Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sarcopterygii
Subclass: Actinistia
Infraclass: Coelacanthimorpha
Order: COELACANTHIFORMES
Family Coelacanthidae (extinct)
Axelia (extinct)
Coelacanthus (extinct)
Ticinepomis (extinct)
Wimania (extinct)
Family Diplocercidae (extinct)
Diplocercides (extinct)
Family Hadronectoridae (extinct)
Allenypterus (extinct)
Hadronector (extinct)
Polyosteorhynchus (extinct)
Family Mawsoniidae (extinct)
Alcoveria (extinct)
Axelrodichthys (extinct)
Chinlea (extinct)
Diplurus (extinct)
Mawsonia (extinct)
Family Miguashaiidae(extinct)
Miguashaia (extinct)
Family Latimeriidae
Holophagus (extinct)
Libys (extinct)
Macropoma (extinct)
Macropomoides (extinct)
Megacoelacanthus (extinct)
Latimeria (James Leonard Brierley Smith, 1939)
Latimeria Chalumnae (Comorese Coelacanth)
L. chalumnae (Comorese coelacanth)
(James Leonard Brierley Smith, 1939)
Latimeria menadoensis (Indonesian coelacanth)
L. menadoensis (Indonesian coelacanth) (Pouyaud, Wirjoatmodjo, Rachmatika, Tjakrawidjaja, et al., 1999)
Undina (extinct)
Family Laugiidae (extinct)
Coccoderma (extinct)
Laugia (extinct)
Family Rhabdodermatidae(extinct)
Caridosuctor (extinct)
Rhabdoderma (extinct)
Family Whiteiidae (extinct)
Whiteia (extinct)
Fossil Record
Although now represented by only two known living species, as a group the coelacanths were once very successful with many genera and species that left an abundant fossil record from the Devonian to the end of the Cretaceous period, at which point they apparently suffered a nearly complete extinction. Before the living specimens were discovered, it was believed by some that the coelacanth was a "missing link" between the fish and the tetrapods. It is often claimed that the coelacanth has remained unchanged for millions of years; but, in fact, the living species and even genus are unknown from the fossil record. The most likely reason for the gap is the taxon having become extinct in shallow waters. Deep-water fossils are only rarely lifted to levels where paleontologists can recover them, making most deep-water taxa disappear from the fossil record.
Although now represented by only two known living species, as a group the coelacanths were once very successful with many genera and species that left an abundant fossil record from the Devonian to the end of the Cretaceous period, at which point they apparently suffered a nearly complete extinction. Before the living specimens were discovered, it was believed by some that the coelacanth was a "missing link" between the fish and the tetrapods. It is often claimed that the coelacanth has remained unchanged for millions of years; but, in fact, the living species and even genus are unknown from the fossil record. The most likely reason for the gap is the taxon having become extinct in shallow waters. Deep-water fossils are only rarely lifted to levels where paleontologists can recover them, making most deep-water taxa disappear from the fossil record.
