Monograph provides overview of fossil cartilaginous fishes in our collection

23/03/2023
Monography of the fossil chondrichthyan fishes in the collection of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
Monography of the fossil chondrichthyan fishes in the collection of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. (Photo: Adriano Vandersypen, RBINS)

Two experts have published a richly illustrated reference work of fossil chondrichthyans, cartilaginous fishes including sharks, in the collections of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. The monographic update is the result of a thorough check-up.

 

Fossils of cartilaginous fishes, mainly of sharks and rays, are very popular with palaeontologists and citizen scientists. Often, teeth are the only remains, as the cartilaginous skeleton decays quickly. Although there are some fine exceptions.

Our collection contains tens of thousands of remains of fossil cartilaginous fishes, of which a fraction (about 360) have been catalogued as type specimens. These are the fossil specimens on the basis of which new species are described. In total, our collection has 121 such species. The type specimens date from the Carboniferous (about 350 million years ago) to the Pliocene (2.5 million years ago). About 70% of them are from the Paleogene (66 to 23 million years ago).

The fossils were photographed piece by piece (focus-stacking) and/or scanned in high resolution. Our palaeontologist Etienne Steurbaut and independent researcher Dirk Hovestadt have now brought together image and description in a catalogue. A must for collectors of fossil shark and ray teeth.

 

Ode to palaeontologists

This publication is the first in the series 'Monographs in Natural Sciences (MoNaS)'. With this series, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences aims to highlight specific topics in biology, palaeontology, geology, archaeology or anthropology, with a clear link to the RBINS.

This first reference work is at the same time a tribute to three former RBINS palaeontologists - Maurice Leriche, Edgar Casier and Jacques Herman - who made the greatest contribution to the creation of this collection. Their scientific knowledge on the anatomy and morphology of the teeth of recent and fossil chondrichthyan fishes has resonated worldwide and continues to inspire both professionals and enthusiasts.

 

  • Book: Annotated iconography of the type specimens of fossil chondrichthyan fishes in the collection of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels
  • Price: 45 euros (5.70 euros postage)
  • Order via adriano.vandersypen[at]naturalsciences.be

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