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. |