Eric Simon died on February 11, 2018, at the age of 69, after several years marked by a succession of major health issues.

Eric was born in Grivegnée (Liège Province, Belgium), in December 1948. He completed his Ph.D. degree in 1978 at the Free University of Brussels (Laboratory of Plant Ecology and Biogeochemistry), working on heavy metal (Pb, Zn, Cd) tolerance in plant populations. He taught biochemistry and microbiology in higher education institutions until his retirement in 2013 but, in the meantime, he became an associate researcher at the Palaeontology Department of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (Brussels) where he has developed an acknowledged expertise in Cretaceous and Recent brachiopods since 1989. Eric’s research interest focused on ontogeny, evolution, ecology and palaeoecology, morphological analyses and taxonomic problems. Improving the perception of biological characteristics in the field of palaeontology was for him an important concern. As a member of the ‘Vijlen Werkgroep’, he largely contributed to the knowledge of the brachiopod faunas from the historical type area of the Maastrichtian Stage.

The unexpected death of Eric leaves a great void for his family, friends and colleagues. For those who had the chance to be acquainted with him more personally, Eric was a hedonist and had lots of passions that he had a great pleasure to share with them, notably his love for the Indonesian islands and his amazing talent for cooking. His scientific open-mindedness and his convivial attitude shall be deeply missed by all people who had been on familiar terms with him.

Dhondt A.V., Naidin D.P., Levina A. & Simon E., 1996. Maastrichtian faunas from Turgay Strait (Northern Kazakhstan). Mitteilungen aus dem Geologisch-Paläontologischen, Institut der Universität Hamburg, 77, 49-65.

Jagt J.W.M., Dortangs R., Simon E. & Van Kinippenberg P., 2007. First record of the ichnofossil Podichnus centrifugalis from the Maastrichtian of northeast Belgium. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 77, 95-105.

Jagt J.W.M. & Simon E., 2004. A pedunculate brachiopod population preserved in situ (Late Maastrichtian, NE Belgium). Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 74, 97-103.

Lefèbvre C. & Simon E., 1979. Plant spacing in open communities from old zinc-lead mine wastes. Oecologia Plantarum, 14, 461-473.

MacKinnon D.I., Simon E. & Bitner M.A., 1998.A reappraisal of the problematic European, Late Cretaceous brachiopod Leptothyrellopsis polonicus Bitner & Pisera, 1979. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 68, 175-180.

Motchurova-Dekova N. & Simon E., 2007. Homaletarhynchia Simon & Owen, 2001 - a genus transferred to the Basiliolidae (Pygnacoidea, Rhynchonellida, Brachiopoda). Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 77, 117-129.

Mottequin B., Brice, D., Marion, J.-M. & Simon E., 2016.Plicathyridine brachiopods (Athyridida) from the Frasnian (Late Devonian) of Western Europe and Middle East. Geobios, 49, 381-393.

Mottequin B. & Simon E., 2015. Diversity of athyridide brachiopods during the Late Devonian-Tournaisian in southern Belgium. In Mottequin B. et al. (eds), IGCP 596-SDS Symposium, Climate change and biodiversity patterns in the mid-Palaeozoic Brussels (September 20-22, 2015), Abstracts. Strata, Communications, 16, 103-104.

Mottequin B. & Simon E., 2017. New insights on Tournaisian-Visean (Carboniferous, Mississippian) athyridide, orthotetide, rhynchonellide, and strophomenide brachiopods from southern Belgium. Palaeontologia Electronica, 20.2.28A (2), 1-45.

Mottequin B. & Simon E., 2017. Revision of some spiriferide and spiriferinide brachiopods from the historical type area of the Tournaisian stage (Carboniferous, southern Belgium). Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 91 (4), 473-496.

Mottequin B., Sevastopulo G. & Simon E., 2015. Micromorph brachiopods from the late Asbian (Mississippian, Viséan) from northwest Ireland (Gleniff, County Sligo). Bulletin of Geosciences, 90, 307-330.

Simon E., 1975. La dynamique de la végétation de quelques sites métallifères dans les régions d’Eupen et d’Aix-la-Chapelle en relation avec les facteurs édaphiques. Bulletin de la Société royale de Botanique de Belgique, 108, 273-286.

Simon E., 1977. Cadmium tolerance of Agrostis tenuis and Festuca ovina. Nature, 265, 328-330.

Simon E., 1978. Heavy metals in soils, vegetation development and heavy metal tolerance in plant populations from metalliferous areas. New Phytologist, 81 (1), 175-188.

Simon E., 1992. New Lower Maastrichtian megathyridid Brachiopods from the Phosphatic Chalk of Ciply (Mons, Belgium). Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 62, 121-138.

Simon E., 1993. Possible presence of Cretirhynchia undulata (Pusch, 1837) in the Vijlen Chalk (Upper Maastrichtian) from Hallembaye (Belgium) and neighbouring area. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 63, 73-97.

Simon E., 1994. Kingenella pseudohebertiana (Peron, 1894), a widely distributed Maastrichtian species. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 64, 159-155.

Simon E., 1995. Brachiopods. In: Jagt, J.W.M. et al., Preliminary Report of Field Work at Altembroeck (NE Belgium, Early Maastrichtian). Service Géologique de Belgique, Professional Paper, 276, 11-12.

Simon E., 1996.Cyclothyris elegans (von Hanstein, 1879) and Cretirhynchia tenuicostata (von Hanstein, 1879), two valid Lower Maastrichtian rhynchonellid brachiopods from the phosphatic chalk of Ciply, Belgium. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 66, 97-108.

Simon E., 1998. Fossielen van de St. Pietersberg: Brachiopoden. Grondboor & Hamer, 52 (4/5), 130-133.

Simon E., 1998. Maastrichtian brachiopods from Ciply: palaeoecological and stratigraphical significance. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 68, 181-232.

Simon E., 2000. Upper Campanian brachiopods from the Mons Basin (Hainaut, Belgium): the brachiopod assemblage from the Belemnitella mucronata Zone. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 70, 129-160.

Simon E., 2003. A new Late Maastrichtian rhynchonellide brachiopod from the Kunrade Limestone facies near Maastricht (Southern Limburg, The Netherlands).Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 73, 137-148.

Simon E., 2004. A new late Maastrichtian species of Cyranoia (Terebratulida, Brachiopoda) from Belgium and The Netherlands. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 74, 105-118.

Simon E., 2004. A reappraisal of some large Late Maastrichtian brachiopods from Kunrade (southern Limburg, The Netherlands). Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre 74 (supplément), 121-137.

Simon E., 2005. New Lower Maastrichtian brachiopods (Gulpen Formation, Vijlen Member) from southern Limburg (The Netherlands). Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 75, 127-166.

Simon E., 2007. A late Maastrichtian species of Gisilina (Brachiopoda, Chlidonophoridae) from the Maastricht area (The Netherlands, Belgium) first illustrated by Faujas de Saint-Fond. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 77, 131-140.

Simon E., 2007. A new Late Maastrichtian species of Isocrania (Brachiopoda, Craniidae) from The Netherlands and Belgium. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 77, 141-157.

Simon E., 2010. Argyrotheca furtiva n. sp. and Joania arguta (Grant, 1983) two micromorphic megathyrid brachiopods (Terebratulida, Megathyridoidea) from the Indonesian Archipelago. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Biologie, 80, 277-295.

Simon E., 2011. The late Maastrichtian cancellothyridid brachiopod Terebratulina chrysalis (Von Schlotheim, 1813) from the type Maastrichtian (southern Limburg, the Netherlands) and elsewhere in Europe. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences/Geologie en Mijnbouw, 90 (2/3), 111-127.

Simon E. & Hoffmann J., 2013. Discovery of Recent thecideide brachiopods (Order: Thecideida, Family: Thecideidae) in Sulawesi, Indonesian Archipelago, with implications for reproduction and shell size in the genus Ospreyella. Zootaxa, 3694 (5), 401-433.

Simon E. & Lefèbvre C., 1979. Aspects de la tolérance aux métaux lourds chez Agrostis tenuis Sibth., Festuca ovina L. et Armeria maritima (Mill.) Willd. Oecologia Plantarum, 12, 95-110.

Simon E., Logan A., Zuschin M., Mainguy J. & Mottequin B., 2016. Lenticellaria and Hillerella, new kraussinoid genera (Kraussinoidea, Brachiopoda) from Indo-Pacific and Red Sea waters: Evolution in the subfamily Megerliinae. Zootaxa, 4137 (1), 1-34.

Simon E. & Motchurova-Dekova N., 2010. New representatives of the genus Septatoechia Lobotscheva & Titova, 1977 (Brachiopoda, Rhynchonellida, Tertrarhynchiidae) from the Maastrichtian of the Western Europe. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 80, 171-186.

Simon E. & Mottequin B. (in press). Extreme reduction of all brachidial characters: a type of development found in several Late Cretaceous and Recent brachiopod species - new relationships between taxa previously listed as incertae sedis. Zootaxa.

Simon E. & Owen E.F., 2001. A first step in the revision of the genus Cretirhynchia Pettitt, 1950. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre, 71, 53-118.

Simon E., Swinnen F. & Mottequin B., 2016. Brachiopods collected from Madeira, off Selvagem Grande Island, (NE Atlantic Ocean) by remotely operated vehicle “Luso” during the year 2010. Boletim do Museu de História natural do Funchal, 66 (art. 345), 31-39.

Simon E. & Willems G., 1999. Gwynia capsula (Jeffreys, 1859) and other Recent brachiopods from submarine caves in Croatia. Bulletin de l’Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Biologie, 69, 15-21.

Sklenar J. & Simon E., 2009. Brachiopod Gyrosoria Cooper, 1973 - a comparative palaeoecological, stratigraphical and taxonomical study. Bulletin of Geosciences, 84 (3), 437-464.

Simon Eric on www.researchgate.net