During the Cenozoic, the constant northward movement of the African plate led to the division of the Tethys Ocean into two: the Palaeomediterranean and the Paratethyan branches. The latter was represented by a huge epicontinental sea and brackish to freshwater lakes that extended across central Europe and western Asia. Neogene and Quaternary ostracods from the Paratethys originated through major adaptive radiations, which gave rise to endemic brackish taxa. Unfortunately, much confusion surrounds their taxonomy, due to the quality of descriptions and images in the original literature and the incompleteness of the type material, making necessary a taxonomic revision. In this paper, we propose a systematic revision of several Paratethyan endemic candonid genera based on the analysis of the type material, new material collected from the type localities, and new fossil material from the Ponto-Caspian area. The study focuses on the description of the valve morphology and particularly on the geometric morphometric analysis of the valve outline. Thirty-three genera were taken into account of which four (Advenocypris, Candoniella, Graviacypris, Telekia) were considered to be junior synonyms of Typhlocypris, Pseudocandona or Candona. Moesiella is considered a nomen nudum. In the case of Caspiollina, Dacicandona, Liventalina and Turkmenella the scarcity of material and/or the poor descriptions reported in the literature prevented us from performing a full revision. The monospecific genus Thaminocypris possibly includes a teratological form. The remaining 23 genera were merged into nine valid, endemic, genera (Bakunella, Camptocypria, Caspiocypris, Hastacandona, Lineocypris, Pontoniella, Propontoniella, Typhlocyprella and Zalanyiella). Emended diagnoses and descriptions are proposed for these genera and a new species, Bakunella anae sp. nov., is described. This study considerably reduces the taxonomic uncertainty within the Paratethyan candonids, providing new data for the evaluation of the palaeobiodiversity of the Paratethyan domain. Finally, the palaeobiogeography of Paratethyan candonids during the Neogene and Quaternary is also discussed. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EB9EC2D4-AFD2-428E-9958-C97F36ED7FF2

The response of large water-bodies to global change in terms of ecosystem services and economical value is a major concern.The Caspian Sea, the world's largest enclosed water-body, has a poorly-known water-level history, but observed changes are a hundred times faster than recent global sea-level rise.This ancient lake, characterised by brackish waters, is rich in endemic species; some of them have spread to similar environments worldwide.However, the ecology of Pontocaspian species remains poorly understood and must be studied in their original habitat.This work aims at improving the capacity to reconstruct Quaternary environments of the Pontocaspian region and to provide a benchmark for biodiversity turnover studies.A transect of surface sediment across a wide shelf was subjected to multidisciplinary analyses: stable isotopes, pollen, dinocysts, diatoms, foraminifers, ostracods and molluscs and vertical oceanographic profiles.Three depositional environments with characteristic communities were found: shore face, shelf and slope.Invasion impact was strongly felt by the molluscs.All biota groups, except diatoms, reflected high endemism.The radiocarbon reservoir effect is highlighted in differential 14 C ages for different groups.Understanding such discrepancies require detailed insight into reworking processes.Tephra presence in the sediment shows a potential for tephrochronology.Stable isotope ratios in ostracods appear to reflect temperature depth gradients.Our results provide a baseline for calibrating proxy data to the present Pontocaspian environment.

New palynological, ostracod and foraminiferal data are presented from a long outcrop section in the Jeirankechmez river valley, Azerbaijan, near the western coast of the Caspian Sea. The interval studied includes the upper part of the Pliocene Productive Series and overlying Plio-Pleistocene Akchagylian (Akchagyl) and Apsheronian (Apsheron) regional stages. Productive Series sediments were deposited in a closed fluvio-lacustrine basin, isolated from any marine influence. The onset of Akchagyl deposition is marked by a lithological change associated with a significant flooding event that, at its maximum extent, reached the Sea of Azov and into present-day Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia. At the Jeirankechmez locality, the lowermost beds of the Akchagyl contain predominantly freshwater assemblages with very minimal marine or brackish content showing that the onset of Akchagyl deposition was not a marine induced event. Reworked Mesozoic palynomorphs occur frequently in this lowermost interval, including the reworked pollen taxa Aqtcdapollenites-Triprojerms that were eroded from the north or north-east. Significant marine influence is evident ca. 30 m above the base of the Akchagyl in the studied outcrop, marked by the 'Cassidulina Beds' which contain a distinct but low diversity assemblage of foraminifera that occurs widely and can be correlated in many parts of the greater Caspian region. Dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) in the marine interval include frequent specimens very similar to Algidasphaeridium capillatum (Matsuoka and Bujak), a species only previously recorded from the northern Bering Sea. The combined evidence from these dinocysts and foraminifera suggests that a marine (i.e. seaway) connection existed briefly between the Arctic Ocean and the Caspian Sea at the very end of the Pliocene. Re-examination of core material from the Adriatic Sea shows that Cassidulina reniforme (Norvang) was present in the Mediterranean during and shortly after the Last Glacial Maximum. The possibility that the end Pliocene marine incursion came from the Mediterranean via the Black Sea region to the Caspian Sea cannot be entirely ruled out but is considered unlikely. Biometric analyses are applied to obtain a better understanding of the palaeoenvironmental significance of the assemblages dominated by cassidulinids. An interval > 300 m thick is assigned to the Apsheron regional stage on the basis of predominantly brackish ostracod and dinocyst associations. The dinocysts are of 'Peri-Paratethyan' affinity and closely resemble species first described from Miocene and Pliocene sediments in the Pannonian and Dacic basins of Eastem Europe. Many similarities exist in the microplankton records (dinocysts and acritarchs) between the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and Central Paratethys.

Six cores, each approximately 10m long, of late Pleistocene to Holocene age were studied from the Emba Delta region in the north-eastern Caspian Sea. Radiocarbon dates provide ages within the range of 47,820 to 12,020calBP for the middle sections, and for post-1950 close to surface. The ages fall within Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, MIS 2 and MIS 1 (with MIS 4 also inferred). Four lithological units are present, each separated by an erosional contact. Unit 4 is equated with MIS 4 and consists of over-consolidated, east-west trending aeolian sands deposited during the late Pleistocene Atelian lowstand. Unit 3 is equated with MIS 3 and is a low-energy, shallow open water or lagoonal deposit based on ostracod faunas. Pollen from mesophilic trees is common, confirming warm climatic conditions. Floristic elements such as Engelhardia and Carya were shared with East Asia. Frequent Taxodiaceae pollen occurs, derived from Glyptostrobus pensilis, a seasonal freshwater swamp tree, now found naturally only in isolated relict stands in East Asia. This suggests that the north-eastern Caspian region was a ‘refugium’ supporting Glyptostrobus swamp vegetation during MIS 3. There is no evidence to indicate that these are reworked occurrences. Unit 2 consists of early Khvalynian transgressive barrier sands and Unit 1 of shoreface sands and muds of Holocene age. The late Khvalynian highstand and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) record are eroded by the Mangyshlak unconformity after ca. 12,500calBP. The Holocene interval contains frequent foraminifera and dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) of restricted ‘marine’ affinity (e.g. Lingulodinium machaerophorum). The dinocysts Pterocysta cruciformis and Impagidinium inaequalis are found commonly in the Caspian Sea for the first time. Results are compared with palynological and ostracod assemblages in surface samples from the eastern Caspian Sea coastal region.

New palynological and ostracod data are presented from the Holocene Volga delta, obtained from short cores and surface samples collected in the Damchik region, near Astrakhan, Russian Federation in the northern Caspian Sea. Four phases of delta deposition are recognized and constrained by accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon ages. Palynological records show that erosive channels, dunes (Baer hills) and inter-dune lakes were present during the period 11,500–8900 cal. BP at the time of the Mangyshlak Caspian lowstand. The period 8900–3770 cal. BP was characterized regionally by extensive steppe vegetation, with forest present at times with warmer, more humid climates, and with halophytic and xerophytic vegetation present at times of drought. The period 3770–2080 cal. BP was a time of active delta deposition, with forest or woodland close to the delta, indicating relatively warm and humid climates and variable Caspian Sea levels. From 2080 cal. BP to the present-day, aquatic pollen is frequent in highstand intervals and herbaceous pollen and fungal hyphae frequent in lowstand intervals. Soils and incised valley sediments are associated with the regional Derbent regression and may be time-equivalent with the ‘Medieval Warm Period’. Fungal spores are an indicator of erosional or aeolian processes, whereas fungal hyphae are associated with soil formation. Freshwater algae, ostracods and dinocysts indicate mainly freshwater conditions during the Holocene with minor brackish influences. Dinocysts present include Spiniferites cruciformis, Caspidinium rugosum, Impagidinium caspienense and Pterocysta cruciformis, the latter a new record for the Caspian Sea. The Holocene Volga delta is a partial analogue for the much larger oil and gas bearing Mio-Pliocene palaeo-Volga delta.

Caspian sea level (CSL) is currently c.27m below global sea level and has undergone dramatic changes in the recent geological past. This poster shows preliminary results from an ongoing study to document the extent of CSL change in the Quaternary, and understand the mechanisms which control those changes. New palynological and micropalaeontological (mainly ostracod) data are presented from the Holocene and Pleistocene, including data from wells and shallow boreholes in the BP / AIOC operated ACG (Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli) and Shah Deniz oil and gas concessions in the central / south Caspian region, offshore Azerbaijan. The studied sections provide a more or less continuous sedimentary record for the last 2.5 million years, constrained by radiocarbon and OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence) ages. The link with glacial / interglacial periods and Marine (Oxygen) Isotope Stages (MIS) is inferred. The Pleistocene in this region can be sub-divided into several local stages: Khvalynian (Late Pleistocene), Khazarian (Late to Middle Pleistocene), Bakunian (Middle to Early Pleistocene), Apsheronian and Akchagylian (both Early Pleistocene) and further divided into regionally correlatable Soil Units, each of which has a distinct microfaunal (ostracod) and palynological assemblage. Variations in CSL and salinity are highlighted by ostracods and organic-walled dinoflagellate (dinocyst) assemblages, with brackish tolerant forms such as Spiniferites cruciformis , Impagidinium caspienense and Caspidinium rugosum present. Samples with fewer brackish dinocysts and ostracods often have more frequent Pediastrum (freshwater algae), interpreted as highstand events when Caspian waters were more dilute. Pollen and spore abundance and diversity in most Holocene and Pleistocene samples are high, with herbaceous taxa such as Artemisia , Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae (grass) and Sphagnum locally common. Tree pollen is dominated by Pinus , with other cold-climate forms such as Betula , Alnus , Juniperus and Salix suggesting a boreal “Taiga” forest affinity. Warm temperate tree pollen types such as Carpinus , Ulmus , Quercus and Taxodiaceae (swamp cypress) are mostly, if not entirely, reworked. This is supported by the presence of Paleogene to Late Cretaceous restricted pollen (e.g. Wodehousia ) reworked from northern polar regions. New and recently published sea level curves for the Holocene and Pleistocene are presented, as are climate simulation models comparing the present day with the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). There is a broad (but not universal) correlation between glacial periods and CSL highstands, and between interglacials and CSL lowstands. Work is ongoing to integrate the geological, biostratigraphic and climate data in order to fully understand CSL change in the recent geological past, and perhaps help predict future sea level trends in the Caspian Sea.

Development of an expert system for microfossil identification and their use in dating rocks demonstrates that such systems can be used in the evaluation and interpretation of basic geological data. Palaeontological data lends itself to this kind of approach because it is controlled to a greater extent than other geological data by internationally accepted rules and practice. Two fossil groups, planktonic foraminifera and conodonts, have been chosen for initial development, both groups having a long history of study.

The new taxon Trochamijiella gollesstanehi is described; it is morphologically similar to, but phylogenetically distinct from, Amijiella, and is initially trochospiral; it is known from Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and is believed to characterise the Late Bathonian. Primary type specimens of Amijiella amiji and Haurania deserta are refigured for comparison and are believed to characterise Early Bathonian and older Jurassic strata. All three genera are reclassified and all are placed in the Biokovinidae Gušić, 1977.

The strikingly cyclic character of digitally filtered gamma ray logs from the Oxfordian to Portlandian interval of the Wessex Basin, onshore United Kingdom, facilitates high resolution log correlation over considerable distances, allowing the systematic calibration of biostratigraphic with lithostratigraphic data through graphic correlation. This involves the systematic cross-plotting of biostratigraphic events, based on samples taken from cuttings and sidewall cores, from a set of wells to produce a composite standard. Initially the standard is a single well, chosen for maximum thickness and completeness. Biostratigraphic events are added to by drawing lines of correlation and projecting the data points onto the composite standard. The scatter of biostratigraphic events is generally such that a line of correlation cannot be drawn with confidence from the biostratigraphic data alone. Independent lines of correlation are established between wells by first matching cycles (?parasequences) on digitally filtered gamma ray traces and using these as a framework for adding biostratigraphic events to the composite standard. This has advantages over the conventional approach in that the effects of outliers in the data are minimized and hiatuses and subtle changes in rock accumulation rates become apparent. By adding all the biostratigraphic events from all wells to the composite standard a range chart is produced depicting the scatter or dispersion of all biostratigraphic events relative to the log based cycles. The end result is an integrated stratigraphy in which biostratigraphic events are calibrated against rock events giving a measure of dispersion, and hence confidence, for each biostratigraphic event.

Abstract. Macrofaunal and foraminiferal analyses have shown the Woodbine Shale in South Cumbria to be of latest early Asbian age. Ostracods and solid foraminifera from the Woodbine Shale are described and illustrated for the first time. Several ostracods including Rectobairdia cf. dorssenata, Healdia ‘penchfordensis’, Bairdia cf. leguminoides, Pustulobairdia cf. confragosa and Microcheilinella subcorbulinoides, previously only known from late Asbian or younger strata, have now been shown to range into the early Asbian. The numerous bairdiids, heavily ornamented ostracods, trilobites, brachiopods and abundant foraminifera suggest a deep, subtidal, marine environment of deposition for the Woodbine Shale. Foraminifera from the underlying Lower Urswick Limestone suggest an early Asbian age for this formation whilst the overlying Upper Urswick Limestone is shown to be of late Asbian age. The foraminiferal assemblages from these beds can be correlated directly with those in the early Asbian Upper Potts Beck Limestone and the late Asbian Knipe Scar Limestone in the Asbian stratotype section at Little Asby Scar, Cumbria.

This book provides an introduction to the study of the ostracods that are common inhabitants of intertidal rock- pools, estuaries and other coastal habitats around Great Britain. It is the first comprehensive treatment of the British marine and brackish-water ostracod fauna to be published since the last century. The first part deals with the general morphology of the Ostracoda, their ecology, reproduction and life histories, and includes keys to the higher taxa as well as to 49 genera. Practical methods for the collection and study of ostracods are described in detail. The second part contains keys and notes for the identification of 116 species from British waters; for each there is a brief synonymy and description together with notes on its taxonomy, ecology and distribution, and drawings of shells and appendages. Additionally, shells of 76 of the species are illustrated by means of scanning electron micrographs. This book holds a general appeal for students of both fossil and living ostracods in all parts of the world. It will be useful to those investigating marine and brackish- water meiofauna, of which ostracods are often a major constituent.