); (3) Masako Kato (Taxonomic study of the littoral Ostracoda from the Australian coast); (4) Masami Shibuya (DNA analysis of littoral ostracode species for phylogenetic study). Two undergraduate students are studying taxonomy, ecology, and shell structure of Ostracoda.
Nori is now Dean of the combined Physical Sciences and Engineering College (and his department, for which he is the Head, is called Earth and Life Sciences). He manages to keep the administration to a minimum by going to his dean's office only once every three days. He has an undergrad doing some really nice work (senior thesis) with Sem and microprobe on marine ostracode shellssome very nice pictures of organic matrix with "islands" of carbonate (actually with carbonate dissolved out), and they are trying to analyze Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca for different locations in the shell. They are also working on a CD-ROM atlas/catalog of one particularly difficult species of marine ostracode6 views per species (per sex)top, bottom, lateral (both sides), front, and backto help others with identification.

Toshiaki Irizuki is working on (1) Late Cenozoic ostracodes from Japan in association with global climatic change, (2) analyses of shallow marine paleoenvironments based on ostracode shell chemistry, and (3) taphonomy of ostracodes in tsunami deposits. One graduate student, Katsura Yamada, is working on late Pliocene ostracodes in northern Japan.
Papers in press: Irizuki, T., Ostracode faunal changes after the mid-Neogene climatic optimum elucidated within the Middle Miocene Kobana Formation, central Japan: Paleontological Research, 2(1).

Kunihiro Ishizaki is currently working on post-Paleogene ostracodes, with an emphasis on paleoenvironmental analysis, and on Holocene ostracodes of Kagoshima Bay.

Takahiro Kamiya (and his students with a research project) is working on phylogeny of ostracodes based on mtDNA and the differentiation of the pattern of pore systems through ontogeny (with Dr. Tsukagoshi of University of Tokyo). He is also interested in the polymorphism and speciation of ostracodes. Students: Hirokazu Ozawa (D2), Recent ostracode faunas in the Sea of Japan and their relationship with Plio-Pleistocene Omma-Manganjian ostracodes; Tsuyoshi Matsuzaka (M2), Recent cold water ostracodes around Japan; Toru Ishii (M2), Evolution and distribution of the genus Loxoconcha based on the pore system; Tomoe Minami (M1), Phylogenetic relationship of cytheracean ostracodes based on the pore system; Toshihiro Fujita (M1), Nature of the ostracode molting.

Ryoichi Tabuki is studying (1) the ecology and taxonomy of ostracods from the Sekisei-sho area, the largest reef in the Ryukyu Islands, (2) the ostracod fauna of submarine caves in the Palau Islands, and (3) the predation scars on carapaces of reef ostracods. I am submitting a paper with Prof. Hanai on a new saipanettid genus from submarine caves in the Ryukyu Islands.

Akira Tsukagoshi mainly studies segmentation (with Andrew R. Parker, Australian Museum) and homology of copulatory organ of Ostracoda. Using a low-evacuated SEM, I am trying non-coated observation on ostracod holotypes which are deposited in the University Museum, University of Tokyo. The holotypes described by optical microscope in the 1950's-1960's are clearly revived by this method. In the near future, I would like to make them public by publications or internet through the University Museum. I guide a post-graduate student, Yuriko Nakao (Masters course of Nihon University). She researches on lagoonal ostracod and foraminiferal facies in mouth of Obitsu River, Chiba Prefecture in view of seasonal and chronological changes.
Papers in press: Tsukagoshi, A., Evolution of ostracod segmentation: Seibutu Kagaku (Biological Science), 59(4), Nobunkyo, Tokyo [in Japanese].

Michiko Yajima organized the Exhibition of Franz Hilgendorf at five museums in Japan. I am investigating the history of ostracodology in Japan, and discovering good works of F. Hilgendorf and A. Adams in Japan.

Wajih A.K. Al-Jumaily continues as a member of the academic staff of Nasir University, College of Science, Department of Geology and Geoenvironmental Sciences, at Al-Khoms city, Libya. I am continuing my research on the Quaternary Ostracoda and Foraminifera from souther Iraq. I will present a paper at the Geological Conference on Exploration in Marzug Basin, Libya, entitled "Palaeozoogeography of shallow marine Ostracoda from Southern Iraq".
Current work in progress includes (1) marine Ostracoda from Quaternary deposits, southern Iraq (with S.S. Al-Shiekhly), (2) Maymonah Formation: A new formation for Quaternary non-marine deposits (with S.S. Al-Shiekhly), (3) fresh-water ostracod assemblages from Quaternary deposits, Southern Mesopotamian Basin (with S.S. Al-Shiekhly).
Supervised research projects include (1) Mr. Nour Al-Dein M. Al-Grahry, Microfossils from Middle Miocene deposits, Al-Khoms area, Libya, (2) Mr. Mahmod R. Shanshan continues his project on Quaternary ostracods from Zlaetin area, Libya, (3) Mr. Abdel-Salam A. Abu-Khrahis continues his project on the Holocene and Recent Ostracoda and Foraminifera from Wadi Kaam area, Libya, (4) Mr. Maftah M. Al-Zirgany continues his project on the Quaternary Foraminifera and other microfossils from Zlaetin area, Libya.

Ana Luisa Carreno is working on (1) a post-Miocene ostracode study from Pelotas Basin, Rio Grande so Sul, Brazil and Cretaceous Ostracoda from Potiguar Basin, Brasil (with Joao Carlos Coimbra, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul); (2) continuation of my long-term research on Baja California Tertiary calcareous microfauna and microflora (Ostracoda, Foraminifera, and nannoplankton).
Teaching activities: (1) 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 Bachelor's thesis on Foraminifera and Ostracoda of the Type Locality of the Tepetate Formation, Baja California Sur, Mexico (Guerrero-Arenas, Rosalma, 1998).
In press: (1) Coimbra, J.C., Carreno, A.L., and Michelli, M.J., Taxonomia y zoogeografia de la Familia Cytheruridae (Ostracoda) de la plataforma continental ecuatorial de Brasil: Revista Brasileira de Zoologia; (2) Guerrero-Arenas, R., Carreno, A.L., and Ledesma-Vazquez, J., Biostratigraphy and depositional history of the Tepetate Formation, at Arroyo Colorado (early-0middle Eocene), Baja California Sur, Mexico: Ciencias Marinas.
In preparation: (1) Delicio, M.P., Coimbra, J.C., and Carreno, A.L., Cretaceous Ostracoda from Potiguar Basin; (2) Carreno, A.L. and Padilla, G., Ostracoda and Foraminifera from Punta Maldonado (Miocene), Mexico and the Neogene sedimentary evolution in relation to regional tectonics.

Ma. Luisa Machain-Castillo and F. Raul Gio-Argaez continue working on (1) Quaternary ostracodes of the Mexican Seas, especially in the diversity and distribution patterns of the continental shelf and coastal areas of Campeche Bay (with W.A. van den Bold); (2) Distribution Atlas and Maps of the Ostracoda of southern Gulf of Mexico; (3) microfossils (ostracods, foraminifers, and mollusks) assemblages of the Thalassia plains in the Yucatan Peninsula (with P.R. Krutak, B.K. Sen Gupta, L.C. Anderson).
Teaching activities of Marma Luisa Machain-Castillo: (1) Guerrero-Herrejan, A., Ostracodos del Eoceno superior de la Formacion Tantoyuca, Veracruz, Mexico, Licenciatura; (2) Gio-Argaez, F.R., Distribution y Ecologia de los ostracodos de la plataforma continental y zona costera del Estado de Campeche, Mexico, Ph.D. thesis.

Driss Nachite and Ratibba Bekkali are working on (1) Neogene lacustrine Ostracoda of Granada Basin (south of Spain) and Saiss Basin (north of Morocco), and (2) limno-brackish Ostracoda from the N.O. of Morocco.

Abdelhamid Rossi During the year 1997, the most important activity was a training realized in the central Africa Museum in Tervuren (Belgium) about geological data management and sponsored by the UNESCO and the AGCD organizations.
I am still working on the lower Cretaceous Ostracoda of the Occidental Hight Atlas region of Morocco, especially in Essaouira-Agadir Bassin in order to prepare a "Doctorat d'Etat marocain" diploma, supervised by Dr. B. Andreu of University Paul Sabatier of Toulouse, France.
In press: A. Chariere, B. Andreu, R. Ciszak, W.J. Kennedy, A. Rossi, and J.M. Vila, La Transgression Du Cenomanien Superieur dans la Haute Moulouya et le Moyen Atlas Meridional (Maroc), Biostratigraphie, Paleoenvironnements et Paleogeographie: Geobios, soumise.

Willem A. van den Bold In the fall of 1997, Maria Machain Castillo and Raul Gio-Argaez came to Utrecht for discussions of Raul's study of the "Distribucion y ecologia de ostracodos de la plataforma continental y zone costera del estado de Campeche, Mexico". I am also working on a compilation of my previous work on the Neogene and Quaternary ostracodes of the Caribbean, the text of which is almost complete.

Theo Lissenberg is following in the footsteps of his former colleague and ostracod worker, Leendert Witte, who some years ago had to discontinue his ostracod activities at the Geological Survey of the Netherlands. Until now I have survived, but there is little demand for Mesozoic stratigraphy using ostracods these days. I almost feel like I am the "Last of the Mohicans". But, do not despair, who knows what great opportunities and adventures like ahead. For the moment I continue my work on Cretaceous and Jurassic ostracodes and foraminifers from both onshore and offshore boreholes in the Netherlands.

Katja Philippart and Chris Winter temporarily discontinued their work on Holocene ostracodes from the North Sea and Skagerrak.

Dick Van Harten for a while stopped looking at Cyprideis torosa. He analysed a marine fauna of a boring into the Eemian of Amsterdam (in cooperation with NIAG-TNO) and is planning to study Recent deep-sea ostracodes collected near whale falls in the Pacific (in cooperation with Craig Smith of Honolulu, Hawaii).

Thierry Hoibian After conducting research with ostracods from Borneo and Makassar Strait, I began, in 1996, another work on the ecological distribution of actual ostracods of New Caledonia from deltaic to shallow marine and reef environments. I presented some results at Fidji and at another congress at Noumea dealing with Marine Benthic Habitats and the use of ostracods in the definition of a biotic index for anthropogenic activity on shallow marine and reefal environments.
Current publications include (1) transitional fresh to marine ostracods from deltaic environments of "la Nera" river and bay of "la Roche Percee" (Bourail, New Caledonia); (2) peculiar ornamented Bairdoppilata and other bairdiinae from reefs and bay of la "Roche Percee" Bourail, New Caledonia. Current computer work: I am developing a database on Pacific ostracods (with MS Access) and developing a GIS for environmental studies (including ostracods). Current project: I plan to complete our previous investigations by studying some other type of estuarine dominated by lateritic clays, on the east coast of New Caledonia.

Stephen Eagar has continued the work on the ostracods of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, Republic of Kiribati. The initial work was submitted to the Proceedings of the 3rd European Ostracod Conference. Further samples were collected from some of the nearly atolls for comparison. A consistent difference in surface texture was found and this was presented at a Marine Habitats Conference in Nouvelle Calidonie in 1997 and subsequently submitted for publication.
Another project on the effects of the pollution from a coastal sewer discharge was presented at the Applications of Micropaleontology in Tel Aviv and the 97 ISO in London. This has been written up and submitted for publication. Further work on pollution elsewhere is underway and will be published as a chapter in a book on micropaleontology.
A survey of the intertidal ostracods and other biota of the Wellington south (exposed) coast was made in conjunction with a proposed marine reserve. Two new species of Darwinula were discovered in the process of DNA study with Huw Griffiths. This has been written up with Giampaolo Rosetti and Koen Martens for Italian Jl Zool.
An Hnours student, Mike Morris, is working on the Nukubuco back reef in Su va Harbor, Fiji, which is turning up good ostracod and foraminifer an faunas. Also in Fiji, on the Coral Coast of Viti Levu, a monthly sampling programme is being conducted jointly with the University of the South Pacific. Other studies which are yielding nice ostracod faunas are being led by John Collen on Tuvalu.

Graeme Mason has had some unpleasant changes in his life recently, the chief of which was being forced into early retirement (another way of saying made redundant). I am now working from home. The good bit is that I will have much more time to devote to ostracods and may yet get access to lab space somewhere in the university. I am still working on (1) the checklist of freshwater ostracods of New Zealand, (2) ostracods from shallow water Tertiary sediments, and (3) some freshwater faunas from Thailand. I am also following up some other curiosities such as a shallow water Manawa locality in Nelson, and I may also have a second Mesocypris terrestrial species from Southland.

Kerry Swanson is still beavering away on cores we have collected from the Challenger Plateau in the Tasman Sea. The object of this exercise is to examine water-mass interaction over the last 100,000 years. We are also at the planning stage to participate in the TASQWA programme, which is being organised by GEOMAR in Kiel. The research vessel `Sonne' will visit in October for 26 days in the Southern Ocean for a palaeoceanographic investigation of water-mass interaction during the Quaternary, and aspects of the saline conveyor belt circulation. Thomas Jellinek and I will work on the ostracods and then will cooperate with Patrick De Deckker on a project to refine the use of ostracod shell-chemistry as a paleothermometric and oceanographic tool.
Kerry and Michael Ayress have just submitted for publication a paper on the taxonomy and distribution of Cytheropteron testudo and related species.
Kerry and Patrick De Deckker went on an ostracod safari to Chatham Island to the east of New Zealand. On the basis of wind strength, we postulate the Chilean ostracod fauna will have components whose origins are directly traceable to New Zealand with an intermediate stopover on the Chatham.

Nkechi E. Onyedineke is working with his students on the ecology and systematics of some Nigerian ostracodes. They lack literature and would appreciate receiving help with references.

Ole Bruun Christensen My palaeontological studies are concentrated on specific cores, coming up from Norwegian wells, and particularly my final studies on our ostracod collections from the Mesozoic in Denmark and Norway. I am in a retired position.

Nils Spjeldnaes Not much to report, as other business kept me from most ostracode work last year. The material of mummified ostracodes, with sensory hairs in the pores, reported earlier in Cypris, has not yet been published, but hopefully will be out later this year or early next year. If anybody is interested in photos of these specimens, please contact me. If they had been "real" fossils, they would have been quite sensational, but since they are only 9600 years old (C14), and belong to well-known, living species, they do not give much new anatomical information.

Reginald Victor has not published anything on ostracods for the past 10 years, although I have been steadily accumulating information for two monographs on (1) Freshwater Ostracoda of Nigeria, West Africa, and (2) Freshwater Ostracoda of the Arabian Gulf region, the Middle East. In the Middle East, I am particularly interested in the groundwater and cave faunas. The late Professor Jan Stock of Amsterdam and I collected extensively stygofauna in the Sultanate of Oman in 1995, All ostracods collected during this study is in my possession. Similarly, ostracods are at present being sorted out from samples collected during a Slovenian Caving Expedition in 1997. The ostracod publication expected in the near future is a chapter on tropical Ostracoda with generic identification keys, a part of a book organized by Professor C.H. Fernando, University of Waterloo, Canada.

S. Farah Fatmi is busy processing samples collected from the Paleocene sediments of Sindh province of Pakistan from different localities, e.g., from Sonda, Jherruck, Dhabegi, Thano Bula Khan, Gharo, and Thar areas. The samples of Thano Bula Khan are being jointly studied by myself, Dr. Md. Ali, and Dr. Brohi of Sindh University. The other samples of Dhabeji and Gharo are being studied by myself, Miss Tayeba, and Professor Nadeem Khan of Karachi University in the Marine Labs of Karachi University. The samples of Sonda and Thar are being studied by myself in Pakistan and Dr. Brouwers in the USGS.
I have established a small cell for ostracode studies as a part of Marine Geology with the coordination of Professor Hadeem and Tayeeba Zafar under the chairmanship of Dr. Mallick in Karachi University, Geology Department. In the session 1996-97, I have delivered seven lectures on ostracode classification, morphology, lab techniques, uses in petroleum prospecting, etc., with the help of slides and SEM photographs of the different specimens. It was very much liked by the students and created interest and attraction in them for the study of ostracodes.

Malgorzata Klimowicz is currently working on oogenesis and an ovary structure in Cypris pubera. In my work I use different histochemical and immunocytochemical methods; moreover, I observe ultra thin sections in TEM and sculpture of egg shell in SEM.

Jarmila Krzyminska is involved with Quaternary ostracodes from the southern Baltic Sea.
In press: Krzyminska, J. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of microfauna and malacofauna of deposits of Vistula lagoon: Prace PIG.

Jan Malec continues his research on Devonian ostracodes of the Holy Cross Mountains (sections from the Grzegorzowice-Skaly), and intends to work with ostracodes from the Lower Devonian/Middle Devonian boundary of that area.
In press: Malec, J. and Turnau, Middle Devonian conodonts, ostracods, and miospore stratigraphy of the Grzegorzowice-Skaly Section, Holy Cross Mountains, Poland: Bull. Pol. Acad. Sci., Earth Sci., 1997, 45(1).

Tadeusz Namiotko is interested in taxonomy, ecology, and geographical distribution of Recent and Quaternary nonmarine European Ostracoda (especially from lacustrine habitats). Recently he was involved with two projects: (1) concerning subfossil and Recent Ostracoda from deep lake habitats in Poland, "Morphology, ecology, and geographical distribution of Cryptocandona species" (collaboration with D.L. Danielopol and P. Marmonier), and (2) "Geographical information system of non-marine ostracod distribution in Europe", coordinated by D.J. Horne. For the last part, he spent six months in Chatham.
In press: Namiotko, T., Changes in the profundal lacustrine ostracode fauna as an indicator of environmental perturbations in Polish lakes undergoing eutrophication: Bull. Centr. Rech. Expl.-Prod. Elf Aquitaine, Pau.

Maria Nehring-Lefeld is retired, but continues her routine micropaleontological analyses for the Geological Survey.

Ewa Olempska recently has been completing work on the Early Carboniferous Ostracoda from the Muhua Section, South China. Taxonomic problems have been sorted out and internal shell morphology, especially inner lamella in "Palaeo cope" ostracodes examined. It is hoped that results will be published in the near future. She is also continuing her studies on Devonian-Carboniferous and Frasnian-Famennian Entomozaceans from the Holy Cross Mountains. During the ISO 97 (Chatham), she was elected Secretary of the International Research Group on Palaeozoic Ostracoda for 1997-2000.
In press: (1) Olempska, E., On Editella dawubaensis Olempska gen. et sp. nov.: Stereo-Atlas of Ostracod Shells; (2) Olempska, E., On Muhuaella spinosa Olempska gen. et sp. nov.: Stereo-Atlas of Ostracod Shells; (3) Olempska, E., Ontogeny and sexual dimorphism in Ungerrella (Rhomboentomozoidae): Proc. 3rd European Ostracodologists Meeting, Paris-Bierville, 1996.

Jolanta Paruch-Kulczycka is working on Middle Miocene (mostly Sarmatian) ostracodes of the Fore-Carpathian Depression and was engaged in preparing an Atlas of the Neogene Microfossils from Poland. Recently, together with J. Smolen (and others), she prepared a very interesting exhibition concerning different microfossils, in the Geological Museum of the Polish Geological Institute, in Warsaw.

Jerzy Sell is still engaged in comparative studies on morphology and genetic structures of the selected fresh-water ostracode species (cf. T. Sywula).

Jolanta Smolen studies ostracodes as well as foraminifers from the Upper Jurassic of northern Poland, which are poorly known to date. She is also curator of the Jurassic microfossil collections in the Polish Geological Institute, in Warsaw.
In press: Sell. J., Carapace shape variability in the ostracode Cyprinotus raripila and Carinocythereis carinata (Ostracoda) from the Middle Miocene of the Central Paratethys and their palaeogeographic implications: J. Micropalaeontol.

Tadeusz Sywula, together with Jerzy Sell, are collaborating now with Prof. Nick V. Aladin (Zoological Institute of St. Petersburg) on the genetic variability of Cyprideis torosa and Cyprinotus salinus from the Aral Sea. T. Sywula is directing several M.Sc. theses concerning fresh-water recent and subfossil ostracodes (including interstitial forms) from National Parks of northern and southern Poland.

Janina Szczechura is continuing her work on the Middle Miocene ostracodes as well as Foraminifera from the Fore-Carpathian Depression, mostly their paleoecological and paleogeographical meaning. Recently he found ostracode assemblages from the Upper Silesia containing numerous forms so far unknown from the Paratethys (partly presented during the ISO 97 at Chatham) and provoking speculations concerning their environment and origin. She is supervisor of Ph.D. thesis by Julia Didenko from Lvov (Museum of Natural History) on Upper Cretaceous ostracodes from Ukraine.

Radu Olteanu finished several works this year: (1) Orthogenesis and/or orthoselection, the Leptocythere lineages (Ostracoda, Crustacea) in brackish-water Neogene; (2) Ontogeny and phylogeny of the Sarmatian Limnocardiis (Mollusca); (3) The active and passive forces of natural selection; (4) The values in paleontological axiology; (5) The hinge changes within Cytherideinae groups, taxonomic and systematic significance.
After two decades, I have worked again some samples from Black Sea drillings. I am impressed with the richness and diversity of brackish ostracode faunas (curious and even bizarre ones but, all of them in respect to few morphological patterns). The Paratethys world is not only a "mode of life" but also a close one with particular constraints, selection and lineages. Resulted a short biostratigraphic paper: "The Kimmerian bioprovince". Now I am thinking about a new "great matter": "The fundamental morphological structure in ostracode evolution" (with an accent on the hinge changes, when and why emerged each morphological innovations?dissidents, accidents, endemism, labile and conservative features, order or disorder, laws or cannons, monody or polyphony, etc.) Undoubtedly, all these problems are full of novelties and, of course, with a lot of brilliant ideas (!!)

Nick Aladin is studying osmoregulation of Ostracoda from the Baltic Sea. He is also studying ostracode shells from short cores collected from the Caspian and Aral Seas. At present he is working with about 200 cores from the Aral Sea collected by the Russian Geological Survey in 1990-1991.

V.G. Chavtur During the past year, the revision of the Treatise was done by me for the Subfamily Archiconchoecia and now includes six new genera: Archiconchoecissa, Archiconchoecilla, Archiconchoecinna, Archiconchoecetta, Archiconchoecerra, and also the known genus Archiconchoecia Muller, 1894, which was divided into two subgenera: A. (Archiconchoecia) and A. (Archiconchoecidia). Descriptions and keys to all genera, subgenera, and species were carried out. All new and poorly studied species of this subfamily were illustrated in detail. Results of this revision are in seven papers sent for publication.
I am now writing papers on the revision of the Subfamily Halocyprinae. New bathypelagical genus Halocypretta and some new species were singled out. I am also preparing a paper on ostracodes of the Subfamily Euconchoecinae from the North Pacific.
In addition, numerous ostracodes were selected from planktonic samples collected by the Russian Expedition R/V M. Keldysh, 22 cruise in 1990 and R/V D. Mendeleev 38 cruise in 1986, in the deep waters of Mexico and adjacent regions. I will now begin research on the ostracod fauna of Central America.

D. Kukhtinov In 1997, investigations were on nonmarine Late Permian and Triassic ostracodes, mainly Darwinulocopina. I have prepared a mastery and ostracode meaning review for dividing and comparison of Upper Permian depositions and a paper about taxonomic features of Darwinulocopina. New features allow for a widening of the generic structure of this suborder and offer a new Darwinulocopina structure.

Irina Nikolaeva continues work on Paleogene ostracods of the Scyphian and Turanian plates. During 1996-97 she was involved in RFFI grant (together with E. Bugrova) devoted the Paleocene stages of the development of the benthic fauna (foraminifers and ostracodes).
In press: (1) New Late Paleocene ostracods from the Southern Transural: Paleontol. Zhurn.; (2) Ostracoda in Late Eocene Oligocene geological and biological events on the territory of the former Soviet Union, Part II, Moscow.

Julia Savelieva is a post-graduate student at the St. Petersburg University. The theme of dissertation investigation: "Marine ostracods of the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary sedimentation of the northern Eurasia". Some results were presented in the International Conference "Regularities of Evolution of the Earth Crust", St. Petersburg, November, 1996; Memorial conference dedicated to Mikhail Vladimirovich Muratov, Moscow, Marz, 1998; International Conference dedicated to the problem of the assimilation of the depths, Tomsk, April, 1998.

E.I. Schornikov continues his research on ecology, morphology, and taxonomy of ostracods.

D.A. Sokolenko is a Post-Graduate student. His current work is Ostracodaindicators of conditions and dynamics of water ecosystems (with examples of several regions of Peter the Great Gulf, Japan Sea). He has a publication on this theme.

Angel Baltanas is still dealing with many results from the activity developed in the EU-project on The evolutionary ecology of reproductive modes in non-marine ostracods. Now he is mainly involved in morphometric analysis of nonmarine ostracods. This year he will start a small project on morphometry of Mixtacandona species and its evolutionary significance (together with Dan Danielopol). Meanwhile, he is still working on reproductive strategies of ostracods living in temporary habitats. A simulation analysis of bet-hedging strategies in ostracods is almost finished (together with Laura Arqueros). Marina Otero is finishing her Masters thesis on the life history of Eucypris virens. Dr. Walter Geiger has been working in our lab on competition between ostracod species.

Jorge Civis Llovera is working with Neogene continental ostracodes from the Duero and Guadalquivir basins (west and southwest Spain).

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

Jordi Gonzalez Porta 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 a European project about eutrophication in European lakes.

Mary Luiz Gonzalez-Regalado and Francisco Ruiz-Muqoz are currently working with the following topics: (1) Recent estuarine and shallow marine ostracodes from the Gulf of Cadiz, SW Spain; (2) Miocene and Pliocene marine ostracodes from the Guadalquivir Basin (SW Spain); (3) freshwater ostracodes from the Doqana National Park (SE Spain). Future work: (1) correlation analysis between recent and fossil ostracodes; (2) ostracodes as environmental tools; (3) ostracodes from the outer shelf of the Gulf of Cadiz.
In press: (1) Borrego, J., Ruiz, F., Gonzalez-Regalado, M.L., Pendsn, J.G., and Morales, J.A., The Holocene transgression into the estuarine central basin of the Odiel River; (2) Ruiz Muqoz, F., Gonzalez-Regalado, M.L., and Muqoz Pichardo, J., Analisis de poblaciones en ostracodos: el ginero Urocythereis en medios actuales y nesgenos del SW de Espaqa: Geobios.

Redolfo Gozalo is involved in taxonomy and biostratigraphy of Cambrian and Devonian marine ostracodes from Spain. He is preparing a note (with Ingelore Hinz-Schallreuter) on Cambrian ostracods from Spain. Paper submitted (with Luis Sanchez de Posada, Univ. Oviedo), Ungerella (Frankinella) of the Upper Devonian of the Cantabrian Ranges: Revista Espanola de Paleontologia.
Francesc Mezquita-Juanes will try to finish his Ph.D study on the ecology of nonmarine ostracods of eastern Iberian Peninsula by the end of 1998 or the beginning of 1999. Work in progress includes: (1) seasonal ecology of ostracod assemblages in springs, and (2) in a salt marsh; (3) description of a new Cypridopsis species; (4) lab experiments on the ecology and geochemistry of Herpetocypris species, with Guy Wansard, J.R. Roca.
In press: (1) Julia, R., Burjachs, F., Dasi, M.J., Mezquita, F., Miracle, M.R., Roca, J.R., Seret, G., and Vicente, E., Paleoecology and sedimentary evolution towards a recent meromictic lake (La Cruz, Spain): Aquatic Sciences; (2) Mezquita, F., Tapia, G.. and Roca, J.R., Ostracoda from springs on the eastern Iberian Peninsula: Ecology, biogeography, and palaeolimnological implications: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (Proc. ISO97); (3) Mezquita, F., Hernandez, R., and Rueda, J., Ecology and distribution of ostracods in a polluted Mediterranean river: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (Proc. ISO97); (4) Mezquita, F., Tapia, G., and Roca, J.R., Ostracoda from springs in the eastern iberian Peninsula: Ecology, biogeography, and palaeolimnological implications: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.

Josep Roca-Rosell 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 elements incorporation of several species of the genus Herpetocypris, in collaboration with Guy Wansard and Francesc Mezquita (University of Valencia). Papers submitted: (1) Giralt, S., Burjachs, F., Roca, J.R., and Juli, R., Late Glacial to Early environmental adjustment in the Mediterranean semi-arid zone of the Salines playa-lake (Alacant, Spain); (2) Wansard, G., Roca, J.R., and Mezquita, J.R., Experimental determination (study) of strontium and magnesium partitioning in calcite of the freshwater ostracod Herpetocypris intermedia; (3) Mezquita, F., Roca, J.R., and Wansard, G., Influence of temperature and water chemistry on moulting, survival, and calcification of the ostracod H. intermedia: ecological and paleolimnological implications.
In press: Burjachs, F., Giralt, S., Riera, S., Roca, J.R., and Julia, R., Evolucion paleoclimatica durante el altimo ciclo glaciar en la vertiente mediterranea de la Peninsula Ibirica: Publicacions de la Universitat de Barcelona.

Julio Rodriguez-Lazaro is working with the following topics: (1) benthic responses to Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary perturbations in the Pyrenees, with Yvette Tambareau and others (presented at ISO97); (2) Cenomanian ostracodes and isotopic signals in the Leioa section (Bizkaia); (3) taxonomy and palaeoecology of Quaternary ostracodes from the Little Bahama Bank, and the genus Krithe and its potential in palaeoceanography (both with Tom Cronin, USGS, Reston, USA, and others); (4) Miocene freshwater and estuarine ostracodes from the Azuara Basin (Zaragoza, Spain) and Pliocene lacustrine ostracodes from Villarroya (Spain), with Pere Anadon, CSIC Barcelona) and other colleagues; isotopic and trace elements analysis of the ostracodes for hydrological characterization; (5) Recent ostracodes from the Gernika Estuary (Bay of Biscay), with Ana Pascual (University of Bilbao).
Future work includes (1) Turonian ostracodes from the Basco-Cantabrian and Anglo-Paris basins, comparative study (with Ian Slipper, David Horne, Andrew Gale, Greenwich Univ.); (2) the genus Krithe from the Bay of Biscay (with Pierre Carbonel and other colleagues from Univ. Bordeaux). Maite Martin is working on Neogene lacustrine ostracodes from the Ebro Basin (N Spain), testing the potential for isotopic analysis of ostracod valves to fine palaeoenvironmental reconstructions in this basin. Supervisor (J. Rodriguez-Lazaro). Fernando Caballero is currently working with the taxonomy and palaeoecology of Wealdian ostracodes from the western Bascocantabrian Basin. Supervisor (J. Rodriguez-Lazaro).
In press: (1) Babinot, J.-F., Rodriguez-Lazaro, J., Floquet, M., and Jolet, P., Corrilations entre discontinuitis sidimentaires majeures et crises biologiques chez les ostracodes du Sud-Ouest de l'Europe au Cinomanien: Bull. Cent. Rech. Explor.-Prod. Elf-Aquitaine; (2) Caballero, F., Rodriguez-Lazaro, J., Hernandez, J.M., Pujalte, V., and Robles, S., Asociaciones de ostracodos continentales de la Fm Aguilar (Jurasico Superior-Cretacico Inferior, Cuenca Vascocantabrica): Geogaceta; (3) Pascual, A., Weber, O., Rodruiguez, J., Jouanneau, J.-M., and Pujos, M., Le comblement de la Ria de Gernika (Golfe de Gascogne) l'Holocene terminal: Oceanologica Acta; (4) Rodriguez Lazaro, J., Elorza, J., and Pascual, A., Cenomanian events in the deep western Basque Basin: the Leioa section: Cretaceous Research.

Luis Sanchez de Posada is working on: (1) Devonian and Carboniferous ostracodes from Spain; (2) global project on Paleozoic basins; (3) taxonomic studies on Kirkbyocopina and Hollinomorpha from the Carboniferous of Leon (NW Spain) and Cambrian ostracodes from the Ossa Morena. Paper submitted (with Rodolfo Gozalo, Univ. Valencia) on Ungerella (Franklinella) of the Upper Devonian of the Cantabrian Ranges, submitted to Revista Espanola de Paleontologia.

Franciszek J. Adamczak retired a couple of years ago, but still works at home with materials of Paleozoic ostracodes, which were scheduled for the revised Treatise. At the moment, the intention is to publish a part of the Treatise materials in the series of Paleozoic Ostracod Classification (POC) initiated by Professor G. Becker, Frankfurt Main, Germany. The first part, which includes Paleozoic platycopines (Cytherellacea) will be finished this year. Besides, I continue to work on a paper, presented in Chatham (ISO 97), which deals with brood care in Paleozoic platycopines. Intermittently, an old project which involves the orientation of ostracod shells and sedimentary structures in Silurian rocks from Gotland is in progress.

Stefan Majoran Current work in progress includes: (1) the effect of temperature on living marine ostracods cultured in aquaria (with S. Agrenius and Gary Dwyer); (2) Maastrichtian deep-sea ostracods of the Atlantic Leg 171B; and (3) Late Pleistocene ostracods from southern Kattegat.
In press: Majoran, S., Kucera, M., and Widmark, J.G.V., Maastrichtian deep-sea Ostracoda from DSDP/ODP Sites 327, 356, 525, 528, 529, and 698 in the South Atlantic: Revista Espanola de Micropaleontologia.

Kristian Schoning is a graduate student at the Department of Quaternary Research, Stockholm University, Sweden. I am working with Quaternary ostracods, concentrating on marine environments. Current works are: calcareous fossils of the Baltic Sea Yoldia stage with Stefan Wastegard, including stable isotopes and shell chemistry; changes in the ostracod fauna during the Holocene in the Baltic Sea; marine stratigraphy and tephrochronology at the Younger Dryas/Preboreal transition in western Sweden with Stefan Wastegard.

Stefan Wastegerd is back at Stockholm University after one year as a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of London. I still work together with Kristian Schoning with the calcareous benthic fauna in Yoldia Sea deposits from middle Sweden. This work involves biostratigraphy, analyses of stable isotopes, and shell geochemistry of ostracod valves.
In press: Wastegerd, S., Bjvrck, J., and Risberg, J., Deglaciation, early Holocene shore displacement and vegetation history in eastern middle Sweden: The Holocene, v. 8.

Rakia Mechmeche wants to integrate the Ostracodologists Group and to adhere to Cypris. She worked at the beginning of hers career on Eocene ostracods, which constituted her thesis subject obtained at Lyon in 1981,. She worked as biostratigrapher in the National Office of Mines and as well site geologist with Shell-Tunerex at Tunis and with Shell International at Brunai. Now she teaches geology in the University of Tunis and begins to familiarize herself with Jurassic ostracods (Bajocian to Oxfordian) on Saudi Arabian, Moroccan, and French material.

Moncef Mzoughi is working on shallow to marginal marine ostracods from Jurassic to Early Cretaceous in the southern Tunisia area, which corresponds to the Eastern extension of the subsidizing sequence of the Chotts (Atlantic Trough).
Moncef Mzoughi is working on shallow to marginal marine ostracods from Jurassic to Early Cretaceous in the southern Tunisia area, which corresponds to the Eastern extension of the subsidizing sequence of the Chotts (Atlantic Trough).

Rakia Said-Benzarti worked on biostratigraphical studies of some onshore wells in the south of Tunisia. These studies deal with the Bathonian-Oxfordian, Purbecko-Wealdian, and Turonian-Lower Campanian intervals, where ostracods are very characteristic and allow a precise biostratigraphy of these wells.
Some other studies have been made on sections outcropping in central Tunisia (Elles and Ain-Setara sections) and southern Tunisia (Chotts area). The ostracod and foraminifer associations allow for a Turonian to Campanian age in the Chotts area. Some species of smooth ostracods and benthic foraminifers crossed the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in Elles and Ain-Setara sections.
Research topic: Les Ostracodes de la limite Cretace-Tertiaire de la coupe d'Elles (Region de Siliana-Sers, Tunisie de Centre Nord). The results of this study will be presented in the next International Workshop on the K/T boundary, which will take place at Tunis in 13-16 May, 1998.
In press: (1) Upper Campanian to Ypresian ostracods of Elles section (North central Tunisia): Biostratigraphy, palaeoecology, and palaeobiogeography; (2) Upper Permian ostracods of Tunisian subsurface (with S. Crasquin-Soleau); (3) Revision de la limite Cretace-Tertiaire de la coupe d'Elles (Tunisie Centro-Septentrionale): proposition d'un nouveau stratotype (with D. Zaghbib-Turki, N. Karoui, R. Rocchia, E. Robin).

Abderrahman Trigui is studying the biostratigraphy of two onshore wells drilled in southern Tunisia. This study is especially based on ostracods and large benthic foraminifers and concerns the following stratigraphical intervals: Bathonian-Kimmeridgian, Purbecko-Wealdian, and Turonian-Lower Campanian. He assures the geologic control on well site using ostracods and benthic foraminifer markers of Lutetian interval overlying the Ypresian Nummulitic reservoir of Astart field in the Gulf of Gabes (southeast of Tunisia).

Selcuk Altinsacli is working on the ostracode fauna and the zoogeographic distribution of Kus lake (manyas), turkey, TUBITAK Project TBAG-1579, Ankara.

Cem Aygen is working on his Ph.D. thesis entitled "An Investigation on the Crustacea Fauna of Isykly Lake (Civril-Denizlij)" under the supervision of Prof. S. Balik.

Nerman Doruk is working on nonmarine Ostracoda of Neogene age. I would be pleased to receive any papers related to this research area.

Dincer Gulen is working on ostracod fauna of Egridir Lake, Turkey, TUBITAK Project TBAG AY/No 122. Coinvestigators Oya Ozulug, Nerdin Kubanc, Ankara.
Current supervision: Mustafa Kilic, Ph.D. thesis, "The Ostracod Fauna of the Black Sea Coast of Turkey", nearly completed. Nerdin Kubanc, Ph.D thesis, "The Ostracod Fauna of the Saros Gulf of Turkey". Oya Ozulug, Ph.D thesis, "Thrakian Recent Ostracodes (Crustacea)".

Atike Nazik is working on Akyatan (Adana) lagoonal ostracodes and Yalova (Istanbul) Holocene ostracodes and environmental evaluation.
Current supervision: Guldemim Ogrunc, Ph.D. thesis, "Stratigraphy and paleoecology for the Messinian salinity crisis sediments and the following accumulations in the Adana Basin".

Umit Safak is supervising Y. Subasi, M.Sc thesis, "Ostracode stratigraphy and paleontology of the Serik-Beskonak (east of Antalya) Tertiary sequences", 1977 Novembre, Cukorova University. Completed.

Hulya Sari is working on Ph.D thesis, "Number and shape evaluation of the ostracode chromosomes on the Tekos lake (Istanbul) samples". Supervised by G. Ulakoglu.

Nuran Sonmez-Gokcen is working on the paleontological age determination in the ostracode bearing volcanoclastics of the Tertiary volcanism at the northwestern Anatolia.

Nigel Richard Ainsworth 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.
Current 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, co-worker Ian Boomer.
Papers in press: Boomer, I. Ainsworth, N.R., and Exton, J., A re-examination of the Pliensbachian and Toarcian Ostracoda of Zambujal, west-central Portugal: Journal of Micropalaeontology.

Carmen Arias Over the last two years, I have been working on Early Jurassic Ostracoda from the Tethys under the supervision of Prof. Alan Lord at University College London. Currently coming to the end of EC TMR Research contract. I will go back to Spain at the beginning of March.
I am continuing research on (1) Early Jurassic Ostracoda (Pliensbachian and Toarcian) from the Iberian Peninsula; (2) Triassic Ostracoda from the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada; (3) review of the ranges of the Jurassic species and their spatial distribution; (4) revision of the ostracods from the Toarcian-Aalenian boundary in Spain.
Papers in press: (1) arias, C., Estudio tafnomico preliminar de las asociationes de ostracodos del Pliesnbachiense superior y Toarciense inferior de la Cordillera Iberica (NE de Espana): Revista Espanola de Paleontologia; (2) Arias, C. and Lord, A.R., Upper Pliensbachian and Lower Toarcian Ostracoda from the Cordillera Iberica, North-East Spain (part 1): Revista Espanola de Micropaleontologia; (3) Arias, C. and Lord, A.R., Upper Pliensbachian and Lower Toarcian Ostracoda from the Cordillera Iberica, North-East Spain (part 2): Revista Espanola de Micropaleontologia; (4) Arias, C. and Lord, A.R., Upper Triassic marine ostracod from the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia: Canada Geological Survey; (5) Arias, C. and Whatley, R., Distribution patterns of the Early Jurassic Ostracoda and possible routes of communication between European epicontinental sea and Tethys: Paleontology; (6) Arias, C. and Whatley, R., A review of the palaeobiogeography of the western Europe Early (Pliensbachian-Toarcian) Jurassic Ostracoda: Marine Micropaleontology; (7) Goy, A., Comas-Rengifo, M.J., Arias, C., Garcia-Joral, F., Gomez, J.J., Herrero, C., Martinez, G.Y., and Rodrigo, A., El transito Pliensbachiense/Toarciense en el Sector Central de la Rama Aragonese de la Cordillera Iberica (Espana): Cahiers de l'Institut Catholique de Lyon (C.I.E.L.); (8) Field trip Iberian Range guidebook, Ureta, S., coordinator, 1996, 1st Toarcian and 4th Aalenian Working Groups Meeting, Department of Paleontology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain, 77 p.

John Athersuch continues work on ostracods in the course of work but has no plans for further papers at present as work takes all of his time. His interests are mainly in nonmarine faunas worldwide.

Ray Bate Research continuing on Lower Cretaceous (Pre-Salt) ostracods from the Rift lacustrine sequences of West Africa. Most of this work is aimed at providing a revision of the stratigraphy of the Lower Cretaceous and in establishing an environmental interpretation of the lakes. Changes in climate have been identified as well as the recognition of transgressive and regressive systems tracts. Ostracod diversity and ornamentation are both applied to the interpretation of past environmental changes. Comparable studies have also been applied to the Lower Cretaceous of China and Mongolia.
Plans to revise and re-illustrate the Lower Cretaceous ostracods of West Africa in association with The Natural History Museum are on hold awaiting financial support. It is hoped that progress with respect to financing the re-illustration of over 200 species will be made this year.
Presently involved, with two colleagues, in the editing of a Special Publication of the Geological Survey entitled "Hydrocarbon habitats of the South Atlantic", for which a paper has been provided on the Pre-Salt of West Africa. Current work in progress is an investigation of the Lower Cretaceous lacustrine sediments of the Kwanza Basin, Angola.
Papers in press: Non-marine ostracod faunas of the Pre-Salt rift basins of West Africa, and their role in sequence stratigraphy, in N. Cameron, R.H. Bate, and V. Clure, eds., Hydrocarbon habitats of the South Atlantic: spec. Publ. Geol. Soc.

Ian Boomer recently completed his contract at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, on the Holocene evolution of the North Norfolk Coast. I have now taken up a new 2-year post in the Geography Department, University of Newcastle. I will be working on a number of projects, mainly based on non- or marginal-marine ostracods as records of Recent environmental change. This work will include faunal, geochemical, and statistical analyses. Study areas will include UK, Spain, and the Caspian-Aral-Balkash region.
Current work in progress includes revision of the earliest Cytheruridae with Robin Whatley; a number of publications are in preparation from the Holocene study of North Norfolk; co-editor (with Alan Lord) of the ISO97 proceedings, theme II, to appear in Marine Micropaleontology; continuing editing A Stereo-Atlas of Ostracod Shells, with colleagues Horne, Lord, Siveter.
Papers in press: (1) Boomer, I., Ainsworth, N.R., and Exton, J., A re-examination of the Pliensbachian and Toarcian Ostracoda of Zambujal, west-central Portugal: Journal Micropaleontology; (2) Horne, D.J. and Boomer, I., The role of Ostracoda in meiofaunal saltmarsh communities: Jour. Linnean Soc. London, Proceedings Saltmarshes Meeting. Linn. Soc.; (3) Boomer, I., Duffin, C., and Swift, A., The Arthropoda, in Swift, A. and Martill, D.M., eds.: Palaeontological Association Field Guide to the Penarth Group

Nigel Bridgwater is currently investigating the interactions of climatically and anthropogenically-induced environmental disturbance throughout the Holocene for the Basin of Patzcuaro, central Mexico. A record of the oxygen isotope analysis of ostracod shells will be used to establish a chronology of P/E changes in the basin. The coupling of the carbon isotope record from ostracod shells with C/N ratio and carbon isotope analyses of organic matter will be used to reconstruct spatial and temporal changes in the extent and type of lake and catchment vegetation. Similarly, mineral magnetic analyses and sediment sourcing will be used to provide information on temporal changes in the extent, location, and intensity of disturbance events.
Papers in press: Bridgwater, N.D., Holmes, J.A., and O'Hara, S.L., Complex controls on the trace element chemistry of non-marine ostracods: an example from Lake Patzcuaro, central Mexico: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
Students and thesis topics: Sam Nash, Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of Holocene environmental change in central Mexico; a multi-disciplinary approach. Full time Ph.D, funded by Kingston University, Jointly supervised by Dr. J. Entwistle (Kingston University) and Prof. F.A. Street-Perrott (University of Wales, Swansea). A. Lane, 1994, Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction at the archaeological site of Butrint, southern Albania. Full time Ph.D, funded by the Butrint Foundation. Second supervisor. First supervisor Dr. S. O'Hara (University of Nottingham).

Gary B. Eisenhauer is currently completing the write-up of my Ph.D thesis on trace element shell chemistry of Quaternary ostracods as a palaeosalinity indicator in marginal marine environments. This involved a modern study from The Fleet, Dorset (United Kingdom) and a Holocene core sequence recovered from the Island of Menorca in the Mediterranean. Trace element analyses have been undertaken on the following species: Cytherois fischeri, Cyprideis torosa, Leptocythere castanea, Leptocythere rhomboidea, Xestoleberis nitida. The results of the trace element analysis on species of Cyprideis torosa and Loxoconcha elliptica from the Menorca sequence were presented in the form of a paper at ISO 97 in Chatham.

Michael Frogley Completion of my Ph.D thesis in late 1997 means that I can now concentrate on publishing the results from my investigations of the site at Ioannina in NW Greece (some of which were presented at ISO 97). Isotopic studies on ostracod fauna from the Late glacial and Holocene have revealed what may be the first record of the Younger Dryas climatic oscillation from this region. Further work is ongoing to refine this data. It is hoped that field work planned for 1998 will enable a full faunal list to be completed for the modern lake at Ioannina, which already includes several endemic species.

Ian Boomer is employed for 1 year, 9 months on a Research Fellowship at Newcastle using microfossils as indicators of environmental change (mainly Late Quaternary).

Huw I. Griffiths continues to lecture at the University of Hull. Unfortunately, last year I was taken seriously ill and, as a result, was away from work for almost four months. Despite that, I am now "back in the saddle", and am again working as before. Research visits were made to Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Spain, and the Czech Republic, but a visit to Germany was canceled due to ill health.
Research continues to focus on aspects of the biogeography and palaeoecology of European freshwater Ostracoda. Work in the Balkans continues.
Papers in press: (1) Holmes, J.A. and Griffiths, H.I., Ostracoda from Star Carr, in P. Mellars and S.P. Day, eds., Star Carr in Context: New Archaeological and Palaeoenvironmental Investigations at Star Carr: Cambridge, MacMillan Institute for Archaeological Research; (2) Schoen, I., DiMasso, E., Gandolfi, A., Griffiths, H.I., and Butlin, R.K., The application of molecular techniques to the study of ostracods: Bulletin des Centres de Recherches Exploration-production Elf-Aquitaine; (3) Griffiths, H.I., Butlin, R.K., and Geiger, W., Considerations of timescale effects in the evolution of parthenogenesis in freshwater Ostracoda: Bulletin des Centres de Recherches Exploration-Production Elf-Aquitaine; (4) Rossi, V., Gentile, G., Otero, M., Pospisil, P., Baltanas, A., Geiger, W., Griffiths, H.I., and Menozzi, P., Comparison of genetic variability in two species with geographic parthenogenesis: Eucypris virens and Limnocythere inopinata: Bulletin des Centres de Recherches Exploration-Production Elf-Aquitaine (abstract); (5) Rossi, V., Gentile, G., Geiger, W., Griffiths, H.I., Martens, K., and Menozzi, P., Genetic structure of European populations of Darwinula stevensoni (Crustacea, Ostracoda): Bulletin des Centres de Recherches Exploration-Production Elf-Aquitaine (abstract); (6) Griffiths, H.I., Pietrzeniuk, E., Fuhrmann, R., Lennon, J.J., Martens, K., and Evans, J.G., Tonnacypris glacialis comb. Nov. (Ostracoda, Cyprididae): taxonomic position, (palaeo)-ecology and distribution: Journal of Biogeography; (7) Griffiths, H.I. and Horne, D.J., Parthenogenesis and palaeobiology; the fossil distribution of reproductive modes, in K. Martens, ed., Sex and Evolution-Reproduction in non-marine Ostracods: Amsterdam, SPB Publishing; (8) Schoen, I., Butlin, R.K., and Griffiths, H.I., Introduction to reproductive modes, in K. Martens, ed., Sex and Evolution-Reproduction in non-marine Ostracods: Amsterdam, SPB Publishing; (9) Martens, K., Horne, D.J., and Griffiths, H.I., Age and diversity of non-marine ostracods, in K. Martens, ed., Sex and Evolution-Reproduction in non-marine Ostracods: Amsterdam, SPB Publishing; (10) Griffiths, H.I. and Holmes, J.A., Non-marine Ostracods and Quaternary Palaeoenvironments (QRA Technical Guide No. 6): Cambridge, Quaternary Research Association; (11) Schoen, I., Butlin, R.K., Griffiths, H.I., and Martens, K., Slow molecular evolution in an ancient asexual ostracod-indication of efficient DNA repair?: Phil. Trans. R. Soc. London (Ser. B).
Students: In October 1997, Anna Sand (formerly University of Guelph) came to Hull for three years to work on ostracod molecular phylogenetics, and Dr. Catherine Clabby worked with us on a six-month contract designing microsatellite primers for Cladocera. Francesc (Paco) Mezquita (Valencia) visited for eight weeks at the end of 1997, but a visit by Dr. Antje Schwab (Gottingen) had to be canceled because of my illness.

Lucy K. Holloway is three and a half years into a Ph.D studying sedimentation patterns in the Upper Forth Valley (Scotland, UK) and the sedimentary response to climate and sea level changes during the Late Devensian and Early Holocene. Ostracods are being used in conjunction with thin-section analysis, particle size measurements, molluscan analysis, and AMS C14 chronology to investigate raised coastal deposits of Windermere Interstadial to Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) age.
Jonathan A. Holmes I maintain a web page that coordinates information on ostracod shell chemistry. It can be found at http://www.kingston.ac.uk/~gg_s416/start.html
New projects include: (1) high resolution lacustrine record of Holocene climate change, a study of the Holocene climate of NW England based on geochemical analyses of ostracods, molluscs, and lake marls, calibrated using instrumental records and modern limnological investigations. Principal investigators: Dr. J.D. Marshall (Liverpool), Dr. J.A. Holmes (Kingston), Dr. J. Bleomendal (Liverpool), and Dr. N. Richardson (Edge Hill). Funding from the UK Natural Environment Research Council. (2) TIMECHS (Timing and mechanisms of Holocene climate change in NW Europe). A study based on stable isotope, pollen and macrofossil evidence from An Loch Msr, a small, deep lake in the west coast of Ireland. Kingston University is a contractor on this project. Project coordinator: Prof. M. O'Connell (University College Galway). Other partners: Dr. T. Saarinen (Geological Survey of Finland), Dr. M. Leuenberger (Universitet Bern, Switzerland), Prof. J. van der Plicht (Rijksuniversiteit Grvningen, The Netherlands), Dr. F. McDermott (University College Dublin, Ireland), Prof. F. Chambers (CGCHE, UK), Dr. B. van Geel (University of Amsterdam), Prof. C.J. Hawksworth (Open University, UK). Funding and support: EU DG XII contract.
Research students: G.B. Eisenhauer, 1993- . Ostracods as palaeosalinity indicators. Full-time Ph.D., NERC-approved project, funded by Kingston University. Jointly supervised by Dr. S. Juggins (formerly University College London, now University of Newcastle) and Dr. R.C. Preece (University of Cambridge). K.W. Keatings, 1996- . The basis of ostracod shell chemistry in palaeoclimatic reconstruction. Full-time M. Phil leading to Ph.D., funded by Natural Environment Research Council studentship to Kingston University. Jointly supervised by Dr. T.H.E. Heaton (NIGL) and Dr. H.I. Griffiths (University of Hull). CASE award with NIGL. K. Sokhi, 1996- . Quaternary non-marine ostracods as palaeoenvironmental indicators. Part time M. Phil. Leading to Ph.D., funded by Kingston University School of Geography Research Bursary. Jointly supervised by Dr. I. Jarvis (Kingston University School of Geological Sciences).

David C. Horne is currently in the third year of a Ph.D. studentship at the University of Cambridge, entitled "Biostratigraphy and palaeolimnology of Late-glacial and Holocene lake marls", jointly supervised by Dr. Richard Preece (Cambridge) and Professor Allayne Street-Perrott (Swansea). A detailed study of the biostratigraphy and shell chemistry, particularly oxygen and carbon isotopes and trace elements) of the ostracods and molluscs, have been undertaken at a small lake in central East Anglia. I have also been studying some remarkably well preserved `Zenkers organs' from five species of fossil ostracods found in the lake sediments.

David J. Horne is working on (1) ISO 97, (2) living and fossil (Quaternary) European non-marine ostracods, (3) Cretaceous marine and non-marine ostracods.
Organizing ISO97 was the major task in the last year; heartfelt thanks to the Organizing Committee (Ian Slipper, Alan Lord, Ian Boomer, Jonathan Holmes) and everyone else who helped in any way, if only by simply attending. My most relaxed moment was a couple of hours on the last day of the "Footsteps of T.R. Jones" field trip when Alan Lord and I were forced to enjoy the roadside sunshine as we waited for a replacement minibus to arrivethe original one having decided, apparently, never to move again (David Siveter and the rest of our happy band meanwhile enjoying a long lunch at a nearby restaurant).
Although our European project "Evolutionary ecology of reproductive modes in nonmarine ostracods" officially finished at the end of 1996, there remains much to be done in terms of writing upI am coauthoring several chapters of a forthcoming book edited by Koen Martens (Belgium). The NODE (Nonmarine Ostracod Distribution in Europe) database continues to grow and we are in the process of changing from use of Arcinfo to the much more friendly Arcview, which is a GIS package that even I can understand. Gainmarco Paris (Italy) continues to provide excellent support on this project, remotely from Milan most of the time, but he has managed a couple of weeks in Chatham last December and should be coming back again in 1998 for another short (but intensive) session. NODE now has over 7000 records of living ostracods and about 1500 Quaternary. Much of the recent data entry, corrections, and general `clean up' is thanks to Tadeusz Namiotko (Poland), who is here from December 1997 to June 1998. NODE was demonstrated to several interested people at ISO97. I welcome enquiries from anyone who thinks they might want to make use of it.
With British Council support, I have been working with Koen Martens (Belgium) on the palaeobiology of Purbeck-Wealden ostracods; we presented a paper at the conference on Diapause in the Crustacea in Ghent (Belgium). In August 1997, Ian Slipper and Nicky Johnson both completed their Ph.Ds (details elsewhere). I continue to supervise Alasdair Bruce (with John Whittaker at the Natural History Museum, London) on the Holocene evolution of the Fleet in Dorset.
A coincidence of visitors in December 1997 prompted Ian Slipper and me to hold an informal research seminar session (henceforth known as the `Wopping seminars' for reasons too complex to explain...) Which was attended by Koen martens, Isa Schoen, Giampaolo Rossetti, Robin Smith, Ian Boomer, Gainmarco Paris, Tadeusz Namiotko, Alasdair Bruce, and others.
With John Whittaker and John Athersuch, I am developing our Linnean Society "Synopsis of the British Fauna" (1989) publication on British marine and brackish water ostracods with a view to publishing a CD-ROM via collaboration with ETI (Expert Center for Taxonomic Identification), Amsterdam. Some of you may have seen some confusing advertisements in the last yearwe are not aiming to cover "NW European ostracods" (i.e., marine and non-marine) in one CD-ROM, but are adding more taxa, distribution maps, and video clips to produce one covering NW European coastal waters, including the Baltic. I am not sure when this will be completed.
Papers in press: (1) Horne, D.J. and Boomer, I., The role of Ostracoda in saltmarsh meiofaunal communities: Linnean Society conference; (2) Horne, D.J., Martens, K., and Moesslacher, F., A short note: is there broad selection in Darwinula stevensoni?: Proceedings 3rd EOM; (3) Horne, D.J., The Purbeck-Wealden, in Wilkinson, I.P., ed., A Stratigraphical Atlas of British Ostracoda; (4) Horne, D.J. and Martens, K., The importance of resting eggs for the evolutionary success of non-marine ostracods, in Brendonck, L., ed., Diapause in the Crustacea conference proceedings, Ghent; (5) Horne, D.J., Cocks, F., Paris, G., and Connaghan, D., The trials of NODE (Non-marine ostracod distribution in Europe): practical problems in the development of a GIS application.

Nicola A. Johnson started a three-year work contract with the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge as a Geological Data Assistant 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 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 that live there!)
Papers in press: English ostracod biogeography of the Cenomanian-Turonian oceanic anoxic event: 3rd European Ostracodologists Meeting, Symposium Proceedings.

Adrian Lane is reconstructing late Quaternary environmental changes at Butrint, southern Albania. A multi-disciplinary investigation of this important archaeological site and its surrounds. Data collected thus far include 3D modeling of adjacent alluvial plains, detailed proxy environmental indicators (including ostracods) from marginal lake sediments and archival research.

Alan R. Lord Ostracod time in 1997 was spent devoted to ISO 97 preparations and the conference itself, followed by editorial activity. Also looking after money for "A Stereo-Atlas of Ostracod Shells".
Current work in progress: (1) Holocene ostracods from Skagen, north Denmark; (2) modern ostracods and oxygenation (Arabian Sea, California borderland basins).
Caroline Maybury is currently working on large monographs of Pliocene Ostracoda from Britain and NW France.
In press: Wilkinson, I.P., Wood, A.M., Maybury, C.A., and Whatley, R.C., Neogene, in Keen, M.C. and Wilkinson, I.P., eds., Stratigraphical Atlas of Ostracoda: Chapman and Hall, London.

C. Giles Miller I am currently picking and illustrating ostracods from the Wenlock (Silurian) of Arctic Canada. These are from samples/residues from the collections of Dr. J.M. Adrian (NHM), Dr. Tiiu Mdrss and co-workers. They were discovered whilst working on a conodont project.

Adrian J. Rundle General interest in learning ostracod identification (Mesozoic and Cenozoic).
David J. Siveter Summary of activities: (1) work on Cambrian bradoriids and early Paleozoic ostracodes (especially beyrichiacea and myodocopes) continues; (2) recent visitors to Leicester include Dr. Wang(Nanjing) and Dr. Vannier (Lyon) to work on Chinese and Australian myodocopes respectively; (3) Robin Smith is about to hand in his Ph.D on "Ontogeny and biology of Cretaceous and Recent Cyprididae Ostracoda".

Ian J. Slipper Much of 1997 was spent carrying out my duties as Treasurer in the preparation, execution, and aftermath of the 13th International Symposium on Ostracoda (ISO 97), which was held here at the University of Greenwich during July and August. What I should have been doing was finishing my Ph.D. However, both were successfully combined; in July, at University College London, I underwent my viva examination from Dr. David Siveter as external examiner, Prof. Alan Lord and Dr. Florence Lowry as internal examiners, with Dr. David Horne (first supervisor) as an observer. Corrections were made by September, and I was granted the degree on the 15th September. Thesis title"Turonian (Late Cretaceous) Ostracoda from Dover, SE England". The thesis examined the taxonomy, biostratigraphy, and palaeoecology of the Turonian assemblages which were obtained from samples taken from the Chalk cliffs at Dover. Processing methods were examined to determine the most appropriate technique for extraction of ostracods from the hard nodular Turonian Chalks. Freeze-thaw using sodium sulphate decahydrate was found to be preferable to hydrogen peroxide, which was shown to be corrosive. One hundred and three species were described (twenty-four new). Using the changing diversities through the lower part of the Upper Cretaceous, a model of changing sea-levels was presented which indicates that Dover occupied a deeper water position, within the Anglo-Paris Basin, than its marginal position would suggest.
Current work: (1) I am involved in the preparation of a chapter on ostracods for a book to be published by the Palaeontological Association entitled "Fossils of the Gault", to be edited by Jeremy Young, Jackie Skipper, and Andy Gale. It is expected to have final submissions made by early 1999. (2) I have taken over from Mark Williams, the role of secretary of the Ostracod Group of the British Micropalaeontological Society. Events planned are a weekend field meeting to the south coast to examine some Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous sites as well as a visit to The Fleet to try out some coring techniques. By the time you read this, though, it will all be over. So, for those of you who went, I hope you enjoyed it! (3) The post Ph.D ostracod work involves converting my thesis into a monograph, which the editors of the Palaeontographical Society have, in principal, agreed t publish with the title of "Turonian Ostracods from south-eastern England".
I have just initiated a joint project with Dr. Julio Rodriguez-Lazaro of the Universidad del Pais Vasco/E.H.U. in Bilbao. The project consists of a comparative study of the ostracod fauna from the Turonian Stage of the Late Cretaceous, in two different basins, the Anglo-Paris and Basco-Cantabrian basins, taking into account the microfaunal assemblages, including foraminifers, the sedimentology and geochemistry. The aim is to erect a correlation of the Turonian Stage between the two basins and examine the ostracod biostratigraphy, in particular examining how the different environmental settings have influenced the evolutionary development of related ostracod lineages. This is funded for two years by the British Council and Acciones Integradas. British team membes are myself, Dr. David J. Horne, and Prof. Andy Gale; the Spanish team consists of Dr. Julio Rodriguez-Lazaro (ostracods), Dr. Ana Pascual (forams), and Prof. Javier Elorza (geology, geochemistry).
Papers in press: Slipper, I.J., Ostracoda across the Turonian/Coniacian boundary at Landon Stairs, Dover: Proceedings of the 3rd European Ostracodologists Meeting, Bierville, Paris.

Robin James Smith finished Ph.D. on the biology and ontogeny of fossil and Recent Cyprididae ostracods. This has included a detailed study of the ontogeny of a Recent Cyprididae ostracod; the biology, ontogeny, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and evolutionary significance of the Brazilian Cretaceous ostracod with preserved appendages; a taxonomic study of the morphology of the upper lip of Cyprididae ostracods; and a study into fossil and Recent ostracod eggs. My Ph.D. is written as a series of papers which will be submitted to journals in the near future.
Current work in progress is on palaeosalinity changes of Quaternary sediments using ostracods, from the east coast of Spain.
Papers in press: Smith, R. and Martens, K., The ontogeny of the Cypridid ostracod Eucypris virens (Jurine, 1820) (Crustacea, Ostracoda): Hydrobiologia.

Rosemary Titterton has recently moved to Statoil to join the biostratigraphic team of four palynologists and one micropaleontologist. At present, the work is mainly on projects in northwestern Europe, but now that Statoil is becoming more international, I hope to become more international too.

Matthew Wakefield is working on integrated sequence biostratigraphy. Club-funded sponsorship of software for industry biostratigraphers/explorationists (see www://egi.utah.edu).

James Wells recently completed his thesis on Relative sea-level changes in the Cree estuary region, south west Scotland, in which he used pollen, forams, diatoms, and ostracods. The ostracods from estuarine muds played second fiddle to the foramsthe latter microfaunal group provided more detailed information for reconstructing former sea levels. The ostracod record from former coastal lake/lagoon marls at the site of Brighouse Bay, however, provided the greatest detail of changing salinity and also indicated the similarity in response between the ostracod assemblages and the mollusk assemblages from the same sediments.
Additional work so far has been from coastal (lacustrine) environments in Orkney. I am also the first ostracod and foram worker at English Heritage and am attempting to improve the profile of these microfossils within archeological investigations. Any ideas or suggestions or known publications where ostracods have been used effectively/successively in archeological investigations would be gratefully received.

Robin Whatley has taken early retirement on a buy-back package for four years. This allows him to do as much research as before but little teaching and no administration. He still has seven doctoral students but will not be taking on any more unless they are exceptionally attractive. He is working on at least 20 papers at the moment and has about 30 papers in press. These are all within the same areas of interest as in the past. His major effort is on the Treatise revision. He asks that everyone sends reprints.

John E. Whittaker Work is concentrated entirely on Quaternary (Pleistocene and Holocene) ostracods. He has been much involved with archeologists (from University College London), providing palaeoenvironmental analyses for several important Pleistocene sites on the English South Coast (Boxgrove and Norton Farm). He has also been working on the Holocene ostracods from boreholes in the Fleet Lagoon, south England, with Alasdair Bruce (Ph.D. student, University of Greenwich) with a view to reconstructing the changing environment of the water body over the last 5000-6000 years.

Ian P. Wilkinson When not working on Foraminifera, I have been working on Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous ostracod faunas from European Russia and the North Sea area, concentrating on genera such as Galliaecytheridea, Paranotacythere, and Macrodentina. These prove useful as environmental indicators and as biostratigraphical markers. During the summer I gave a presentation on "Marine Ostracoda across the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary in northern Europe" at the 13th International Symposium on Ostracoda, Chatham.
I have two projects currently in progress: (1) A concretion that developed around the carcass of a fish during the Carboniferous (Kinderscoutian) has yielded abundant valves of the myodocopid Eocypridina. I am currently working on these, together with records from elsewhere in Britain, from a taxonomic and palaeoenvironmental point of view. (2) I am also completing a project on some Quaternary assemblages from boreholes in Hong Kong. These give an insight into the changes in environment during the recent past, particularly the late Pleistocene and Holocene.
I am about to start a small project on some early Devonian Leperditiids from the Welsh Marches with Mark Williams and Giles Miller
Papers in press: The temporal and spatial distribution of Mandelstamia with particular emphasis on the Kimmeridgian and Vlgian: Symposium volume of the 3rd European Ostracodologists Meeting, Paris, 1996.

William M. Briggs continues to work on shelf to basin ostracodes from the western Arctic Ocean. In June 1998, Box cores from intermediate water depths will be collected from the Canada Basin and Chukchi Sea. I am also collaborating with Akira Tsukagoshi, The University Museum, University of Tokyo, on Schizocythere from Hokkaido and the Arctic Ocean.

Anne Cohen moved to Bodega Bay (north of San Francisco) in October,1997, where she continues research on myodocopid ostracodes, particularly bioluminescent cypridinids. In January, I returned to Los Angeles to finish moving from my LA museum office and meet with Lisa Torres to complete our paper on evolution of the Cypridinidae. In March, I visited with Jim Morin at Cornell Univ. to complete our paper on two new luminescent genera. I am grateful for affiliations with the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the Bodega Marine Lab (Univ. Calif. Davis) in Bodega Bay.
Current work in progress: J. Morin and A. Cohen, Two new bioluminescent ostracod genera, Enewton and Photeros (Myodocopida, Cypridinidae), with three new species from the Caribbean (nearly completed) and Myodocopida for Treatise. I have also agreed to do the Ostracoda for the next edition of "Light's Manual of Intertidal Invertebrates of the Central California Coast", which currently has no ostracode entry, and am looking forward to collecting and other help from Todd Oakley (who will visit me in May) and Dawn Peterson. I would welcome additional assistance, particularly with identification of the local Podocopa.
In press: (1) Cohen, AC., Kornicker, L.S., and Iliffe, T.M., Jimmorinia, a new genus of Myodocopid Ostracoda (Cypridinidae) with two new species from the Bahamas, Jamaica, Honduras, and San Blas Islands, Panama: Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology; (2) Cohen, A.C., Martin, J.W., and Kornicker, L.S., Homology of Holocene ostracode biramous appendages with those of other crustaceans: the protopod, epipod, exopod, and endopod: Lethaia; (3) Torres, E., Cohen, A., Wayne, R., and Morin, J., Evolution of bioluminescence in cypridinid ostracode crustaceans based on 16s rRNA sequences and morphology: Systematic Biology.

Thomas M. Cronin recently completed an assignment at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in June, 1997. Most of his current research is focused on Chesapeake Bay an Florida Bay faunas and the relationship to climatic and human activities over the past millennium. This work includes trace element chemistry, with Gary Dwyer of Duke University, on Loxoconcha and Paratocytheridea. He is completing work from previous projects on deep-sea Quaternary faunas and paleoceanographic change, Mg/Ca ratios in Krithe in deep-sea, work with Julio Rodriguez-Lazaro on Little Bahama Bank late Quaternary faunas.
Papers in press or submitted: (1) Cronin, T.M., Dowsett, H.J., Dwyer, G.A., and Baker, P., Pliocene Deep-Sea bottom-water temperature estimates based on ostracode Mg:Ca ratios; (2) Cronin, T.M., DeMartino, D.H., Dwyer, G.S., and Rodriguez-Lazaro, J., Deep-Sea ostracode species diversity: Response to late Quaternary climate change; (3) Cronin, T.M., Holmes, C., Dowsett, H.A., Dwyer, G., Keyser, D., and Waibel, N., Salinity and sea grass history from florida Bay sediment cores; 1870-1995; (4) Borne, P., Cronin, T., and Hazel, J., Neogene-Quaternary Ostracoda and paleoenvironments of the Limon Basin, Costa Rica, and Bocas del Toro Basin, Panama.
I am working with several students at George Mason University.

Brandon Curry is still involved with paleohydrology, paleoclimate, and ostracodes. I did a number of reviews for the JOPL, USGS, Paleo3, and NSF. I tried to mix this in with my "meat and potatoes" work of geologic and groundwater protection mapping.
Current work in progress: (1) The population dynamics of Cypridopsis vidua and other nektic species, and how the stable isotope values of their shells track the state of their host water (with Emi Ito, University of Minnesota). (2) Ostracodes from Alaska and their response to cooler temps and greater precip(?) During the Little Ice Age (with Feng Shen Hu, University of Minnesota). (3) Spring-dwelling fauns (including ostracodes) from Illinois, and their sensitivity to water quality (with Don Webb, Mark Wetzel, Illinois Natural History Survey). (4) Ostracodes, pollen, and diatom records in the context of the history of the Cahokia Mounds archeological site, near St. Louis, Missouri (with Eric Grimm, Richard Brujam, Tom Emerson).
In press: (1) Curry, B.B., An environmental tolerance index for ostracodes and its paleo hydrological applications: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology; (2) Curry, B.B., Diversion of the Mississippi River at about 20,350 yr B.P. and its effects on aquatic environments at Lomax, Illinois: Quaternary Research.
Students and thesis topics: Jason Mann, University of Manitoba, Paleolimnology of a Lake Agassiz lagoon; evidence for rates of crustal tilting (James Teller, advisor).

Ken Finger has been working as a paleontologist in the environmental industry of southern California for the past year. My activities involve mitigation monitoring of construction sites, salvage of fossils, curation, and documentation as required by the California Environmental Protection Agency (CEPA). In addition, I train and supervise field monitors, and market our "cultural resources" services to prospective clientele. Significant paleontologic resources are usually vertebrates, although invertebrates are also collected and documented, and I recently discovered the second known fossil record of verrucomorph barnacles. Ostracodes and other microfossils are not routinely worked.

Jaren Horsley is still trying to work on the phylogenetic relationships within the Philomedidae (Myodocopina).

Emi Ito Summary of activity: (1) ostracode shell geochemical work on several lake sediment cores for the purpose of reconstructing paleohydrochemistry; (2) collaborating with Alison Smith, Brandon Curry, Rick Forester, Dan Engstrom and others on the longitudinal study of several species of lacustrine ostracodes, and also on experimental culture to determine trace element and stable isotope fractionation behavior.
Work in progress: (1) decadal resolution paleohydrochemistry reconstructions for several lakes in North Dakota (ca. last 2000 years); Rice Lake, Ward County; Moon Lake, Barnes County; Cottonwood Lake, Stutsman County are being studied; (2) Lake Mirabad, Iran, late-glacial through early Holocene, Ostracode identifications for the purpose of analyzing the shell geochemistry is being done by Lora Stevens with help from Rick Forester; (3) Birch Lake, Alaska, late glacial through Holocene; the project is being led by Fengsheng Hu. The ostracode assemblage is being analyzed by Brandon Curry. Geochemical analysis of shells is being done at Minnesota. (4) Longitudinal monitoring of three species of ostracodes at Kaufman Lake, Illinois. (5) Continuation of ostracode specieshydrochemistry database project across selected climatic and geologic gradients. (6) I hope to soon start geochemical work on Alaskan ostracodes collected by Tom Ager, Dave Williams, and David Carter.
Students and thesis topics: Mark Shapley, a Ph.D student is starting work on three groundwater-controlled lakes in Ovando Valley, west-central Montana. Sediment cores spanning the Holocene have been collected. Two of the lakes preserve enough ostracodes for geochemical studies.

Larry Knox is currently working on the taxonomy, biostratigraphy, and paleogeology of midcontinental North American ostracodes. He is also working on the taxonomic assignment of a Pennsylvanian-age ostracode species with a long, straight dorsal margin and a prominent duplicature.
In press: Ostracods as indicators of brackish water environments in the Catskill Magnafacies (Devonian) of New York State: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology Special Issue, ISO 97.

Mervin Kontrovitz was recently appointed Dean of the College of Pure and Applied Sciences, Northeast Louisiana University. Work in progress includes taphonomy of ostracodes and foraminifers, and vision in ostracodes.
In press: (1) Kontrovitz, M., Ocular shell structures in podocopid Ostracoda, in Enrico Savazzi, ed., Functional morphology of the invertebrate skeleton, John Wiley and Sons Ltd., U.K.; (2) Kontrovitz, M. and Puckett, T.M., Ocular shell structures in some Cretaceous trachyleberid Ostracoda: Micropaleontology.
Student thesis: Chris Sampognaro, shell diagenesis.

Paul R. Krutak Although nearing retirement, I still have a strong interest in modern ostracodes of Mexico. I plan to pursue these interests by applying for a Senior Fulbright for 1998-1999. If successful, I will work on epiphytal and carbonate-sand-interstitial ostracodes from Xel-Ha and the Bahia Emiliano Zapata along the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula. The work will be done jointly with the academic and administrative staff of the Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia at UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mexico) in Mexico City (Dra. Maria Luisa Machain-Castillo and M. en C. Raul Gio-Argaez) and at their branch research station at Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo.
I was named (November 30, 1997) the 1997 President's Distinguished Scholar at Fort Hays University. It was quite an accolade for me! My name was engraved on a permanent plaque in our Student Union. I was given a bronze medallion cast by one of our Art faculty. In addition, they had a banquet ceremony (26 invitees) for me (two of my older children, Elizabeth Gottsleben and Paul R. Krutak, Jr. were able to attend.) And best of all, I received a $1000 cash award!
I have submitted an abstract for the Forams98 session entitled "Larger Foraminifera as Environmental Indicators: Modern and Ancient", with the title of my abstract Paleoecology of Larger Foraminifera from the Heterostigina Zone, Gulf Coast Tertiary, USA.

Pierre Lambert is currently picking and analyzing (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, d180) ostracodes from late Holocene Crimean lake deposits (Ukraine, Black Sea). This is part of a project aiming at obtaining a detailed 5000-year long proxy record of climate variations in the steppes of southeastern Europe.
In press: (1) Filippi, M.L., Lambert, P., Hunziker, J., and Kubler, B., Monitoring detrital input and resuspension effects on sediment trap material using mineralogy and stable isotopes (d180 and d13C): the case of lake Neuchatel (Switzerland): Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol.; (2) Filippi, M.L., Lambert, P., Hunziker, J., Kubler, B., and Bernasconi, S., Climatic and anthropogenic influence on the stable isotope record from bulk carbonates and ostracodes in Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland, during the last two millennia: Journal of Paleolimnology.

Robert Lundin continues work on Paleozoic ostracodes from the United States, Sweden, Germany, and England for various projects, one of which is the Paleozoic ostracode Treatise revision.
In press: (1) Friedman, G.M. and Lundin, R.F., Fresh-water ostracodes from upper middle Devonian fluvial facies, Catskill Mountains, New York: Jour. Paleontology; (2) Becker, G., Petersen, L.E., and Lundin, R.F., On Kirkbyrhiza retifera (Roth): Stereo-Atlas of Ostracod Shells; (3) Becker, G., Lundin, R.F., and Petersen, L.E., Intraspecific variation in the Arcyzonidae Kirkbyrhiza Becker and Lundin, 1995 (Ostracoda, Kirkbycea): Neues Jahrbuch Geol. Und Palaeontol.; (4) Lundin, R.F. and Sumrall, C., Ostracodes from the Naco Formation (Upper Carboniferous) at the Kohl Ranch locality, central Arizona: Jour. Paleontology.
Students: Harry Birkmann, Ph. D candidate, Nonpalaeocope ostracodes from the Silurian of Gotland (Sweden): systematics, biostratigraphy, and shape analysis.

Todd Oakley is aiming to clarify the family/subfamily relationships of myodocopid ostracods using molecular phylogenetics for a Ph.D thesis. Using the resulting phylogeny and fossil information, he will investigate the primitive condition of compound eyes in myodocopids. If the ancestor of myodocopids was eyeless, the group evolved compound eyes independently of all other arthropods (as suggested by Parker, 1995; Fryer, 1996). In addition, I have found reference to over 20 genera that contain species with and species without compound eyes. This suggests multiple independent loss of compound eyes (whether or not their original gain was independent), and a phylogeny of these species/genera will clarify this. Once clarified by phylogeny, I will use independent losses like experimental replicates to study the molecular and developmental genetics of eye loss during evolution.
My current ostracod work is focused on collecting a wide array of myodocopids and outgroups. I have made collecting trips to the Florida Keys, and have upcoming trips to California, Japan (to work in the lab of K. Abe), and Bermuda. I plan to describe at least one new species of Eusarsiella (Eusarsiellidae) from Florida. I am also refining molecular techniques and attempting to isolate rhodopsin (a visual pigment gene) and `eyeless' r Pax-6 (a developmental gene), from ostracods.

Lisa E. Park is working on(1) high resolution paleoecology in a complex tropical ecosystem (Lake Tanganyika, Africa) and the development of paleoecological models for Lake Conservation Biology; Co-Principal Investigators Andrew Cohen, University of Arizona and David Dettman, University of Arizona; (2) species variations within the genus Gomphocythere: a proxy for ostracods in Lake Tanganyika, East Africa.
Current work: (1) Lake Tanganyikaphylogeny reconstruction of genus Gomphocythere; ecological parameters of genus Gomphocythere; sex ratio bias of genus Gomphocythere; (2) Afar regionostracods of the Red Series Formation of Eritrea; (3) Caribbeanbiogeography of Neogene tropical non-marine Caribbean ostracods faunas, implications for climate change; (4) North Americaostracods of the Panaca Formation, Nevada.
In press: (1) Wells, T.M., Cohen, A.S., Park, L.E., Dettman, D.L., and McKee, B.A., Paleontological documentation of historical changes in the Lake Tanganyika, Africa, ostracode fauna related to watershed deforestation: Paleolimnology; (2) Park, L.E. and Downing, K.F., Implications of phylogeny reconstruction for ostracode speciation modes in Lake Tanganyika (Africa), in Proceedings from the International Conference on Ancient Lakes, Lake Biwa, Japan: Oxford University Press; (3) Dix, G.R., Patterson, R.T., and Park, L.E., Marine saline ponds as sedimentary archives of Late Holocene sea level and climate variation: an example along a carbonate platform-margin, Bahamas: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
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.

Dawn Elizabeth Peterson is a Research Associate at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. In addition, I have also been conducting research for the Swiss Geological Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. For the past five years, I have been creating and organizing ostracode collections of the California Academy of Sciences. My preliminary focus in ostracode research is focused on the upper Tertiary and Quaternary faunas of the eastern Pacific region, including estuarine and freshwater families in California.
Two years ago I began research into the estuarine and freshwater molluscan and ostracode faunas of five early to middle Miocene basins in southern Ecuador. Our paper regarding the ostracodes is currently in review. I am finishing a report on the Upper Pliocene and Lower Pleistocene marine, estuarine, and freshwater ostracode faunas of the San Joaquin Basin in the Great Valley of California.
My present research is focused on molluscan, ostracode, and foraminiferan faunas of Albian/Aptian methane cold seep limestones from several regions in California, with the intention of expanding this work beyond the local region as time progresses. My colleague in the present work is Dr. Kathleen Campbell of the University of Auckland.
I have been asked by Laurel S. Collins of the Pacific Paleontology Project (PPP) to conduct studies on Miocene to mid Pliocene marine ostracode samples from the northern Pacific coast of Ecuador. I plan to begin work as soon as samples arrive.

Dawn Elizabeth Peterson has been asked by Laurel S. Collins of the Pacific Paleontology Project (PPP) to conduct studies on Miocene to mid Pliocene marine ostracode samples from the northern Pacific coast of Ecuador. I plan to begin work as soon as samples arrive.

Mark Puckett In March, I resigned from the Geological Survey of Alabama and accepted a post as a Research Geologist at the Department of Geology, University of Alabama. I am working once again with Ernie Mancini, who was my Ph.D advisor and State Geologist of Alabama, as part of the Mississippi Research Group. One of our current projects is to model the Mississippi Interior Salt Basin, including basin evolution, burial history, and thermal maturation of hydrocarbons. We will also be modeling the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf Coast. I am nearing completion of a range chart for ostracodes and planktonic foraminifers in a composite section in eastern Mississippi for the marine portion of the Upper Cretaceous deposits (Santonian-Maastrichtian). A range chart for central Alabama for the same stratigraphic zone has already been completed. Results from the two composite sections will then be analyzed by graphic correlation. We have already used this biostratigraphic framework to calibrate stratigraphic sequences in Mississippi and Alabama, but are planning to test the model in Texas.
In press: Puckett, T.M. and Mancini, E.A., Planktonic foraminiferal Globotruncana calcarata Total Range Zone: Its global significance and importance to chronostratigraphic correlation in the Gulf Coastal Plain, USA: Journal of Foraminiferal Research.

Robert M. Ross is currently doing little directly with ostracodes, as nearly all of his time is spent administering the education program at the Paleontological Research Institution. He has numerous projects on western Pacific ostracodes awaiting the time to complete. He is just now finishing a manuscript on the effect of nutrients on evolutionary patterns, first-authored by Warren Allmon. PRI has a large collection of bulk sediments and picked microfossils (largely foraminifers) awaiting curation. I will keep the Cypris community informed of what might be useful.

Stephen Schellenberg is conducting dissertation research on Paleogene deep-sea ostracodes, with an estimated completion date of late 1998. Specifically, I am examining deep-sea ostracode faunal response and Mg:Ca paleo thermometry across two climate extremes during the Paleogene: the Late Paleogene Thermal Maximum and the Eocene-Oligocene "Greenhouse-Icehouse" transition. ODP sites are generally in the high southern latitudes (i.e., Sites 689, 744, 1090, etc.) With temporal resolutions of about 8-12 kyr. In addition, I am conducting landmark-based morphometric analyses of specific taxa through each event to determine if ambient changes in physico-chemical conditions affect valve architecture on ecological and/or evolutionary time-scales.

Alison Smith is collaborating on an NSF-funded project with Emi Ito (University of Minnesota), Rick Forester (USGS), and Don Palmer (Kent State University), concerning nonmarine ostracodes and shell geochemistry. We are focusing on field and lab calibrations of isotope measurements in modern ostracode carapaces and water from their associated habitat. I am continuing to work on the modern and Holocene ostracode fauna from Lake Huron and northern Lake Michigan in collaboration with an ongoing project with Dave Rea and Ted Moore at the University of Michigan and Linda Shane (University of Minnesota). Work on the Great Plains drought records continues with Sheri Fritz (Lehigh University), Dan Engstrom (Science Museum of Minnesota), and Joe Donovan (West Virginia University). Additionally, I have several small studies underway here in northeastern Ohio, where there are a surprisingly rich living fauna and Quaternary fossil fauna.
Current graduate students: John Carney, M.S. 1997. Thesis: The Use of Ostracodes and Environmental Isotopes as Indicators of Surface-Groundwater Interaction in Hays County, Central Texas. Dana Oleskoweicz, M.S. 1998. Thesis: Seasonal Ostracode Distributions in East Twin Lake, Ohio. Barbara Matyjasik, M.S. in progress. Thesis: Paleolimnology of Rice Lake, North Dakota. Sonia Bacon, M.S. in progress. Thesis: Seasonal study of ostracodes and environmental isotopes in Page Pond, Ohio.

I. Greg Sohn was one of two U.S. participants in the First International Conference "Application of Micropaleontology in Environmental Sciences", July 13-20, Tel-Aviv, Israel. The other participant is not an ostracodologist.
In press: (1) Sohn, I.G. and Swain, F.M., On the superfamily Darwinuloidacea, the type species of Darwinuloides Mandelstam, 1956 and on the status of Cheikella Sohn and Morris, 1963 (Ostracoda); (2) Sohn, I.G. and Kornicker, L.S., Permian ostracodes from Greece: Smithsonian Institutions Press, Contrib. to Paleobiology; (3) Kornicker, L.S. and Sohn, I.G., Myodocopid ostracode from the late Permian of Greece and a basic classification for Paleozoic and Mesozoic Myodocopida: Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology.

Frederick M. Swain recently completed a manuscript entitled "Fossil Nonmarine Ostracoda of the United States", Devonian?, Mississippian-Pleistocene. It treats about 500 species and subspecies as to biostratigraphy, paleoecology, and systematics. I am thinking of posting it on the Internet later this year. My URL address is http://www.geo.umn.edu/people/profs/SWAIN.html.
Papers submitted: (1) Swain, F.M., 1998, Ostracoda from the Swift Formation (Upper Jurassic) on Montana and Wyoming: Revista Espanola de Micropaleontologia, 30(2); (2) Sohn, I.G. and Swain, F.M., 1998, On the type species of Darwinuloides Mandelstam, 1956 and on the status of Cheikella Sohn and Morris, 1963: Journal of Paleontology.

Elizabeth Torres My research focuses on the evolution of bioluminescence and courtship behavior in cypridinid ostracodes. I have used 165 rRNA mitochondrial sequence data from several cypridinid taxa to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of the Cypridinidae. I have also combined these molecular data with morphological data provided by Anne Cohen and Jim Morin for phylogenetic analyses. From phylogenies based on sequence data along, I have discovered multiple genetically distinct lineages within Skogsbergia lerneri, a non-luminescent Caribbean cypridinid. I am now extending my investigation of S. lerneri to include samples from throughout the Caribbean for both genetic and morphological investigation. I will also continue to collect and sequence cypridinid ostracodes and other myodocopes (for outgroups) to increase the number of taxa and genes for our phylogenetic analyses.
I am currently on an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship, studying the molecular evolution of bioluminescence in cypridinid ostracodes. I am using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques and cloning (from genomic and cDNA) to isolate the luciferase gene from Vargula tsujii, a luminescent species from California. I am now constructing a cDNA library for this species. I plan to extend the genetic investigation of luciferase to include additional luminescent cypridinids, but will focus mainly on Caribbean signaling species.

Donald Van Nieuwenhuise is currently working on ostracode biostratigraphy in the Miocene-Recent of Azerbijan outcrops and Caspian Sea wells; the Miocene of the Mersin Basin, Turkey; the Lower Cretaceous-Eocene of the US Gulf Coast; the Oligocene-Miocene of Montana; the Lower Cretaceous of Gabon offshore wells. In several of these projects, I am hoping to be able to run stable isotopes and trace metals on the ostracode valves. I am developing routines for quantitative paleoecological analysis of Amoco's large biostratigraphic databases. I am also working on projects using multidisciplinary data in the building of Global Composite Standards

Ljupko Rundic defended his Ph.D thesis in November, 1997, focusing on the biostratigraphic significance of Upper Miocene "lake-sea" ostracodes from Kolubara Basin (NW Serbia). I separated 12 biozones in the Pannonian and Pontian deposits (Hemicytheria biozones). By field and laboratory research, 206 species of ostracodes and 58 species of mollusks have been determined. Besides, the representatives of chara, otoliths, and silicoplacentina have also been found. An attempt is made to establish the cause-consequence model of the environment-organism system. For that purpose, the genus Hemicytheria Pokorny, is studied in particular. This is supported by results of neotectonic and sedimentological investigation. I plan to submit for publication during 1998 one part of the dissertation concerning the genus Hemicytheria.
After 8 years, the 13th Yugoslav Geological Congress will be held in Herceg Novi (Montenegro) in October, 1998.
Current research: (1) marine and freshwater ostracodes from the Neogene of Bosnia and Yugoslavia: XVI Congress of CBGA, Vienna; (2) shell ultrastructure of Hemicytherinae; (3) breaks in sedimentation based on ostracodes.
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