What is "latimeria"

Latimeria \Latimeria\ prop. n. The type genus of the Latimeridae, including the coelacanth.

Syn: genus Latimeria.

Latimeria is a rare genus of fish that includes two extant species: West Indian Ocean coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) and the Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis). They follow the oldest known living lineage of Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish and tetrapods), which means they are more closely related to lungfish, reptiles and mammals than to the common ray-finned fishes. They are found along the coastlines of the Indian Ocean and Indonesia. Since there are only two species of coelacanth and both are threatened, it is the most endangered genus of animals in the world. The West Indian Ocean coelacanth is a critically endangered species.