''Coelacanthus'' ("Hollow Spine") is a genus of extinct coelacanths that first appeared during the Permian period. It was the first genus of coelacanths described, about a

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before the discovery of the extant coelacanth. The order Coelacanthiformes is named after it.

Description

''Coelacanthus'' bears a superficial similarity to the living coelacanth '' Latimeria'', though it was smaller, and had a more elongated head. Individuals grew up to in length, had an elongate codavypter or supplementary tail lobe, and had small lobed fins, suggesting that ''Coelacanthus'' were open-water predators. The fin rays of the caudal fin are hollow, which gave ''Coelacanthus'' its name. The name is an adaptation of the Modern Latin cœlacanthus ("hollow spine"), from the Greek κοῖλ-ος (koilos; "hollow") and ἄκανθ-α (akantha; "spine"). These hollow spines are a typical feature of coelacanths. Coelacanthus_granulatus_restoration

Distribution and time

The type species ''Coelacanthus granulatus'' was described from the late Permian ( Wuchiapingian)

Kupferschiefer The Kupferschiefer (German for Copper Shale, also called Copper Slate) or Kupfermergel (Copper Marl), (T1 or Z1) is an extensive and remarkable sedimentary unit in Central Europe. The relatively monotonous succession is typically and maximum th ...

of Germany and equivalent

Marl Slate The Marl Slate Formation is a geological formation in England. Despite its name, it is mostly dolomite rock. The Marl Slate Formation was formed about 273 to 259 million years ago, during the Guadalupian and Lopingian epochs of the late Pe ...

of England. ''Coelacanthus'' is primarily known from Late Permian and Early Triassic deposits in Europe and Canada, although the referred species ''C. welleri'', known from Iowa, is of Late Devonian ( Famennian) age. It survived the Permian–Triassic extinction event, and one species, ''C. banffensis'', is known from the Early Triassic. Several other species that were first referred to ''Coelacanthus'' were later reallocated to other genera. ''Coelacanthus minor'' was considered by Woodward (1891) as potentially belonging to the Triassic genus '' Heptanema'', while Martin and Wenz (1984) considered ''Coelacanthus lunzensis'' a possible synonym of ''

Garnbergia ''Garnbergia'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived during the Anisian stage of the Middle Triassic epoch. See also * Prehistoric fish * List of prehistoric bony fish A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or list ...

''. ''Coelacanthus madagascariensis'' from the Early Triassic of Madagascar was reattributed to the genus '' Rhabdoderma'', and ''Coelacanthus evolutus'' is a synonym of '' Whiteia woodwardi''.Forey P. L. (1998) History of the coelacanth fishes (Chapman & Hall, London).

References

External links

Mikko's Phylogeny Archive o
Coelacanthiformes
Coelacanthidae Prehistoric lobe-finned fish genera Permian bony fish Triassic bony fish Triassic extinctions Prehistoric fish of Europe Prehistoric fish of North America Fossil taxa described in 1836 Taxa named by Louis Agassiz {{paleo-lobefinned-fish-stub