Naturalis Biodiversity Center has one of the largest collections of Cenozoic molluscs in Europe, consisting of about 450,000 specimens and an estimated number of at least 5 million samples. The focus is on mollusks found in Indonesia and Europe, along with some smaller subcollections from other parts of the world. The Cenozoic is the geological period from 66 million years ago to the present. The collection is still growing. An average of 10,000 samples are added each year.
The collection is divided into sections arranged in various ways. Some sections have a primarily taxonomic arrangement, such as large parts of the Indonesia collection and the collection of fossils from Dutch beaches. However, most of the collection is arranged by age, followed by land, basin, location and finally taxonomy. Finding samples of a particular species will require searching in several drawers. On the other hand, an overview of the complete fauna of many locations is immediately available.
VariousCollections
A large number of collections from other museums and institutes are partly or entirely included in the collection, including Geological Museum (Wageningen Agricultural College), Institute of Mining Science (Delft University of Technology), Geological Institute (Groningen University), Mineralogical-Geological Institute (Utrecht University), Geological Institute (University of Amsterdam), Zoological Museum Amsterdam, Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij, Mijnwezen (=Geologische Dienst van Nederlands-Indië) and Rijks Geologische Dienst.
Researchersand collectors
The most important researchers and collectors who have published about or added objects to this subcollection are J.J. van Aartsen, J.C.H. Albrecht & W. Valk, C. Beets, W.S.S. van Benthem Jutting, M. van den Bosch, C. Brakman, P. de Bruyne, J. Butter, Ph. Cambridge, A.E.M. Cossmann, J. van Dalsum, C. Deerenberg, P. van Dijk, E. Dubois, P.A.M. Gaemers, M.I. Gerhardt, W. Groeneveld, J. Gunst, A. Haandrikman, H. van Haren, J. Heering, P. & R. Hessel (Stichting Schepsel Schelp), W.R. Huysse, C. IJspeert, A.C. Janse, J. Janse, A.W. Janssen, F.J. Janssen, F.W. Junghuhn, J.Z. Kannegieter, C. Karnekamp, H.P.J. Keukelaar, W. Kimpe, C.J. Kneppelhout, E.J. Koperberg, W.J. Kuijper, B.M. Landau, D. van der Mark, K. Martin, H. Martin-Icke, T. Meijer, M.S. Nielsen, F.A.D. van Nieulande, A. Pannekoek, J.G.M. Raven, C.O. van Regteren Altena, S. Reich, E. Robba, M.M. Schepman, K.I. Schnetler, E.E.W.G. Schröder, G.F. Simons, B.C. Sliggers, L. van der Slik, G. Spaink, J.L.L. Staadt, W.C.H. Staring, P. Tesch, F.F. Thierens, A.S. Timmermans, F. Toula, G. Varone, S. van der Velde, L.A.W.C. Venmans, R.D.M. Verbeek, M. Vervoenen, I.M. van der Vlerk, J.H. van Voorthuysen, M. Vreede, F.P. Wesselingh en G.G. Wissema.
Indonesiacollection
The Indonesia subcollection is the most important and, with approximately 32,000 samples, probably the largest of its kind in the world. The collection contains around 3,000 samples with types. The absolute highlight is the Martin collection, which contains Neogene and Quaternary material from Java, including nearly 2,000 samples with types. The fossil (and partly recent) molluscs from the Dubois collection are currently also part of the Indonesia collection.
Otherworld
The Other World subcollection (excluding Indonesia and Europe) includes important series from the Philippines, the archaeological site Ksar 'Akil in Lebanon, Miocene mollusks from the Lake Pebas system (Amazon Basin) and the Dutch Antilles (?).
Europecollection
The most extensive part of the collection is formed by the subcollection Europe. It contains many types and illustrated specimens. From the Miocene in the Netherlands we have a large collection, including the famous Winterswijk-Miste site. The Eocene from the Amsterdam and Almere area is also well represented. As a result of our own research and acquisition of private collections, we have built up a large collection of fossil molluscs from Belgium, with ages ranging from Eocene to Pliocene. A very special part of this are the prepared sea bottoms from Belgium, donated by collectors Marcel Vervoenen and Freddy van Nieulande. From France we have, among others, large collections from the Paris basin (Paleocene, Eocene and Oligocene) and the Loire and Aquitaine basins (Miocene). Also from the Oligocene and Miocene of Germany Naturalis has important collections of fossil mollusks, as well as from the Miocene of Turkey and the Pliocene of Iceland.
Beach fossilcollection
Our beach fossil collection consists of approximately 26,000 samples of over 700 species of fossil mollusks from the Dutch beaches and estuaries with a stratigraphic origin from Holocene to Eocene. The collection has been formed in the last hundred years through the accumulation of mainly dozens of private collections and is in cultural-historical terms an important example of the emergence of professional-amateur research networks in the Netherlands. The collection is scientifically very valuable for taxonomy and knowledge about fossil faunas.
Holoplanktonic mollusccollection
The subcollection "Holoplanktonic molluscs" is the lifework of Naturalis researcher Arie W. Janssen (†2021). With about 11,000 specimens, including 1100 types, it is the largest and most important collection of its kind in the world.
'Boringen'collection
The subcollection 'boringen (?)' consists largely of the collection of fossil molluscs of the former Dutch National Geological Service, supplemented by material from various other boringen and geological and archaeological excavations. It reflects research done since the beginning of the 20th century on the fossil mollusc faunas in the subsurface of the Netherlands and the Dutch part of the North Sea. The material has served as the basis for several standard works and is a source for further research.
Who works with this
Importantpublications
Janssen, A.W., A.N. van der Bijl, J. Goud, K.T.C.A. Peijnenburg, R. Pouwer, R., D. Wall-Palmer & F.P. Wesselingh, 2020. The Naturalis collections of pelagic Gastropoda (Mollusca). Basteria 84 (4-6): 215-264. https://natuurtijdschriften.nl/pub/1001573
Landau, B.M., M. Harzhauser, Y. Islamoglu & C. Marques da Silva, 2013. Systematics and palaeobiogeography of the gastropods of the middle Miocene (Serravallian) Karaman Basin, Turkey. Cainozoic Research, 11-13: 3-584.
Leloux, J., & F.P. Wesselingh, 2009. Types of Cenozoic Mollusca from Java in the Martin Collection of Naturalis. NNM Technical Bulletin 11: 1-765. https://repository.naturalis.nl/pub/313781
Wesselingh, F.P. 2006. Molluscs from the Miocene Pebas Formation of Peruvian and Colombian Amazonia. Scripta Geologica, 133: 19-290. https://repository.naturalis.nl/pub/209728
A still incomplete list of publications on Naturalis' collection of Cenozoic Molluscs is available as pdf.