Annual Report 2007 of the Paleogene Planktonic Foraminifera Working Group

The Paleogene Planktonic Foraminifera Working Group held two very successful meetings in 2007 concentrating on the review and synthesis of Oligocene planktonic foraminiferal taxonomy. The first was hosted by Vlasta Premec-Fucek and Morana Hernitz Kucenjak in May and the second hosted by Christoph Hemleben and Michal Kucera in December. There are presently 133 species described from or recorded to have occurred during the Oligocene and we continued to work on establishing senior synonym lists. We have attained for the first time Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of many holotypes. New SEM images have been obtained and were presented from well preserved specimens, allowing significant progress to be made in determining the wall structures of some groups. Translations for original descriptions are being produced. We assigned responsibilities for taxonomic groups with the aim of having draft manuscripts and plates for our next meeting which will be hosted by ExxonMobil (Houston) in October 2008.

Report by Bridget Wade, Chairwoman