The Missing Notebooks That Solved a 25-Year-Old Paleontology Mystery

Recently found field notebooks from paleontologist Richard Köhler filled in the missing find location for a 55-million-year-old tarpon fossil from Pitt Island.

The new locality details let researchers complete the scientific record and formally publish the long-delayed study.

The fossil was named Ikawaihere koehleri in honor of Köhler, with work led by the University of Otago team.

The find adds New Zealand’s first Paleogene bony fish record and a rare data point for Chatham Islands paleontology.