Basel–Tuscany, a long-lasting link,Swiss Journal of Palaeontology

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Basel–Tuscany, a long-lasting link
Swiss Journal of Palaeontology ( IF 3.0 ) Pub Date : 2011-12-16 , DOI: 10.1007/s13358-011-0026-3
Lorenzo Rook

A significant contribution of Burkart Engesser to field surveys and palaeontological studies is undoubtedly on the Late Miocene faunas from Maremma in southern Tuscany, especially the celebrated Baccinello basin in the Grosseto district. This is not just a coincidence, but is the continuation of a long tradition.

The interest of successive Palaeontologists of the Naturhistorisches Museum Basel (NMB) in Tuscan fossils and fossiliferous localities has a long history that dates back to the second half of the nineteenth century. This started with Ludwig Rütimeyer (1825–1895) who was the professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at the University of Basel in 1855. Rütimeyer was mainly interested in the natural history of Tertiary mammal species, and a number of specimens from Italy (as well as from other countries in Europe, especially France) were acquired by the NMB during his period of activity.

The interest in the Tuscan mammal fossil record became particularly strong thanks to the activity of Charles Immanuel Forsyth Major (1843–1923), a physician of Scottish origin who grew up in Switzerland. He graduated in Medicine in Basel in 1868 and started his professional practice in Florence (Italy) where he stayed for about a decade. As many nineteenth century medical doctors, however, he was fascinated by natural history and devoted much of his spare time to the study of fossil mammals. His interest in extinct vertebrates exceeded his dedication to medicine, so that he finally decided to cease practising in the mid 1880s. Forsyth Major was a correspondent of Charles Darwin (Cioppi & Dominici, 2010), and his name appears three times in the second edition of The Descent of Man (a much improved edition, published in 1874) about sexual dimorphisms in fossil pigs tusks, about the occurrence of fossil apes in Europe, and about a bovid skull “wholly without horns” from Upper Valdarno, believed to be that of a “Bos etruscus” female. The latter is an issue that re-addresses us to the story of the Basel-Florence exchanges. About this specimen (housed in the collection of the Florence Museum), Forsyth Major (1874, 1890) was in disagreement with “the leading authority in the field of Tertiary Ruminants”, i.e. Rütimeyer. The eminent palaeontologist from Basel (Rütimeyer, 1878) described this specimen as type of a new species (Leptobos strozzii), later on formally synonymzed to L. etruscus by Forsyth Major (1890). Forsyth Major's main interests were especially Primates and, more generally speaking, Plio-Pleistocene mammals (e.g. among others, Forsyth Major, 1872, 1875–1877, 1890). His entire scientific production clearly shows how deep his attention was for Tuscan vertebrate fossils, and whilst he was active in Florence, he systematically searched for new material, mainly in Tuscany but also in other Italian regions (Sardinia, Calabria, Sicily), bringing hundreds of specimens to the Florence Museum. Forsyth Major had intensive relationships with colleagues and institutions across Europe and in Basel too. Samples collected during his Italian field surveys are now housed in several museums, amongst others in the Natural History, London, in the Collège Gaillard in Lausanne (Switzerland), and in the Naturhistorisches Museum Basel.

Other Tuscan material (namely from Upper Valdarno) kept in Basel from the Plio-Pleistocene of Italy was bought by another eminent Basel palaeontologist, Hans Georg Stehlin (1870–1941). He was the president of the board of the Naturhistorisches Museum from 1920 to 1940 and a student of Ludwig Rütimeyer at the University of Basel. He kept a 40-year long correspondence with his friend Hans Carl Iselin (a pastor in Florence), who was of great help in putting Stehlin in contact with several local “fossil hunters”, who in turn found and sent him material from several sites in Tuscany, especially from Valdarno. As a rule, Stehlin paid the discoverers for their fossils, and accounts of these payments, as well as information about fossil hunters and fossiliferous localities, are still available in the archives of the NMB (Fig. 1).

In the second half of the twentieth century, the tradition was not abandoned and it was the turn of Johannes Hürzeler (1908–1995) to continue the strong link between the NMB and Tuscany. Hürzeler, a student of Stehlin, entered the Museum as curator in 1937 and became head of the Osteology department 20 years later. The name of Prof. J. Hürzeler is associated with his discoveries and work on the Late Miocene endemic ape Oreopithecus and other extinct endemic mammals of this peculiar late Miocene Tusco-Sardinian palaeobioprovince. Hürzeler actively worked in Tuscany from 1947, 6 years after the death of his professor. In the late 1950s, he spent months working at Baccinello, following mining at coal mines that at that time were still in production. This careful and rigorous survey led him to the discovery of the nearly complete skeleton of Oreopithecus on 2 August 1958. This gave the long-lasting Swiss-Italian tradition a new dimension and raised international interest.

Since 1970, Prof. Hürzeler was constantly accompanied by a young student during the surveys in southern Tuscany. This student was Burkart Engesser to whom this issue is dedicated, and he naturally replaced Hürzeler as the head of the Osteology department of the NMB. Together with his professor, he named new bovid and a giraffid species of the Oreopithecus bearing sites: Maremmia lorenzi Hürzeler and Engesser 1976, Etruria vialli Hürzeler and Engesser 1976, and Umbrotherium azzarolii Hürzeler and Engesser 1976; the three species were later formally described by Hürzeler (1983, M. lorenzi), and Abbazzi et al. (2008, E. vialli and U. azzarolii). Afterwards, Burkart described rodents from the area, including the new genus and species Anthracoglis marinoi Engesser 1983, and the new species Huerzelerimys oreopitheci (Engesser 1989), Anthracomys lorenzi Engesser 1989; Apodemus etruscus Engesser 1989, and Kowalskia nestori Engesser 1989, and thanks to his research in Tuscany developed his interest in Island faunas.

Burkart followed the tradition, and kept on doing fieldwork in Tuscany up until the late 1990s (Fig. 2). In recognition of his contribution to the palaeontology of the Late Miocene Oreopithecus faunas, a new species of the tusco-sardinian endemic dormice has been recently named after him: Anthracoglis engesseri Casanovas-Vilar et al. 2011.

On the occasion of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the famous Oreopithecus skeleton (nicknamed Sandrone) at Baccinello, Burkart wrote in a touching memory of Hürzeler’s research on Oreopithecus:

“[Hürzeler] very much liked the Maremma, but not only for its extinct animals, but also for its culture, its people, its vegetation and its wine. For more than 30 years he visited this area almost every year, and collected fossils, mainly in the Baccinello basin” (Engesser 2000, p. 15).

A quotation that actually would fit perfectly the figure of Burkart Engesser and his love for southern Tuscany, in perfect harmony with the feelings of his mentor.

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Earth Sciences Department, University of Florence, Via G. La Pira, 4, 50121, Florence, Italy
- Lorenzo Rook

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Rook, L. Basel–Tuscany, a long-lasting link. Swiss J Palaeontol 131, 7–9 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13358-011-0026-3

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Received: 03 October 2011
Accepted: 12 October 2011
Published: 16 December 2011
Issue Date: January 2012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13358-011-0026-3

中文翻译：

巴塞尔–托斯卡纳，长久的纽带

Burkart Engesser对田野调查和古生物学研究的重要贡献无疑是来自托斯卡纳南部Maremma的中新世晚期动物群，特别是著名的Grosseto地区的Baccinello盆地。这不仅是巧合，而且是悠久传统的延续。

巴塞尔自然历史博物馆（NMB）的历届古生物学家对托斯卡纳化石和化石遗址的兴趣很长，其历史可以追溯到19世纪下半叶。首先是路德维希·鲁泰米尔（LudwigRütimeyer，1825-1895年），他是1855年在巴塞尔大学的动物学和比较解剖学教授。Rütimeyer主要对第三纪哺乳动物的自然历史以及意大利的一些标本感兴趣（以及（例如来自欧洲其他国家，尤其是法国）的业务被NMB收购。

托斯卡纳哺乳动物化石记录的兴趣变得特别浓厚，这要归功于查尔斯·伊曼纽尔·福赛斯·梅西（Charles Immanuel Forsyth Major）（1843–1923）的活动，他是在瑞士长大的苏格兰裔医师。他于1868年毕业于巴塞尔的医学专业，并在佛罗伦萨（意大利）开始了他的职业生涯，在那里他住了大约十年。但是，作为19世纪的许多医生，他对自然历史着迷，并把大部分的业余时间用于化石哺乳动物的研究。他对绝种脊椎动物的兴趣超出了他对医学的专注，因此他最终决定在1880年代中期停止练习。福赛斯·梅杰（Forsyth Major）是查尔斯·达尔文（Charles Darwin）的通讯员（乔皮和多米尼奇（Cioppi＆Dominici，2010）），他的名字在《人类的后裔》第二版中三度出现（经过改进的版本，于1874年出版），关于化石猪的象牙中的性二态性，关于在欧洲出现化石猿，以及关于上瓦尔达诺的“完全无角”的牛头骨，被认为是“ Bos etruscus ”的头骨。女。后者是一个使我们重新审视巴塞尔-佛罗伦萨交流的故事的问题。关于这个标本（保存在佛罗伦萨博物馆的藏品中），福赛斯·梅杰（1874，1890）与“第三代反刍动物领域的主要权威”即吕蒂迈耶（Rütimeyer）意见相左。来自巴塞尔的著名古生物学家（Rtimetimeer，1878年）将该标本描述为一种新物种（Leptobos strozzii）的类型，后来正式被命名为L. etruscus。Forsyth Major（1890）。福赛斯•马修斯的主要兴趣尤其是灵长类动物，更一般地说，是上新世哺乳动物（例如福塞斯•马修斯，1872年，1875年至1877年，1890年）。他的整个科学著作清楚地表明了他对托斯卡纳脊椎动物化石的关注有多深，在他活跃于佛罗伦萨的同时，他系统地寻找新材料，主要是在托斯卡纳，但也在意大利的其他地区（撒丁岛，卡拉布里亚，西西里岛），带来了数百种标本送到佛罗伦萨博物馆。福赛斯·梅杰（Forsyth Major）与欧洲乃至巴塞尔的同事和机构有着紧密的关系。在他的意大利实地调查中收集的样品现在存放在伦敦的自然历史博物馆，瑞士洛桑的CollègeGaillard博物馆和巴塞尔的自然历史博物馆等博物馆中。

另一位著名的巴塞尔古生物学家汉斯·格奥尔格·史特林（Hans Georg Stehlin）（1870–1941）从意大利的上新世以来保存在巴塞尔的其他托斯卡纳材料（即上瓦尔达诺产）。他在1920年至1940年期间担任自然历史博物馆的董事会主席，并在巴塞尔大学（University of Basel）学习路德维希·鲁蒂迈（LudwigRütimeyer）。他与他的朋友汉斯·卡尔·伊瑟林（Hans Carl Iselin）（佛罗伦萨的牧师）保持了40年的往来往来关系，后者在使斯图林与几位当地的“化石猎手”取得联系方面大有帮助，后者又从多个地点找到并向他发送了资料在托斯卡纳，尤其是瓦尔达诺。通常，Stethlin为发现者支付了他们的化石费用，这些付款的账目以及有关化石猎人和化石地点的信息仍然可以在NMB的档案中找到（图1）。

在20世纪下半叶，这一传统并未被放弃，直到约翰内斯·赫泽勒（JohannesHürzeler）（1908–1995）轮到继续NMB与托斯卡纳之间的牢固联系。Hürzeler是Stehlin的学生，于1937年以策展人的身份进入博物馆，并在20年后成为骨科的负责人。J.Hürzeler教授的名字与他的发现和中新世晚期猿Oreopithecus的研究有关和这个特有的中新世晚期特斯科-撒丁岛古生物省的绝种哺乳动物。自1947年，即教授去世6年后，Hürzeler在托斯卡纳积极工作。1950年代后期，在当时仍在生产的煤矿开采之后，他在Baccinello工作了数月。这项仔细而严格的调查使他于1958年8月2日发现了近古猿的完整骨骼。这使悠久的瑞士-意大利传统有了新的发现，并引起了国际关注。

自1970年以来，Hürzeler教授在托斯卡纳南部的一次调查中一直伴随着一名年轻学生。这位学生是Burkart Engesser，致力于解决这一问题，他自然接替Hürzeler担任NMB骨科的负责人。与他的教授一起，他命名了奥皮亚庇古猿携带地点的新牛科和长颈鹿科物种：Maremmia lorenziHürzeler和Engesser 1976，Etruria vialliHürzeler和Engesser 1976，以及伞形伞（ Umbrotherium azzaroliiHürzeler和Engesser 1976）。这三个物种后来由Hürzeler（1983，M. lorenzi）和Abbazzi等正式描述。（2008年，E。vialli和U. azzarolii）。此后，伯卡特描述了该地区的啮齿动物，包括新属和物种Anthracoglis marinoi Engesser 1983，以及新物种Huerzelerimys oreopitheci（Engesser 1989），Anthracomys lorenzi Engesser 1989。Apodemus etruscus Engesser 1989和Kowalskia nestori Engesser 1989，由于他在托斯卡纳的研究，他对海岛动物群产生了兴趣。

Burkart沿袭了传统，直到1990年代后期一直在托斯卡纳从事野外工作（图2）。为表彰他对中新世晚古猿动物区系的古生物学所做的贡献，最近以他命名了一个新的塔斯科德-撒丁岛地方性休眠物种：Anthracoglis engesseri Casanovas-Vilar等。2011。

在庆祝著名的发现50周年之际Oreopithecus骨架（绰号Sandrone）在Baccinello，Burkart在Hürzeler对研究的触摸存储器中写道Oreopithecus：

“ [Hürzeler] 非常喜欢Maremma，但不仅因为其灭绝的动物，还因为其文化，人民，植被和葡萄酒。30 多年来，他几乎每年都访问该地区，并收集化石，主要是在Baccinello盆地”（Engesser 2000，第15页）。

这种报价实际上与伯卡特·恩格瑟（Burkart Engesser）的身材以及他对托斯卡纳南部的热爱非常吻合，与他的导师的感情完美契合。

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