The Rhaetian (Late Triassic) was a time of intense biological, climatic, and environmental change, culminating in the end-Triassic mass extinction (ETE). Recent advances in marine biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy have allowed a more precise reconstruction of the sequence of extinctions among major marine groups at the Norian/Rhaetian boundary (NRB). The chronology of the Norian-to-Rhaetian pelagic Panthalassan sediments in Japan is mainly constrained by radiolarian biostratigraphy. Although the chronostratigraphic framework of the Triassic is primarily based on conodonts, most Japanese radiolarian zones have not yet been calibrated with conodont biostratigraphy. Here we present an integrated conodont–radiolarian biostratigraphic framework across the NRB in the pelagic Panthalassa, based on bedded chert successions in the Mino belt, central Japan. Five conodont zones are defined: the Mockina bidentata, Parvigondolella andrusovi, Misikella hernsteini, Misikella onouei sp. nov., and Mi. posthernsteini zones, in stratigraphic order. The first occurrence (FO) of Mi. posthernsteini, the index species of the NRB, was identified above the last occurrence (LO) of the radiolarian species Betraccium deweveri, which has previously been used as a marker for this boundary in Japan. In contrast, the FOs of the Rhaetian radiolarian genera Paronaella, Pantanellium, and Proparvicingula coincide with the FO of Mi. posthernsteini. These radiolarian FOs are also documented around the NRB in Italian and North American successions. Our results provide the first conodont-based definition of the NRB in the Panthalassa Ocean and significantly refine the biostratigraphic framework for this critical interval.
The present study provides one of the few records of cave ostracods in Greece, specifically focusing on the Cave of the Lakes in the Chelmos-Vouraikos UNESCO Global Geopark. Ostracods, known for their sensitivity to environmental variations, were collected from seven surface samples within the cave, leading to the identification of three taxa: Mixtacandona kastriensis nov. sp., Neglecandona vernalis, and Schellencandona sp. A total of 1 687 valves were identified, including the newly described species Mixtacandona kastriensis nov. sp. Additionally, the studied samples revealed the presence of gastropods of the Hydrobiidae family. This study underscores the substantial biodiversity of cave ostracods in the region and their potential role in palaeoecological research, highlighting the need for further exploration of the understudied karstic systems of Greece.
Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978, the Wieliczka Salt Mine is a monument of exceptional cultural, historical and geological significance. Its historic galleries and chambers expose Badenian (Middle Miocene) evaporites deposited within the Carpathian Foredeep Basin of the Central Paratethys, which have preserved a rich paleontologicalrecord. A particularly notable aspect of the mine's paleontological geoheritage is the distinctive collection of microfossils assembled by Ewa & Lstrok;uczkowska at the AGH University of Krakow during the 20th century. Containing over a thousand carefully prepared slides, the collection includes foraminifera, ostracods, bryozoans, radiolarians, and other microfossils. This micropaleontological material formed the basis for the development of biostratigraphy and our understanding of the paleoecology of the Badenian salt formations. The collection documents Middle Miocene chrono-and lithostratigraphic units, including the Wielician holostratotype in the Rara & nacute;cza Gallery, the Badenian facistratotype in the K & lstrok;aj-1 borehole, and the Wieliczka Formation stratotype. The microfauna samples preserved in the collection provide biostratigraphic information about tuffite-containing profiles that have been radiometrically dated. This has enabled the age of the so-called Badenian Salinity Crisis, which affected the Central Paratethys basins, to be estimated. This collection also documents locus typicus for the new species described here, including the Wielician index taxon Pseudotriplasia. E. & Lstrok;uczkowska's collection encompasses almost the entire, most important, 20th century record of micropaleontological research conducted at the Wieliczka Salt Mine. This diverse microfossils set up is of significant historical and scientific importance.
The present work focuses on the development of a comprehensive digital catalogue of the Micropaleontology Collection housed in the Laboratory of Historical Geology and BioGeosciences, at the Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Designed to systematically catalogue and classify a wide range of samples, the databank currently contains micropaleontological slides of calcareous nannoplankton, foraminifera, pollen, dinoflagellates and other palynomorphs, ostracods and siliceous microfossils, the associated raw material from marine and on land sedimentary sequences and the sample residues. All key information and detailed metadata is provided for each entity, ensuring that this initiative will build a solid basis enhancing future data accessibility and digital database development.
Cribrospira panderi von M & ouml;ller, 1878 is a Mississippian benthic foraminifer widely used in biostratigraphy. This study applies high-resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to the original type material from Valerian von M & ouml;ller's collection, enabling non-destructive three-dimensional analysis of test architecture. Virtual sections reveal key diagnostic features, including a subspherical involute test, rapid spiral growth, a consistently seven-chambered final whorl, a prominent cribrate apertural shield, and a distinctly porous wall in the final whorl. Micro-CT data also document complex early ontogeny with pronounced changes in coiling axis and provide the first detailed description of the proloculus and second chamber. The results refine the morphological diagnosis of C. panderi and demonstrate the value of micro-CT for overcoming limitations of traditional thin-section analysis in Paleozoic foraminiferal studies.
Alfred L. Wegener is most famous for his theory of continental drift, but among his many accomplishments he also was involved in several key polar expeditions. Early in his career and prior to global fame, Wegener was initiated into Arctic exploration on the 1906-08 Danmark Expedition to the North-East Coast of Greenland. This expedition sought to explore an unmapped area on the northeastern coast of Greenland, collecting geological, paleontological, and ethnological samples en-route. Recently, in the collections of the Natural History Museum Denmark, four drawers of Carboniferous and Permian rocks primarily collected by Wegener during the Danmark Expedition were rediscovered. Amongst this material is a small tube of disaggregated fusulinids, and 36 limestone samples known to contain foraminifera based on previous studies. This paper weaves a narrative of the expedition with the provenance and dates of collection of the foraminifera-bearing samples, and outlines their importance for the foundations of biostratigraphic studies in this vast and remote region.
Although conodonts are primitive vertebrate fossils, their tiny phosphatic feeding apparatuses are studied within micropaleontology and are therefore represented in micropaleontological collections. They are among the most valuable tools for Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic biostratigraphy, basin correlation worldwide, vertebrate evolution, and petroleum industry exploration. In Brazil, the conodont collection of the Laborat & oacute;rio de Conodontes e Foraminiferos (Laboratory of Conodonts and Foraminifers, LACONF) is housed in the Departamento de Paleontologia e Estratigrafia do Instituto de Geoci & ecirc;ncias, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Department of Paleontology and Stratigraphy, Institute of Geosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, UFRGS). Due to its primary research focus on the Devonian-Carboniferous of the Amazonian region (Western Gondwana), the LACONF collection yield picked and bulk sediments specimens of conodonts from the Amazonas, Solim & otilde;es, Parnaiba, and Acre Paleozoic basins in northern Brazil. In addition, it contains conodonts from the Chibcha terrain of Colombia. Research on the collection encompasses taxonomy, biostratigraphy, integration with regional stratigraphic frameworks, paleoecology, chemostratigraphy, paleobiogeography, taphonomy, and geometric morphometrics.
The first records of the paleopalynological collections of the Paleontology Museum at the Rio Grande do Sul Federal University date back to 1965. The stratigraphic scope represented in the collections was initially centered on the coal-bearing layers of the Paran & aacute; Basin; however, notable stratigraphic diversification has been observed since the 2000s. Currently, the collections are composed of 16,758 paleopalynological glass slides, 150 single-celled slides for megaspore specimens, as well as 96 glass slides prepared specially for teaching activities. These materials are mainly derived from samples of various Phanerozoic ages, mostly from Brazilian sedimentary basins, especially the Paran & aacute; and Pelotas basins. Samples from other countries in South and North America, Africa, Europe, and Antarctica are also present, including a few ones from the Proterozoic. The materials are classified according to the source area and the decade during which they were collected, showing a broad stratigraphic spectrum and diversified thematic approaches. Many of these samples were the research object of taxonomic, palynostratigraphic, paleoecological and paleoenvironmental works, some of which related to master's dissertations and doctoral theses developed over the last 6 decades. These collections comprise a portion of the world's micropaleontological heritage, whose preservation contributes to ensure access to scientific knowledge through research, educational initiatives, and outreach activities. A complete list of deposited holotypes is presented. Future projects in the medium and long terms aim to digitalize the collection in order to increase its accessibility and ensure the preservation of this scientific heritage, underscoring its relevance as a paleopalynological reference.
This work describes the primary type collection (holotypes, lectotypes, neotypes, and syntypes) of foraminifera at the Natural History Museum Vienna. The collection dates back to the material of Fichtel and Moll from the 18th century and covers the geographic area of the former Habsburg Empire as well as some special locations outside of the Empire (e.g., New Zealand and the Philippines).A historic context of the collection is provided, as well as a chronological discussion of the type material for each author from 1798 to 2018. A statistical analysis of the metadata associated with more than 500 type species, including stratigraphic age, area of origin, and date of description emphasizes the diversity and scientific spectrum of the collection.With this combined approach, the significance of the Vienna type collection as one of the most important repositories for foraminiferal taxonomy is highlighted, which has a history of more than 200 years.
A micropaleontological analysis was conducted on samples from clastic horizons of the Lower Posidonia Beds and Ammonitico Rosso Formation from two sections in the Ionian Basin (Astakos, Western Greece). Ostracods (e.g., species of the genera Ogmoconcha and Ogmoconchella) and benthic foraminifera (e.g., Prodentalina, Lenticulina and Eoguttulina) were retrieved for the first time from Lower Jurassic strata (upper Pliensbachian-lower Toarcian) exposed in Greece. These findings allow the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the western part of Tethys Ocean. Accordingly, the deposition took place in a shelf environment before transportation to deeper settings, characterized by soft substrates, low-energy conditions, well-oxygenated waters with normal salinity, and high nutrient levels. Moreover, a thorough comparison of the isochron assemblages in the neighboring paleogeographical areas of Tethys and the European Epicontinental Sea revealed many similarities implying a connection between these areas.
The Ruggieri Ostracod Collection, housed at the G.G. Gemmellaro Geological Museum, consists of more than 4700 slides containing specimens from approximately 400 Italian and international localities, spanning ages from the Paleozoic to the Recent. The collection includes 35 new genera, five subgenera, and over 250 new species and subspecies. A new program dedicated to cataloguing and digitizing the Ruggieri Ostracod Collection has been launched in collaboration with the 'Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione' (ICCD), of the Italian Ministry of Culture. All information is made publicly accessible through the SIGECweb web-based platform, which integrates photographic documentation and provides user-friendly access to the collection for research and consultation. To enhance the valorization of the Ruggieri Ostracod Collection, we have undertaken different actions: three ostracod 'cold guests' species, forms that colonized the Mediterranean Sea during the glacial periods, have been incorporated into the museum's exhibition spaces. Additional outreach efforts include showcasing ostracods through the museum's social media channels and via the multimedia totem on the first floor, which illustrates the Messinian Mediterranean desiccation and the Lago Mare Fauna, both subjects extensively studied by Ruggieri itself. Together, these actions aim to improve public engagement with microfossil collections while supporting their use by visitors and specialists alike. The aim of this work is to document the scientific relevance of the Ruggieri Ostracod Collection, to describe the procedures used for its digitization within the SIGECweb framework, and to present recent strategies implemented to enhance its visibility and accessibility to both specialists and the general public. This study highlights the importance of valorizing micropaleontological heritage and provides a model for future initiatives in natural history museums.
The University of Rennes, founded in 1840, houses nearly 1 million geological specimens, including those inherited from the municipal museum, which closed in 1944. Several micropaleontological collections of significant interest to the scientific community are deposited in the university's geological museum. Most of them concern Paleozoic ostracods (particularly the Nion, Vannier and Rouault collections) and chitinozoans (Paris coll.) from the Armorican massif and peri-Gondwanan terranes, as well as Cenozoic pollen and spores from western France (Ollivier-Pierre collection). More recently, studies on Jurassic and Cretaceous charophytes and palynology have been developed within the Geosciences Rennes laboratory, and the resulting material has been incorporated into the museum collections (Polette and Benoit collections). Here, we provide brief summaries of these collections with lists of type and figured specimens curated at the University of Rennes.
Published micropaleontological collections constitute a valuable geological heritage that contribute new data to science and the advancement of knowledge. The search for acquisition and archiving of such collections is the key to preserving this knowledge. The European Micropaleontological Reference Centre (EMRC) in Krakow collects and archives micropaleontological materials not only to preserve them, but also to make them available to the micropaleontological community for further research and education. The holdings mainly consists of tens of thousands of slides of foraminifera, as well as thin sections, documentation of materials in both archival and published form, and photographic data. These are physical data obtained from private collections, most of which have been the subject of published micropaleontological studies. Currently, the EMRC holds original collections from more than 250 publications, most of which were donated by researchers themselves or by their heirs. The collections have been catalogued, secured, and are stored together with the associated publications.
The Micropaleontology Collection of the Museum of Earth and Life -MTV, affiliated with the University of Contestado (UnC), constitutes an important scientific and historical repository dedicated to the micropaleontological record of southern Brazil, with an emphasis on microfossils from the Permian and Triassic formations of the Paran & aacute; Basin. Composed mainly of foraminifera, ostracods, and microvertebrate remains (conodonts, fish teeth, and scales), the collection has grown significantly in recent decades through the incorporation derived mainly from field collection in the main excavation area, of materials from academic research, private donations, and institutional exchanges. This article provides a synthesis of the collection's origin, structure, curation, and scientific relevance, as well as its research and outreach potential within the context of Brazilian paleontology.
Here, we present the collection of ostracod type specimens described by Prof. Ana Soka & ccaron;, housed at the Croatian Natural History Museum in Zagreb (CNHM). Among of the 33 previously described new taxa, 30 are preserved and currently accessible, including 29 species and one subspecies. All the samples were collected from Miocene and Pleistocene deposits in Croatia and hold significant biostratigraphical importance. The paper lists the 29 new species and one new subspecies which types are stored in the CNHM. For each species, we provide data including the original citation, type locality, age, specimen status, museum inventory number, and original holotype number, as well as taxonomic updates, new combinations, and new biostratigraphic data.
The French National Museum of Natural History (MNHN, Paris) hosts Georges Deflandre's valuable collection, assembled from 1920, and composed of about 13,000 microscope slides. The present condition report of the collection was performed through a detailed inventory of 885 slides and highlighted the mounting techniques used by Deflandre (medium, sealant, dyes). First, the recipes were documented using the available literature. Then, an inventory was undertaken using a spreadsheet with pre-defined entries, designed to facilitate analysis of collected data. Well-documented labels and some chemical analyses were used to fill in the fields. More than 50 combinations of dyes, 19 mounting media and three sealants were used. Regarding the media condition, attention was focused on three major points affecting the observation of the specimens and the long-term conservation of the slides: the color, the mechanical degradation, and the presence of air. Most widespread media in Deflandre's collection are Canada balsam, coumarone resin and kumadax, all exhibiting yellow or orange tints due to oxidation, but not impacting the condition of specimens. Glycerin jelly was the least stable mounting media with evidence of darkening and shrinking. In general, no relationship between yellowing and mechanical degradation was noticed, nor was a link between the macroscopic sealant degradation and the drying of the mounting medium. Cross-referencing information between the literature and the collection allowed a better understanding of the mounting practices. Additionally, observing these 50-100 year old slides was one of the best ways to assess the durability of mounting media through time.
The Micropalaeontology Collection at The Natural History Museum, London has an estimated 598,000 units that contain over 2 million individual items. This contribution focuses on the Fossil and Recent Foraminifera, Fossil Ostracoda, Conodonta, Radiolaria, associated samples, residues and microfossil models. A brief history of the staff and collection storage, a brief description of the collection and its current state is presented. Impact is investigated by analysing its visitor record of 9449 visitor days between 1963-2024, a history of over 1579 publications on the collections since 1822 and digital records available on the museum's data portal. The distribution suggests that impact has been heavily influenced by the level and expertise of research and curatorial staffing, the ability to advertise the collection to users with online collections level descriptions and the availability of external funding to support visits. The collection represents the significant role that micropalaeontology played in the early days of industrial palaeontology and scanning electron microscopy. It also underpins Global but mainly British Stratigraphy as well as supporting interpretation of environments relating to the early human occupation of Britain. University collections represent a long history of training Micropalaeontologists in the UK. Future impact will partly rely on engaging with the micropalaeontological community to help enhance the quality of the collection's digital data and encourage and recognise use. Activities could include using new CT scanning technologies to illustrate key specimens, providing online collections level data about currently undigitised samples, residues and assemblage slides and using the collection to train the micropalaeontologists of the future.
