[see-luh-kanth] 
| a crossopterygian fish, Latimeria chalumnae, thought to have been extinct since the Cretaceous Period but found in 1938 off the coast of southern Africa. |
[see-luh-kan-thahyn, -thin] , adjective coe·la·canth (sē'lə-kānth')  (click for larger image in new window) n. Any of various mostly extinct fishes of the order Coelacanthiformes, known only in fossil form until a single living species, Latimeria chalumnae of African marine waters, was identified in 1938. [New Latin Coelacanthus, former genus name : Greek koilos, hollow; see -coel + Greek akantha, spine.] coe'la·can'thine' (-kān'thīn', -thĭn) adj., coe'la·can'thous (-thəs) adj. |
coelacanth (sē'lə-kānth') Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) Any of various fishes of the order Coelacanthiformes, having lobed, fleshy fins. Coelacanths are crossopterygians, the ancient group of lobe-finned fishes that gave rise to land vertebrates. They were known only from Paleozoic and Mesozoic fossils until a living species (Latimeria chalumnae) was found in the Indian Ocean in 1938. At least one other (Malania anjouanae) has been discovered since then. |