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Sieve-type normal pore canals (StPC) occur commonly in living and fossil cytheroid ostracods but their biological function(s) and evolutionary history are poorly known. The new genus Minyocythere and its four species: Minyocythere macroporosa sp. nov., M. angulata sp. nov., M. maculosa, and M. tuberculata from the Middle Jurassic have StPC prominently developed, display a range of normal pore canals, and provide a context for review of the geological record and palaeobiological potential of these structures, and their application as a taxonomic tool compared with classical approaches. The related Cretaceous genus Dolocythere is reviewed and Dolocythere amphistiela sp. nov. described. The significance of StPC for comparative morphology, systematics, palaeobiology and environmental interpretation are discussed. The range of normal pore canals observed, including StPC, is greater than previously described and several types can occur on one animal implying different life functions. The potential of normal pore canals especially StPC for systematic use is established although good preservation is essential. The functional significance of normal pore canals and their setae must be verified with living material before their evolutionary history can be deduced and their application to palaeoenvironmental interpretation and modern environmental monitoring enhanced.

BACKGROUND The redlegged earth mite (Halotydeus destructor) is an agricultural pest in Australia that attacks a wide variety of crops and pasture species. Chemicals remain an important part of control strategies for H. destructor, despite the existence of resistance to pyrethroid insecticides in this species. Recent chemical control failures involving a second insecticide class, organophosphates, were investigated using pesticide bioassays. RESULTS We confirmed, for the first time, resistance to organophosphates in H. destructor, and show that resistance is not confined to a single property, or region. There was no evidence that resistance to organophosphorus chemicals has evolved in Australian States outside of Western Australia. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate the strong evolutionary capability of H. destructor and highlight the need for ongoing resistance surveillance within Australia.

BACKGROUND: Halotydeus destructor is a major pest of crops and pastures across southern parts of Australia. This invasive mite has been chemically controlled for over 50 years, but resistance to synthetic pyrethroids and organophosphates is developing. Understanding processes behind the emerging resistance is important for effective management efforts. We undertook a ddRAD pool-sequencing approach to analyse genome-wide SNP variation in H. destructor population samples at two scales: local resistance across a set of fields, and regional resistance across their Australian range, along with toxicology bioassays to screen for pyrethroid resistance. RESULTS: Spatial patterns of genomic variation and resistance at a local scale indicated genetic similarity among samples were more closely correlated with distance along roads and fence-lines than with straight-line geographic distance. This pattern was particularly strong in resistant samples, which were also more related than the susceptible samples, suggesting local spread of resistance within an area after it emerged. In contrast, regional data suggests resistance has repeatedly emerged within parts of Australia. Our de novo annotation of the H. destructor draft genome sequence and Bayesian analysis identified several candidate loci strongly associated with population-level resistance to pyrethroids, located in genomic regions that code for transmembrane transport and signalling proteins which have been previously linked to insecticide resistance in other arthropods. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight multiple independent evolutionary events leading to resistance in H. destructor, and demonstrate the utility and cost-effectiveness of a cross-population, genome-wide association study to reveal processes underlying adaptive evolution in a non-model invasive species. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Robin Charles (Ignatius) Whatley was born a ‘Man of Kent’ in 1936. He was educated at Ashford Grammar School, where an inspiring teacher, Frank Kenworthy, stimulated a series of pupils to become earth scientists, for example, John Catt (University College London), Roy Clements (Leicester University), Ron Cook (recently Vice Chancellor of York University) and Chris Wilson (Open University). Following a varied post-school career as a farmer (1954), National Serviceman (1955–1957), and inshore fisherman based at Christchurch, Hampshire (1957–1959), Robin joined Hull University to read Geology. He graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in 1962, one of the first two ever to be awarded by the department. An interest in Micropalaeontology, in particular ostracods, became apparent during undergraduate years and formed part of his BSc dissertation. A further three years at Hull followed, funded by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR, fore-runner of the modern research councils), leading to the award of a PhD degree in 1966 for a thesis on British Callovian and Oxfordian ostracods, carried out under the supervision of John Neale. As a mature student Robin felt it to be his duty to write stern letters to DSIR pointing out the shortcomings of its procedures and officials, and he was somewhat surprised when, visiting DSIR for a Post-Doctoral Fellowship interview, he discovered that his letters were regularly pinned to the staff notice board to be read by all. As it turned out a Fellowship was not required, as Robin was appointed Assistant Lecturer in Geology . . .

John Neale was born in Burton-on-Trent where his father was concerned with the grocery business and, appropriately to the town, his grandfather was a cooper in the brewing industry. After leaving school he spent two terms at Manchester University, passing the First Year examinations and, in 1943, volunteered for wartime service in the Royal Navy. One year later he was commissioned an officer and served in the hazardous but vital role of minesweeping. With discharge from the navy in 1947 he rejoined Manchester University to follow a BSc General degree in Geology and Geography with subsidiary Zoology, graduating in 1949. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Patti, who was a fellow undergraduate. Upon graduation he was appointed as Assistant Lecturer in the small Sub-department (later a full Department) of Geology of the University of Hull, which was to be his scientific home for the rest of his professional life. John Neale and his senior colleague Lewis Penny, who also joined in 1949, were the only members of staff and for some years taught the full spectrum of Geology between them. John Neale’s diaries record how they had intensive discussions about developing their sub-department and building the teaching collections. The department grew in numbers of students and staff and won a reputation for sound teaching and, in time, for research. It is therefore easy to understand how saddened John Neale was when, following a reorganization of Earth Science departments in British universities, the department he had . . .

The collections of Foraminifera in the Senckenberg Naturmusem are extensive and date back to the mid-nineteenth century. The oldest material is the collection of Professor O. Boettger which contains specimens from Reuss (1863). Other notable parts of the collection include the Jurassic and Cretaceous material of Adolf Franke (e.g. 1936; inventor of the Franke-slide), Franz Hecht (e.g. 1938), Helmut Bartenstein and Erich Brand (e.g. Bartenstein, 1938; Bartenstein & Brand, 1937, 1938). Further information can be found in Zilch (1939), Triebel (1967), Bartenstein & Brand (1981) and Schroeder (1989). Foraminifera are catalogued under the prefix SMF XXVII. The …

During his time as Chair of The Micropalaeontological Society (2004–7) David Siveter was an innovative leader and, amongst other things, introduced the term President, which of course benefited his successor, and, most importantly, his was the inspiration to propose a senior medal for the TMS, the Brady Medal. The medal was named in honour of the Brady brothers, G.S. Brady and H.B. Brady, who were distinguished early workers with ostracods and foraminifera, respectively. It was David Siveter’s idea that the Brady Medal should not simply be a piece of bronze but also a work of art in its own right, as indeed it is; the background is described in Siveter (2008 a ). It is therefore particularly satisfying that the eighth Brady Medal be awarded to David Siveter in recognition of his fundamental contributions to our understanding of life in the Palaeozoic. It is not possible to write about David Siveter without passing reference to his twin brother Derek as the Siveter twins have had parallel careers in many ways and both are distinguished Palaeozoic palaeontologists, David with bivalved crustaceans and Derek with arthropods. The Siveter twins were born in Wolverhampton, then Staffordshire, in 1946 and early on developed a love of sport and the outdoors, perhaps as a subconscious counterpoint to the heavily industrialized, urban environment of the ‘Black Country’. Sunday outings with their parents to especially Shropshire inspired a love of that rugged landscape and in due course an interest in the Ordovician and Silurian rocks and their abundant fossils. On wet Sundays Mr and Mrs Siveter would drop the boys at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery where the natural history collection, although small, helped to foster an interest in the natural world and, coincidentally, an interest in art as now reflected in the Brady Medal itself. …

Dr Thomas Cronin is a worthy recipient of the Brady Medal, not simply for his outstanding achievements in the application of micropalaeontology to palaeoceanography, palaeoclimatology and evolutionary studies but because, like the Brady brothers, he has worked on both ostracods and foraminifera, fossil and living. Fig. 1 Tom Cronin. Tom Cronin was born in 1950 in the Bronx, New York City, USA and first became interested in geology when attending a freshman general course at Colgate University taught by Bob Linsley and Jim McClelland – in Tom's words: ‘two great educators’. He graduated with a BA in Geology from Colgate in 1972 and then carried out postgraduate work at Harvard University leading to a MA (1974) and PhD (1977) in Geology. After graduation he joined the US Geological Survey and is currently a senior scientist with the Eastern Geology and Climate Science Center, US Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia. There his present role is Project Chief for the ‘Abrupt Climate Change: Eastern US’ project and he also contributes to the ‘South Florida Ecosystem Project’. Tom's doctoral work concerned both foraminifera and ostracods of the Pleistocene of the north-eastern seaboard of North America, but it is as an ostracod worker that he is best known, especially for deep sea fossil and living faunas. His publications portray a developing pattern of research interest and achievement from a relatively classical doctoral treatment of shallow marine Pleistocene ostracods and foraminifera and their environmental significance, via early marine palaeoclimate reconstruction work in the Neogene-Quaternary of the US eastern seaboard, to the innovative interpretation of deep sea palaeoceanographic parameters using ostracods and other proxies. The following …

In 1990 Danielopol et al. described the ostracod genus Cytherissa as ‘the Drosophila of paleolimnology’ in the sense of a model organism for their purposes at that time. In the intervening years Drosophila is no longer seen by biologists as the perfect test model and, for example, the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans is now viewed as preferable because ‘the fly is much more complex than the worm and the anatomy of the nervous system has not reached the level of completeness achieved for the worm’ (Brenner 2003, p. 278). For some years attention has focused on Cyprideis torosa (Jones, 1850), especially since the pioneering work of Rosenfeld & Vesper (1977) on sieve-pore variability in this species in relation to salinity, because torosa is a particularly widely distributed euryhaline living and fossil ostracod species. Cyprideis torosa is not only biogeographically widespread but occurs in a salinity range from freshwater to hypersaline, tolerates a wide range of temperature, oxygen and substrate conditions, and also has a large, well-calcified and easily preserved carapace. The species first occurs in sedimentary formations of early Pleistocene age but may be older. Therefore, it has the potential to be an ostracod model organism. This set of thematic papers is designed to summarize our current knowledge of one of the most important living ostracod species, its distribution, ecology, morphological response to environmental pressures, and molecular characterization, together with our understanding of its origins and value for palaeoenvironmental interpretation. The ultimate aim is to define potentially rewarding research targets using C. torosa as a model organism. ARL acknowledges Patrick De Deckker for the initial inspiration for this thematic set of papers on Cyprideis torosa and for his long-term support. PDD and ARL both acknowledge Dan Danielopol (University of Graz) as an unfailing source of ideas and inspiration! We both thank our Contributing Authors, the Reviewers, and especially Sarah Gibbs our Senior Production Editor.

Temporary road sections for the A303 bypass at Ilminster, Somerset, revealed Upper Pliensbachian and Toarcian sediments from an alternating limestone–marl facies, in marked contrast to the limestone-dominated Dorset coast succession. The lithostratigraphy is described, with the standard ammonite zonation providing chronostratigraphical correlation. The uppermost Pliensbachian (Spinatum Chronozone) and much of the Toarcian (Serpentinum, Bifrons, Variabilis, Thouarsense and Pseudoradiosa chronozones) of the classic Dorset coast Lower Jurassic sequence are represented by the Beacon Limestone Formation, formerly the ‘Junction Bed’ (a highly condensed carbonate deposit). The Tenuicostatum Chronozone is largely missing from the sequence. Elsewhere in southern and eastern England this interval is poorly or rarely exposed. The argillaceous units have yielded rich microfaunas and -floras (foraminifera, ostracods, calcareous nannofossils and palynomorphs), the biostratigraphical distributions of which are analysed and discussed in relation to contemporary evolutionary patterns and other UK records. This study provides an insight into the micro-biostratigraphy of the Late Pliensbachian to Toarcian interval for onshore southern England.

Late Callovian (athleta Chronozone) age sediments of Pedrógão, west coast Portugal, yielded a low diversity ostracod assemblage with relatively little in common with coeval NW European assemblages except at the weak level of comparative (cf.) species identification. Five new marine species are described (Neurocythere multiforma sp. nov., Palaeocytheridea (Malzevia)? dorsocostata sp. nov., Praebythoceratina parascrobiculata sp. nov., Praeschuleridea lisensis sp. nov., Virgulacytheridea posteroacuminata sp. nov.) and three previously described non-marine species recorded that so far are indigenous to Portugal (Septacandona azeredae, Sinuocythere pedrogaensis, Theriosynoecum helmdachi). Ostracod taxonomic links to western Tethys are evident but weak. Calcareous nannofossil assemblages were analysed for biostratigraphical control.Supplementary material: Sample data and raw ostracod counts are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3271394.v1

The 1st International Symposium on Ostracoda (ISO) was held in Naples (1963). The philosophy behind this symposium and the logical outcome of what is now known as the International Research Group on Ostracoda (IRGO) are here reviewed, namely ostracodology over the last 50 years is sociologically analysed. Three different and important historic moments for the scientific achievements of this domain are recognised. The first one, between about 1963 and 1983, is related to applied research for the oil industry as well as to the great interest in the better description of the marine environment by both zoologists and palaeontologists. Another important aspect during this period was the work by researchers dealing with Palaeozoic ostracods, who had their own discussion group, IRGPO. Gradually, the merger of this latter group with those dealing with post-Palaeozoic ostracods at various meetings improved the communication between the two groups of specialists. A second period was approximately delineated between 1983 and 2003. During this time-slice, more emphasis was addressed to environmental research with topics such as the study of global events and long-term climate change. Ostracodologists profited also from the research “politics” within national and international programmes. Large international research teams emerged using new research methods. During the third period (2003–2013), communication and collaborative research reached a global dimension. Amongst the topics of research we cite the reconstruction of palaeoclimate using transfer functions, the building of large datasets of ostracod distributions for regional and intercontinental studies, and the implementation of actions that should lead to taxonomic harmonisation. Projects within which molecular biological techniques are routinely used, combined with sophisticated morphological information, expanded now in their importance. The documentation of the ostracod description improved through new techniques to visualise morphological details, which stimulated also communication between ostracodologists. Efforts of making available ostracod information through newsletters and electronic media are evoked.

Benthic foraminifera are described for the first time from the Gibraltar Limestone Formation of the Rock of Gibraltar. The new species Siphovalvulina colomiS. gibraltarensisRiyadhella praeregularis occur with Duotaxis metula Kristan, Everticyclammina praevirguliana Fugagnoli, Siphovalvulina sp.,an atypically early example of Textulariopsis sp., and Nodosaria sp. Microflora are present as the probable cyanobacterium Cayeuxia ?piae Frollo, the alga Palaeodasycladus ?mediterraneus (Pia), and the disputed alga Thaumatoporella ?parvovesiculifera (Raineri). The foraminifera compare most closely with poorly-known taxa from Italy, Spain and Morocco, and are consistent with an Early Jurassic (Sinemurian) age for the upper part of the &62;460-m-thick Gibraltar Limestone. Most are textulariids and more primitive than species well known from the later Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian) of the Mediterranean region, especially Morocco and Italy. The biota as a whole is characteristic of inner carbonate platform environments widespread along the rifted western margins of the Early Jurassic Tethys, notably those recorded from Morocco, Italy and Greece as well as southern Spain.

John Eustace Whittaker was born near Burnley, Lancashire on 25 September 1945 and educated at St Mary’s College, Black-burn. Despite being a devoted Lancastrian, fate has decreed that since leaving school he has spent the rest of his life elsewhere and he is now a resident of south Essex. His interest in earth science was stimulated by the Geography and Geology teacher at St Mary’s College, Ken James, and consequently he entered the then University College of Wales, Aberystwyth to read Joint Geography and Geology in 1964. John was, however, ‘rescued’ from the geographical side of things by the redoubtable Robin Whatley (TMS Honorary Member 2004) and, in 1967, commenced research under his supervision, at the same time striking up what was to become a lifelong friendship with him, and also with John Haynes. John’s doctoral work concerned living ostracods of coastal sites in southern England and his thesis, ‘The taxonomy, ecology and distribution of Recent brackish marine Ostracoda from localities along the coast of Hampshire and Dorset (Christchurch harbour, The Fleet and Weymouth Bay)’, was a monumental two volumes submitted in 1972. From this developed Marine and Brackish Water Ostracods (Athersuch et al., 1989), an important synoptic work still in regular use (if you can find a copy). Fate again took a hand when, in 1971, a position in the Natural History Museum, London became available, working with another formidable character, the late Geoffrey Adams – on foraminifera rather than ostracods! John worked at the NHM until his retirement in . . .

A damping apparatus for damping vibrations in a vibrating system including a piston which is reciprocally movable in a hydraulic fluid filled damper chamber, piston movement in either direction of movement being resisted by fluid pressure in the damper chamber behind the piston, which resistance provides damping forces which act to oppose piston movement, the piston being connected to one component of the vibrating system and the damping chamber being connected to a second component of the vibrating system, characterised in that the fluid at at least a first side of the piston acts on a movable part which is movable in response to changing fluid pressure in the damper chamber at the first side of the piston as the piston moves, the movable member providing a relief volume for the fluid into which and from which fluid may flow from and towards the first side of the piston without passing to an opposite second side of the piston.

Recently, the monotypic ostracod genus Ankumia van Veen, 1932 was abandoned as nomen dubium by Jones (2003, p. 85) in favour of Platella Coryell & Fields, 1937 and a new combination was proposed for the type species of Ankumia, i.e. Platella bosqueti (van Veen, 1932). However, Ankumia bosqueti from the Maastrichtian of The Netherlands was introduced as an available taxon and, as documented by Jones (2003), the specific name is valid for recognizing the species in which ‘pathological individuals with retained moults’ occur. Therefore, there is no reason to treat Ankumia as nomen dubium. Yet, although there is no doubt about the cytherellid relationship of the species, two taxonomical questions still remain.(1) Do pathological individuals of cytherellids justify specific and/or generic ranking? Certainly they do not, and demonstration of a corresponding ‘normal’ species (including ‘pathological individuals’) among the associated cytherellids is wanting. On the other hand, if these pathological individuals can be proven as representing a discrete pathological genus, Ankumia remains as a valid genus to characterize the available species name bosqueti.(2) Why should Ankumia be abandoned in favour of Platella? When van den Bold (1967, pp. 306, 308) compared Coryell & Fields’ original Gatún ostracod fauna with his own collection from the Neogene Gatún Formation in the Panama Canal Zone, he recognized the type species, Platella gatunensis, as a small-sized cytherellid moult. Over the years about a dozen small- and normal-sized cytherellid species from all over the world have been assigned to Platella, ignoring the questionable taxonomic . . .

The Thanetian Stage in the type area is composed of the Thanet Formation, the Woolwich Bottom Bed and the Oldhaven Beds. The Thanet Formation at the stratotype localities in southeastern England contains calcareous nannoplankton Zones NP 6/7 and NP 8. The Woolwich Bottom Bed and Oldhaven Beds are not zonable in the type area. The marine “Bottom Bed” of the Woolwich and Reading Beds is, however, assignable to Zone NP 9 outside the type area (at Clarendon Hill in Wiltshire).

A laboratory-assembled high pressure liquid chromatograph with variable wavelength ultraviolet detector is described. The chromatography of the systemic fungicides benomyl, thiabendazole, thiophanate, related fungicides and benzimidazoles (13 compounds in all) is described using reverse phase and adsorption systems. Temperature affects reverse phase systems but not adsorption systems. Use of a variable wavelength detector increases sensitivity and selectivity. High pressure liquid chromatography (h.p.l.c.) has been applied to measurements of the solubility of benomyl and carbendazim in water and the degradation of benomyl in solution. Use of h.p.l.c. to measure benzimidazole residues awaits the development of methods of avoiding interference by substances extracted from crops and soils.

Thiabendazole is strongly adsorbed on soils, and is not readily extracted by conventional solvents. two-phase solvent system consisting of a mixture of aqueous ammonium chloride solution (pH 10), ethanol and chloroform was developed which extracted thiabendazole from a range of soils including high-organic fen peat soils and mushroom compost. Subsequent partition of the extract between organic solvents and acid or alkaline solutions provided sufficient clean-up for assay by ultraviolet or fluorescence spectroscopy, of concentrations of less than 1 mg thiabendazole kg−1 of soil. Investigation of the adsorption of thiabendazole from aqueous solution by soils indicated the importance of both soil organic and mineral matter and the adsorption of both neutral and protonated molecules.