Coelacanths (/ ˈsiːləkænθ / ⓘ SEE-lə-kanth) (order Coelacanthiformes) are an ancient group of lobe-finned fish (Sarcopterygii) in the class Actinistia. [2][3] As sarcopterygians, they are more …

The Actinistia, or coelacanths, unlike the Rhipidistia, have exhibited exceptional evolutionary stability. They evolved in the Middle Devonian (397–385 million years ago) and rapidly …

At one time coelacanths were a large group comprising about 90 valid species that were distributed worldwide in both marine and freshwaters. Today, there are two known living …

The living coelacanth Latimeria (Sarcopterygii: Actinistia) is an iconic, so-called ‘living fossil’ within one of the most apparently morphologically conservative vertebrate groups. We describe a …

Coelacanth is any sarcopterygian fish of the subclass Coelacanthimorpha (Actinistia) and order Coelacanthiformes, characterized by a three-lobed, diphycercal caudal fin, external nostrils, …

The meaning of ACTINISTIA is an order (superorder Crossopterygii) of chiefly Mesozoic fishes including the family Coelacanthidae having the interspinous bones supporting each dorsal and …

We suspect that actinistians did not suddenly appear in the Middle Devonian with a bundle of completely unique characteristics. Rather many actinistian features (e.g. the structure of the …

We tackle evolutionary traits of the coelacanth lineage by comparing stratigraphical genus duration within the ray-finned fish clade (Actinopterygii) and coelacanth clade (Actinistia) in the …

Coelacanthus, from Ancient Greek κοῖλος (koîlos), meaning "hollow", and ἄκανθα (ákantha), meaning "spine", is a genus of extinct marine coelacanths known from the late Permian …

Morphological and molecular sequence data clearly demonstrate that the living coelacanth Latimeria (Actinistia) is the closest relative of lungfishes and tetrapods (Cloutier & Ahlberg …