| Description |
Josep Fernández de Villalta (Barcelona, 1913-2003) was a researcher at CSIC Spanish National Research Council) and the mentor of many geologists from the University of Barcelona. He assembled an important palaeontological collection of invertebrates, vertebrates and plants. He donated his private palaeontological collection, the result of over 50 years of work, as well as numerous publications, to the Geology Museum of Barcelona. The collection contains 24,700 registers (around 42,000 specimens) and is of extraordinary value, in part due to its excellent state of conservation and in part due to its scientific relevance. Given that most of Dr. VIllalta's palaeontological scientific work was carried out in Catalonia, this collection represents a priceless contribution to the Museum and to knowledge of Catalan geology. Accessioned in 1986, the Villalta Collection consists of the following: the invertebrate fossil collection from the Department of Geomorphology from the University of Barcelona, on loan to the CSIC (Barcelona) since the university moved to its new buildings in Pedralbes; a collection of Pleistocene vertebrates from the CSIC (Barcelona), the result of the excavations conducted by Dr Villalta and his collaborators, mainly during the 1970s; a collection of Miocene flora from La Cerdanya and a number of type specimens originating from his vertebrate research, which in all consist of around 1000 specimens. |
