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SARCOPTERYGII:
COELACANTHIFORMES: LATIMERIIDAE: Latimeria
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Latimeria chalumnae
Smith, 1938
Coelacanth
Photos
& text by Dr. Robert Sprackland.
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Range: The deep waters off the Comoro Islands and NW
Madagascar; discovered off Sulawesi, Indonesia in 1998.
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Diagnosis:
A lobe-finned fish (lobes on pectoral, pelvic, anal
and second dorsal fins) with a thick, short-finned tail, long head (about
1/3 length of fish) and large scales.
Right, skeleton of a coelacanth, from
the exhibition hall of the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien.
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Description: In
life, coelacanths are deep blue with lighter gray-blue marbling. Adults
may approach 2 meters/6.2 feet in total length.
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Natural History:
Coelacanths dwell along the sheer slopes in deep water. They have been
observed swimming in a head-down position, using water jets from the mouth
to uncover crustaceans hidden in the soil. Local fishermen in the Comoros
take 2-3 specimens annually but, as the fish is inedible, there has been
little interest in capturing specimens until very recently.
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Reproduction: Reproduction
is ovoviviparous; females retain eggs in the body and give birth to
fully-formed 22 cm/10-inch young.
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Taxonomy & Relationships:
Lobe-finned fished have long been considered the ancestors of terrestrial
vertebrates (amphibians), but significant research has removed them from
this position in favor of lungfishes.
The coelacanth was named in honor of Miss
Courtney Latimer (Latimeria), and the eastern African river (Chalumna)
near which the first specimen was captured. Though discovered in 1938,
additional specimens were not collected for over a decade because the
holotype was taken far south of the natural range and World War II
inhibited any serious search efforts.
Coelacanths were long believed to be members of
the direct lineage that led to amphibians, but cladistic studies have
transferred that honor to the lungfishes.
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Variation:
Very little recorded, but there is some suggestion that the Indonesian
population may be a distinct species.
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Additional Comments:
There has been considerable interest, professional and public, in this
fish. Unfortunately, though they are captured with modest regularity, the
Comoros do not have adequate facilities to properly preserve specimens.
Consequently, ichthyologists have been frustrated in getting access to
really viable research materials.
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Type Specimen:
JLBS.
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Literature:
Erdmann, M., R. Caldwell and M.
Moosa. 1998. Indonesian "king of the sea" discovered. Nature
395: 335.
Forey, Peter. 1998. Biogeography: a home
from home for coelacanths. Nature 395: 319.
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