Megalocoelacanthus

Megalocoelacanthus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 87–66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N [1][2]
Megalocoelacanthus dobiei mounted skull in the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park, Colorado
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sarcopterygii
Subclass:	Actinistia
Order:	Coelacanthiformes
Family:	Latimeriidae
Genus:	†Megalocoelacanthus Schwimmer et al., 1994
Binomial name
†Megalocoelacanthus dobiei Schwimmer et al., 1994

Megalocoelacanthus dobiei is an extinct species of giant latimeriid coelacanth lobe-finned fish which lived during the Lower Campanian epoch until possibly the early Maastrichtian in the Late Cretaceous period in Appalachia, the Western Interior Seaway and Mississippi Embayment. Its disarticulated remains have been recovered from the Eutaw Formation, Mooreville Chalk Formation, and Blufftown Formation of Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia, and also from the Niobrara Formation of Kansas. Although no complete skeleton is known, careful examination of skeletal elements demonstrate it is closely related to the Jurassic-aged coelacanthid Libys. The species is named for herpetologist James L. Dobie. It has been estimated to have been 3.5—4.5 meters in length.^[3][4][5]

References

Citations

• Schwimmer, D.R.; Stewart, J.D.; Williams, G.D. 1994: Giant fossil coelacanths of the Late Cretaceous in the eastern United States. Geology, 22(6): 503–506.
• Dutel, H.; Maisey, J.G.; Schwimmer, D.R.; Janvier, P.; Herbin, M.; Clément, G. 2012: The Giant Cretaceous Coelacanth (Actinistia, Sarcopterygii) Megalocoelacanthus dobiei Schwimmer, Stewart & Williams, 1994, and Its Bearing on Latimerioidei Interrelationships. PLoS ONE

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Actinistia

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Sarcopterygii
Gnathostomata see Gnathostomata Actinistia see below↓ Actinistia

Actinistia sensu lato	†Styloichthys? †"Onychodontiformes" Bukkanodus Grossius Luckeus Onychodus Qingmenodus Selenodus Strunius Actinistia sensu stricto †Eoactinistia †Euporosteus †Hainbergia †Nesides †Scleracanthus †Shoshonia †Styloichthys? †Youngichthys †Youngolepis? †Miguashaiidae Gavinia Miguashaia †Diplocercidae Chagrinia Dictyonosteus Diplocercides Serenichthys †Hadronectoridae Allenypterus Hadronector Holopterygius Lochmocercus Polyosteorhynchus †Rhabdodermatidae Caridosuctor Coelacanthopsis? Dumfregia Rhabdoderma Sassenia Spermatodus Synaptotylus †Laugiidae Belemnocerca Coccoderma Laugia Trachymetopon Coelacanthiformes †Coelacanthopsis? †Dobrogeria †Heptanema †Luopingcoelacanthus †Rebellatrix †Sinocoelacanthus †Yunnancoelacanthus †Coelacanthidae Axelia Chaohuichthys Coelacanthus Graphiuricthys Indocoelacanthus Moenkopia Mylacanthus Quayia Wimania †Whiteiidae Atacamaia Guizhoucoelacanthus Piveteauia Whiteia Latimerioidei †Garnbergia †Mawsoniidae Alcoveria Axelrodichthys Changxingia Chinlea Diplurus Lualabaea Mawsonia Parnaibaia Rhipis Latimeriidae †Foreyia †Holophagus Latimeria †Libys †Macropoma †Macropomoides †Megalocoelacanthus †Rieppelia †Swenzia †Ticinepomis †Undina

This article about a prehistoric lobe-finned fish is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

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This article about a Cretaceous fish is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

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