Order

Coelacanthiformes

  Class

Coelacanthi

No. in FishBase

Genera : 1 | Species : 2 Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes

  Environment

Fresh : No | Brackish : No | Marine : Yes

  Division

Marine

  Aquarium

none

  First Fossil Record

upper   Permian    

  Remark

Distribution: South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros archipelago. Recently a second species has been discovered in Indonesia. Body robust, covered with large, imbricate bony scales; the exposed part of each scale armoured with hard tooth-like tubercles. Second dorsal, anal and paired fins lobate, projecting from body on a muscular peduncle containing a series of cartilaginous skeletal elements; caudal fin broadly rounded, with a small, projecting midlateral lobe with the rays articulating directly to the end of the notochord; first dorsal fin folding like a fan, the membrane supported by 8 spinulose bony rays; fin rays unbranched; caudal fin rays spinulose. Skeleton mostly cartilaginous; vertebrae rudimentary, the spinal cord supported by a large, hollow, thick-walled notochord (the embryonic precursor of vertebral centra in most fishes and other vertebrates) which is filled with fluid; neural and haemal spines ossified (bony) and attached directly to notochord. Ribs absent. Swimbladder well developed, extending the length of abdominal cavity, and filled with fat. Ovoviviparous livebearers which produce 19-59 eggs and about 5 young. Eggs can attain a diameter of 9 cm. In the oviduct the young can reach about 33 cm total length. Adults with maximum length of 1.8 m. Coelacanths live on steep steep rocky shores, sheltering in caves during the day (often in groups) and foraging singly over open substrates at night. Preferred depth 180-220 m, temperature 16-23 C°. They are long-lived, slow-growing, epibenthic drift-predators of fish and squid. Their main enemies are likely to be large sharks. An inventory of all known specimens lists over 170 specimens that have been caught off the Comoros since 1952 (Bruton & Coutouvidis, 1991).

  Etymology

Derived from {Miss Courtenay Latimer}, worker of East London Museum; she took care of the type specimen. ( Ref. 45335).

  Reproductive guild

bearers

  Typical activity level

sluggish

  Main Ref.

Bruton, M.N. 1991

  Coordinator

  Deep Fin Classification

Osteichthyes | Sarcopterygi | Coelacanthimorpha | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Coelacanthiformes | | | Latimeriidae