Paleopathology of a fossil fish from the Solnhofen Lagerstätte (Upper Jurassic, southern Germany)

Abstract The collection of fossil fishes from Solnhofen (Upper Jurassic, southern Germany), deposited at the Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology and Geology was examined for the detection of integument or skeletalpathologies. Among 50 studied specimens, only one halecomorph fish exhibited lesions: these are diagnosed as skin tumors. In extant taxa the causes of this disease are varied (toxins, infectious agents, physical or immunological causes, nutritional and metabolic perturbations). The morphology of these skin lesions is identical to those previously observed in fossil fishes from Monte Bolca (Eocene, northern Italy). This case study represents one of the oldest paleopathology in fossil fishes.