Knowra Coelacanth Coelacanth Coelacanths are lobe-finned fishes known from fossils and two living deep-sea species in the genus Latimeria. Their distinctive fleshy paired fins and long fossil record link them to early vertebrate evolution.
Sarcopterygii : Sarcopterygians are vertebrates whose paired fins contain muscular, bone-supported lobes. Coelacanths belong to this lobe-finned vertebrate lineage.
Devonian : The Devonian Period lasted from about 419 to 359 million years ago, when fishes diversified extensively. The earliest known coelacanth fossils date to the Devonian.
Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer : Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was a South African museum curator who recognized the first reported living coelacanth specimen in 1938. Her recognition brought the supposedly extinct fish to scientific attention.
West Indian Ocean coelacanth : The West Indian Ocean coelacanth is Latimeria chalumnae, a species found around parts of the western Indian Ocean. It is the species first recognized from a living specimen in 1938.
Lungfish : Lungfish are lobe-finned fishes with lungs or lung-like organs, represented by living species in Africa, South America, and Australia. They are living lobe-finned relatives, but not coelacanths.
Actinistia : Actinistia is the coelacanth lineage, including fossil forms and living species. This group names the broader lineage represented by coelacanths.
Miguashaia : Miguashaia is an early coelacanth genus known from Devonian fossils. Its fossils document coelacanths near the beginning of their known history.
J. L. B. Smith : J. L. B. Smith was a South African ichthyologist who identified the 1938 specimen as a coelacanth. He confirmed the specimen's identity and helped establish its scientific significance.
Indonesian coelacanth : The Indonesian coelacanth is Latimeria menadoensis, a living species recorded in Indonesian waters. Its discovery showed that living coelacanths were not limited to the western Indian Ocean.
Ray-finned fish : Ray-finned fishes are vertebrates whose fins are supported mainly by slender bony or cartilaginous rays. Their fin structure contrasts with the fleshy, bone-supported lobes of coelacanth fins.
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