First fossil thaneroclerid beetle from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Thanerocleridae)

Cai, C. & Huang, D., January 2018. First fossil thaneroclerid beetle in Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Thanerocleridae). Alcheringa 42, 115–119. ISSN 0311-5518.

Thanerocleridae is a small family of Cleroidea with no fossil representatives to date. Here we describe and figure the first fossil representative of Thanerocleridae, Cretozenodosus fossilis gen. et sp. nov., from the mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar. Cretozenodosus is referred to the extant subfamily Zenodosinae as evidenced by its open procoxal cavities and transverse procoxae. Cretozenodosus has close affinities with the North American Zenodosus Wolcott, suggesting that modern Zenodosinae is probably a relict group. Our discovery of a new thaneroclerid genus from Burmese amber suggests that Thanerocleridae originated no later than the mid-Cretaceous.

Chenyang Cai [cycai@nigpas.ac.cn] Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China; Diying Huang [dyhuang@nigpas.ac.cn] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China.     

A new fossil sinoalid species from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou beds (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cercopoidea)

Fu, Y., Cai, C. & Huang, D., October 2017. A new fossil sinoalid species from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou beds (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cercopoidea). Alcheringa 42, 94–100. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new fossil species, Luanpingia daohugouensis sp. nov., belonging to the family Sinoalidae is described from the Middle to Upper Jurassic Daohugou beds of Inner Mongolia, China, on the basis of two well-preserved complete specimens. The described species of Sinoalidae are reviewed and Jiania gracila is considered a junior synonym of Jiania crebra. The new discovery increases the palaeodiversity of sinoalids from the Daohugou beds. It also indicates stratigraphic correlation between the Daohugou beds, the Haifanggou Formation at Haifeng, Beipiao City, West Liaoning Province, and the Jiulongshan Formation at Zhouyingzi, Luanping County, Hebei Province. All of these units host the ‘early assemblage’ of the Yanliao biota.

Yanzhe Fu [yzfu41@163.com], Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China; Chenyang Cai [cycai@nigpas.ac.cn], Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China; Diying Huang* [dyhuang@nigpas.ac.cn], State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China.     

Uncovering the “Invisible” Minority: Irish Communities,Economic Inactivity and Welfare Policy in the United Kingdom

Economic inactivity and worklessness have been identified by the UK Government as two of the most important causes of social exclusion at a national level. Following advice presented by the Social Exclusion Unit's (Report of the Policy Action Team 18—Better Information (London: The Stationary Office, 2000)) report, it was recognized that some groups in society—including ethnic minorities—who are vulnerable to economic inactivity, worklessness and social exclusion, are forgotten simply because not enough is known about their particular circumstances. Within this context this briefing analyses economic inactivity within Irish communities—often referred to as the “invisible ethnic minority”. Through case study analysis (Greater Merseyside, UK), the key “drivers” of inactivity are explored in more detail, as well as the barriers that appear to prevent participation in the labour market, particularly in relation to (older) Irish individuals. The implications for current UK Government programmes aimed at reducing inactivity and benefit dependency, particularly for those aged 50 + and for Black and ethnic minority communities, is subsequently discussed.     

Omma daxishanense sp. nov., a fossil representative of an extant Australian endemic genus recorded from the Late Jurassic of China (Coleoptera: Ommatidae)

Cai, C. & Huang, D., September 2016. Omma daxishanense sp. nov., a fossil representative of an extant Australian endemic genus recorded from the Late Jurassic of China (Coleoptera: Ommatidae). Alcheringa 41, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.

Omma Newman is an extant ommatid genus currently endemic to Australia. A new Omma species, O. daxishanense sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on a compression fossil from the Upper Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation at Daxishan, a fossil locality well known for yielding mammals, feathered dinosaurs and diverse pterosaurs. Omma daxishanense is very similar morphologically to the extant O. sagitta, but differs from the latter by its broader body and prominent temples. The new discovery documents the first valid Omma species from the Mesozoic of China and highlights the antiquity and palaeodiversity of the extant Australian endemic genus.

Chenyang Cai [cycai@nigpas.ac.cn], Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China; Diying Huang [dyhuang@nigpas.ac.cn], State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China.     

Barton Hill Pottery and the post-medieval redware industry in Bristol

SUMMARY: Excavation in advance of a new housing development on the site of the Barton Hill Pottery, Bristol, uncovered the full footprint of a late 19th-century pottery, a large quantity of redware wasters, and a dump of whiteware wasters from another nearby factory, which include examples of Royal Navy mess ware.     

美国旅游酒店管理专业博士生教育概述及其对中国硕士研究生的几点启示

本文介绍了美国领先学术机构所设置的旅游酒店管理专业博士学位教育的概况。着重介绍了博士研究生教育的两个关键组成部分：研究生教育课程体系设置及学生科研指导。本篇综述旨在为有意赴美攻读博士学位的中国硕士研究生提供几点重要的启示。