Megalocoelacanthus

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]

Megalocoelacanthus Temporal range: Cretaceous, 87–66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N [1][2]
Megalocoelocanthus 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
Species
Megalocoelocanthus dobiei

References

1. "†Megalocoelacanthus Schwimmer et al. 1994 (coelacanth)". PBDB.
2. "Giant fossil coelacanths of the Late Cretaceous in the eastern United States". Geology. 22: 503–506. 1994-06-01. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0503:GFCOTL>2.3.CO;2. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
3. The Triassic-Jurassic Terrestrial Transition
4. A giant marine coelacanth from the Jurassic of Normandy, France
5. Dutel H, Maisey JG, Schwimmer DR, 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 7(11): e49911. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049911

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