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Megalocoelacanthus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 87–66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Megalocoelacanthus dobiei mounted skull in the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park, Colorado
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Sarcopterygii
Class:	Actinistia
Order:	Coelacanthiformes
Family:	Latimeriidae
Genus:	†Megalocoelacanthus Schwimmer et al., 1994
Species:	†M. dobiei
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 metres (11–15 ft) in length.

References

1. Megalocoelacanthus in the Paleobiology Database
2. Schwimmer, David R.; Stewart, J. D.; Williams, G. Dent (1994-06-01). "Giant fossil coelacanths of the Late Cretaceous in the eastern United States". Geology. 22 (6): 503–506. Bibcode:1994Geo....22..503S. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0503:GFCOTL>2.3.CO;2. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
3. Jerry D. Harris, Spencer G. Lucas, Justin A. Speilmann, Martin G. Lockley, Andrew R.C. Milner, James I. Kirkland (2006). "The Triassic-Jurassic Terrestrial Transition". New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Bulletin. 37: 518. ISSN 1524-4156.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. Dutel, Hugo; Pennetier, Elisabeth; Pennetier, Gérard (2014-07-29). "A giant marine coelacanth from the Jurassic of Normandy, France". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34 (5): 1239–1242. Bibcode:2014JVPal..34.1239D. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.838176. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 130632357.
5. Dutel, H.; Maisey, J.P.; 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. 7 (11): e49911. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...749911D. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049911. PMC 3507921. PMID 23209614.

v t e 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 †Ngamugawi †Rebellatrix †Scleracanthus †Shoshonia †Styloichthys? †Youngichthys †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 †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 Graulia Lualabaea Mawsonia Parnaibaia Rhipis Latimeriidae †Foreyia †Holophagus Latimeria †Libys †Macropoma †Macropomoides †Megalocoelacanthus †Rieppelia †Swenzia †Ticinepomis †Undina

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

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• Cretaceous bony fish
• Prehistoric lobe-finned fish genera
• Latimeriidae
• Cretaceous animals of North America
• Fossil taxa described in 1994
• Prehistoric lobe-finned fish stubs
• Cretaceous fish stubs