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coelacanth
(redirected from coelacanthine)

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
coe·la·canth  (sl-knth)
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.]

coela·canthine (-knthn, -thn) adj.
coela·canthous (-ths) adj.
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coelacanth
Latimeria chalumnae

coelacanth [ˈsiːləˌkænθ]
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) a primitive marine bony fish of the genus Latimeria (subclass Crossopterygii), having fleshy limblike pectoral fins and occurring off the coast of E Africa: thought to be extinct until a living specimen was discovered in 1938
[from New Latin coelacanthus, literally: hollow spine, from coel- + Greek akanthos spine]

coelacanth  (sl-knth)
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.
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coelacanth
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.coelacanthcoelacanth - fish thought to have been extinct since the Cretaceous period but found in 1938 off the coast of Africa
crossopterygian, lobe-finned fish, lobefin - any fish of the order Crossopterygii; most known only in fossil form
genus Latimeria, Latimeria - type genus of the Latimeridae: coelacanth
Translations
coelacanth [ˈsiːləkænθ] Ncelacanto m


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