Homage to the late Dr Valentina Karatajute-Talimaa

Dr. Habil. Valentina Karatajūtė-Talimaa (1930-2022) Valentina Nikolaeyevna Karatajūtė-Talimaa, Lithuanian, palaeoichthyologist supreme, Honorary member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, died in early August in Vilnius, Lithuania. Valya or Valja, as we affectionately knew her, devoted over half a century of her life to the studies of Palaeozoic agnathans and early fish, including field work in the far reaches of the northern hemisphere. She became an internationally well-recognized authority in her field and inspired and collaborated with students and colleagues over six decades (e.g., Grigelis and Turner 2006, Schultze et al. 2009).