This full-colour book assembles the proceedings papers of the 5th International Symposium on Lithographic Limestone and Plattenkalk, which was held 2009 at the Natural History Museum in Basel (Switzerland). The contributions are highlights from the Symposium and they are from active researchers and research groups. They cover a wide range of topics with the main focus on vertebrate palaeontology (Mesozoic fishes, sauropterygians, pterosaurs, artiodactyls) and invertebrate palaeontology (developmental biology of crustaceans, limulid locomotion, functional morphology of Saccocoma, trace fossils). In addition to this, other papers focus on palaeoenvironments and carbonate sedimentology (terminology & classification, role of microbial mats), as well as descriptions of new occurrences of Lithographic Limestone and Plattenkalk (Cambrian of China, Eocene of Croatia). The studied material includes exceptionally well-preserved fossils, classical palaeontological approaches (history of palaeontology, taxonomy with description of several new taxa, faunal reviews, tooth histology, Relative Warp Analysis, ichnology) and new methods such as composite-fluorescence imaging microscopy. The high diversity of these up-to-date papers highlights the importance of interdisciplinary scientific congresses and studies. Furthermore, it confirms that Lithographic Limestone and Plattenkalk deposits are amongst the most important Fossil Lagerstätten in the world and remain a major source for palaeobiological data. Therefore, the present book is a must for palaeontologists, palaeobiologists, and sedimentologists alike that are involved in studies of Lithographic Limestone and Plattenkalk Fossil Lagerstätten.
