About "The Fossil Fish Collection at the Jura-Museum Eichstätt"

The Collection

The Jura-Museum Eichstätt houses one of the most important collection of fossil fishes in Europe. Currently the collection comprizes more than 7,000 specimens, most of them from the late Jurassic Plattenkalk (Solnhofen-Archipelago, Franconian Alb, Bavaria, Germany). Newly prepared and fully documented but as yet undescribed specimens from recent excavations are of international importance, as are type specimens and originals to publications of Gloria Arratia, Paulo M. Brito, Martin Ebert, Stefanie Klug, Jürgen Kriwet, Paul Lambers, Jennifer Lane, Adriana López-Arbarello, Orvar Nybelin, Francisco José Poyato-Ariza, Kerstin Schröder, Hans-Peter Schultze and Detlev Thies. The collection specimens are subject of several ongoing investigations on the taxonomy and systematics of bony fishes. Many provide evidence for the origin and phylogeny of the early modern Actinopterygians (Teleostei), as well as for ecological, biogeographic and stratigraphic aspects of the respective depositional environments and ecosystems. The fishes from the Solnhofen-Archipelago in the collection of the Jura-Museum Eichstätt are from different localities (basins) and it is the most diverse late Jurassic fish collection world-wide. The collection is regularly expanded, most recently especially by two scientific excavations in Schamhaupten (1989–1998) and Ettling (2007–ongoing).

Data Project and Service

The data project "The Fossil Fish Collection at the Jura-Museum Eichstätt" provides more than 6,800 data records on fossil ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) from the Late Jurassic Solnhofen Archipelago. All records are georeferenced and more than 20,000 images are linked. The high resolution images are done with the digitalization station described under Digitalisation at the JME. Measuring scale and colour checker chart are used to achieve the required international imaging standard. "The Fossil Fish Collection at the JME" is work in progress and part of the DFG funded IDES project with the general aim to make the fish collection of the Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns accessible via internet through national and international portals. The data project uses Diversity Workbench components, the taxonomy and nomenclature follows the concepts of up-to-date research. Data mobilisation and digitalisation efforts are mainly done by Dipl.-Geol. Martin Ebert (temporary staff) under supervision of Dr Martina Kölbl-Ebert (curator).

The data collection "The Fossil Fish Collection at the Jura-Museum Eichstätt" is maintained and expanded by staff members of the Jura-Museum Eichstätt. Notices of errors of any kind are much appreciated by the editorial staff. Technical support is provided by the IT Center of the Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns.

The Database "The Fossil Fish Collection at the Jura-Museum Eichstätt" and – if not stated otherwise – its supporting files have been copyrighted © 2014–2024 by the Jura-Museum Eichstätt.

Please cite the data publication via GBIF as follows:
Kölbl-Ebert, M. (2014 onwards). The Fossil Fish Collection at the Jura-Museum Eichstätt. – Accessed via http://www.gbif.org/dataset/44c26867-9738-4ac5-9213-f612b0ef3197 on 201X-XX-XX. Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns. doi:10.15468/qi5so7.