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Daphne LeeBSc PhD(Otago)

Paleobotany,  Paleontology and Paleoecology

Google Scholar: Daphne E. Lee
Email daphne.lee@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 479 7525

Office – Geology 1S11

Research interests

  • Cenozoic paleobotany and paleoclimate
  • Cenozoic invertebrate paleontology
  • Brachiopoda
  • Cenozoic stratigraphy

Foulden Maar

A paleontological site of international significance, Foulden Maar in Otago, New Zealand is home to an amazing record of life on Earth.

Formed by a volcanic eruption 23 million years ago, the maar's undisturbed sedimentary layers are the resting places for countless rare, well-preserved fossils. The site is unsurpassed in the southern hemisphere as a scientific record of changing life and ecosystems at the beginning of the Miocene. Although excavations have been limited to an area the size of a tennis court, Daphne and colleagues have discovered hundreds of undescribed species. The sediments are rich in fossil flowers, fruits, seeds, pollen, and bark from plants, as well as fungi, fish, insects and spiders.

For further information see the publications listed below and the book: Fossil Treasures of Foulden Maar.

Publications

Wu, Y., & Lee, D. E. (2024). A late Oligocene chiton fauna (Polyplacophora) from a rocky shore ecosystem, Cosy Dell, Southland, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology & Geophysics. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/00288306.2024.2426644 Journal - Research Article

Drohojowska, J., Evans, G. A., Kaulfuss, U., Lee, D. E., & Szwedo, J. (2024). First Miocene whiteflies and psyllids (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodoidea and Psylloidea) from Aotearoa New Zealand. Palaeobiodiversity & Palaeoenvironments. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s12549-024-00628-z Journal - Research Article

Kaulfuss, U., Szawaryn, K., Lee, D., & Ruta, R. (2024). The first beetle species described from Oligocene New Zealand amber (Coleoptera: Scirtidae). Palaeoentomology, 7(4), 529-538. doi: 10.11646/palaeoentomology.7.4.12 Journal - Research Article

Robinson, J. H., Lee, D. E., Richards, M. D., White, S. E. M., & Fordyce, R. E. (2024). The fossil vertebrate primary type specimens in the collection of the University of Otago Department of Geology. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 54(5), 566-583. doi: 10.1080/03036758.2024.2363436 Journal - Research Article

Vanner, M. R., Conran, J. G., Larcombe, M. J., & Lee, D. E. (2024). Mid-Cretaceous wood of Waihere Bay, Pitt Island, Chatham Islands, New Zealand. IAWA Journal. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1163/22941932-bja10149 Journal - Research Article

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