La collection d’Invertébrés fossiles d’Alcide d’Orbigny et la salle d’Orbigny

Abstract Fossil invertebrates collected or received by Alcide d’Orbigny, all his life long, have been brought together in a renowned collection that is very rich in terms of both species and specimens. The collection has resulted from a huge palaeontological work. Study of faunas from numerous French sites led Alcide d’Orbigny to do biostratigraphical comparisons and to erect geological stages, the definitions of which rest on their stratotypes. His wide knowledge of European fossil faunas was strengthened by a more global palaeobiogeographical view derived from his travel in South America. The d’Orbigny collection is housed in the ‘Museum’ of Paris and is often visited by experts.