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Article Reference From Field to Lab : preparation of vertebrate fossils from a new Barremian Lagerstätte in South Lebanon
Lebanon is renowned for its rich Cenomanian fossil deposits, but recently its Lower Cretaceous deposits have also yielded significant fossils of plants, vertebrates and arthropods. In particular, the Barremian dysodiles (oil-shale mudstone) of Jdeidet Bkassine (Jezzine District, South Lebanon) are revealing vertebrate fossils of exceptional preservation. Until 2021, several surveys led to the discovery of ray-finned fishes, turtles and two complete mawsoniid coelacanths. In light of these promising finds, a two-week excavation was organised in 2023, supported by a National Geographic Society grant and involving an international team from Belgium, France, Lebanon, and Switzerland. The soft easily delaminated shales, allowed meticulous layer-by-layer investigation. A temporary preparation lab was set up on site to stabilise specimens, alongside identification and micro-sampling for geochemical analyses. This fieldwork unearthed an impressive array of vertebrates: coelacanths, an anura, pleurodiran turtles, squamates, and 5–7 different groups of actinopterygians. The most promising specimens were CT-scanned at the RBINS, offering invaluable insights for preparation and taxonomy. The introduction of an air abrasive unit using sodium bicarbonate and iron powder revolutionised the preparation workflow—dramatically improving speed and precision while preserving fine anatomical details, reducing the need for invasive tools like needles or airscribes. Many specimens remain to be prepared, some with exciting technical challenges. Yet the combination of exceptional preservation, with advanced 3D imaging, and refined preparation has allowed improving our understanding of macrosemiid and mawsoniid anatomy. We hope these finds could soon enough be on display in Lebanon, to share this remarkable Lagerstätte with the public.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Fuelling the Roman salt industry. Developing a new multiproxy approach to identify peat fuel from archaeological combustion residue
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Fungal alkaloids mediate defense against bruchid beetles in field populations of an arborescent ipomoea
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference GC-MS Analysis and Antimicrobial Properties of Defensive Secretions from the Millipede Coxobolellus saratani (Diplopoda: Spirobolida: Pseudospirobolellidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025 OA
Article Reference Generating affordable protection of high seas biodiversity through cross-sectoral spatial planning
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Geoarchaeological research of the large palaeolake of the Moervaart (municipalities of Wachtebeke and Moerbeke-Waas, East Flanders, Belgium) From Late Glacial to Early Holocene
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Article Reference D source code Handbook of best practice and standards for 2D+ and 3D imaging of natural history collections
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference Hastula strigilata revisited: Part IV. Description of a cryptic new species from Sulawesi (Gastropoda: Conoidea: Terebridae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Hastula strigilata revisited: Part III. Description of two new species from Australia and the Hawaiian Islands (Gastropoda: Conoidea: Terebridae)
Two morphospecies that remained undescribed in a previous study are described as new from Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, respectively and facilitated by the availability of recently acquired additional material.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Helix entodonta L. Pfeiffer, 1859, a terrestrial snail from Ecuador, is a species of Zilchistrophia Weyrauch, 1960 (Gastropoda: Scolodontidae): Implications for the diagnosis and interpretation of Systrophia L. Pfeiffer, 1855 and Entodina Ancey, 1887
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024