Post Paleozoic Corals Meeting-Madrid `95

[acvascon at AX.APC.ORG]

Post Paleozoic corals Meeting

Alberto Correa de Vasconcellos
   IG/UFRJ
                -------------------------------------------



                                 ,-----,
      VII International         / \   / \             International
      Symposium on Fossil      <--- o --->         Working Group on
      Cnidaria and Porifera     \ /   \ /      Scleractinian Corals
                                 `-----'

Report on the Second Meeting of the International Working Group on
Scleractinian Corals on September, 8th in Luxembourg and information about
the possible third meeting

                   Report on the Second Meeting

The second meeting of the International Working Group on Scleractinian
Corals was held as a workshop in the framework of the Second European
Regional Meeting of the International Society for Reef Studies in
Luxembourg (September, 6-9, 1994).
The main target of the meeting was to speak about the next steps in the
systematic revision of the post-palaeozoic corals (Scleractinia). Because
of a concurrent session on sclerochronology during the workshop, the
participation was rather low. Only 16 of the announced forty colleagues
finally appeared.

The following topics were discussed:

1. Development of the List of Morphological Terms by L.Beauvais,
   C.Chaix, B.Lathuiliere and H.Loeser

The List of Morphological Terms is now translated into German (by R.Baron-
Szabo, M.Bertling, U.Lauxman and W.Werner) and Spanisch (by G.Alvarez).
Copies are available from H.Loeser.
After the suddenly death of Louise Beauvais, nobody could be found during
the meeting to complete this list. It was agreed to use the list in the
present form as a help and to complete it later perhaps. Remarks about this
are at present being collected by H.Loeser.

2. Systematic revision of genera

For the systematic revision of genera, a list of about 1500 Scleractinian
generic names (Triassic to Recent) was compiled and distributed at the
workshop. Interested colleagues were asked to mark the genera on the list,
which they could revise.
There were asked to return their lists before Dec, 31, 1994 to H.Loeser,
but only three lists were returned. The mentioned list is still available
from H.Loeser by mail or better email (packed ZIP-file). The return of
mailed (and in Luxembourg distributed) lists should take place as quickly
as possible (before May, 1, 1995).

3. Further work

Many ideas already exist for the further work which should be presented at
the next meeting. The next steps for the revision, technical and
organizational questions should be discussed in detail. For this, the VII
International Symposium on Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera in Madrid has been
envisaged.
The state of the Working Group and the role of coordination remain
undiscussed. In this case urgent decisions must be taken.

                   Information on the third meeting

In September, 12th a session on "Paleobiology of Scleractinian Corals" will
be held in the framework of the VII Symposium on Fossil Cnidaria and
Porifera in Madrid (September, 12-15, 1995) as concurrent sessions probably
sessions on the Palaeobiology of Palaeozoic Corals respectively on the
Palaeobiology of Sponges. Sergio Rodriguez, the Chairman of the Symposium,
was so kind as to ask me to organize the third meeting of the International
Working Group on Scleractinian Corals as a workshop in this session.

However, a meeting of the working group is only useful under the following
conditions:

1. A high number of participants should show their interest in the meeting
   as well as in the active cooperation within the Working Group.
2. Before the meeting, more information should be given by colleagues which
   could contribute to the systematic revision. Please return the lists
   which you have received in Luxembourg or ask for the lists. Please
   return them before May, 1, 1995. It is absolutely necessary to have a
   base to propose the next steps.

If it is not possible to gather a certain number of participants or the
contributions I ask for are too little, the meeting will be not held in
Madrid. In this case, a decision would be taken later about a meeting in
the next or following year.

The intention of this circular is to prove the interest in the next meeting
(and in the revision too). Please return the below appended questionnaire
before March, 5th. In March it will be decided whether the meeting will
take place in Madrid or not.
For the meeting of the Working Group contributions can be submitted, but
they should cover only the problem of the revision. Please send me an
abstract before March, 15th.
Contributions to the session on "Palaeobiology of Scleractinian Corals"
should be sent as usual to Sergio Rodriguez.

I have to apologize for the late information but organizational problems
and lost letters (and a stolen suitcase) have delayed the report, as well
as the offer from Sergio Rodriguez.

With best wishes,
Yours sincerely

Hannes Loeser
coordination

Please cut out und return this part before March, 5th:
----------------------- cut here ------------------------------------------
1) Participation.
           _
   I'm    |_|  not interested
          |_|  perhaps interested
          |_|  very interested

   in attending the meeting of the International Working Group on
   Scleractinian Corals

2) Systematical revision of the genera
    _
   |_| I'm not interested.
   |_| I've got the list already and I enclose it here
   |_| I have not received the list but I want to have it
              _                   _
       by    |_| postal mail     |_| email (as PKZIP-file)
       and I will send it back as fast as I can.

3) Propositions

   I've to make the following propositions to the next meeting:
   _______________________________________________________________________

4) I would ask you to inform me whether the meeting will be held or not in
   Madrid.    _         _
             |_| yes   |_| no

   Name    : ______________________________________________
   Phone   : ______________________________________________
   FAX     : ______________________________________________
   email   : ______________________________________________
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
   To be mailed to

   H.Loeser
   Postal address : PF 192409, D-01282 Dresden, Germany
   FAX : +49 (0) 351 30951, +49 (0) 351 335203
   email : h.loeser at link-dd.cl.sub.de