West Indian Ocean coelacanth
The West Indian Ocean coelacanth ("Latimeria chalumnae") (sometimes known as gombessa, African coelacanth, or simply coelacanth) is a crossopterygian, one of two extant species of coelacanth, a rare order of vertebrates more closely related to lungfish and tetrapods than to the common ray-finned fishes. The other extant species is the Indonesian coelacanth ("L. menadoensis").

The West Indian Ocean coelacanth was first discovered around the Comoro Islands, Madagascar, and Mozambique in the western Indian Ocean.

This coelacanth was once thought to be evolutionarily conservative, but discoveries have shown there to be initial morphological diversity. It has a vivid blue pigment, and is the better known of the two extant species. The species has been assessed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Q160830
crossopterygian
Concept
Q59166
coelacanth
Concept
Q25241
vertebrates
Concept
Q168422
lungfish
Concept
Q19159
tetrapods
Concept
Q127282
ray-finned fishes
Concept
Q1156533
Indonesian coelacanth
Concept
Q219127
critically endangered
Concept
Q32059
IUCN Red List
Concept
Q668921
West Indian Ocean coelacanth
Concept
Q668921
West Indian Ocean coelacanth
Concept
IUCN conservation status
parent taxon
subclass of