Actinistia

Actinistia Temporal range: Devonian–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
West Indian Ocean coelacanth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Sarcopterygii
Subclass:	Actinistia Cope, 1871
Orders and families
†Miguashaiidae †Diplocercidae †Hadronectoridae †Rhabdodermatidae †Laugiidae Coelacanthiformes
Synonyms
Coelacanthimorpha

Whiteia fossils

Actinistia is a subclass of mostly fossil lobe-finned fishes. This subclass contains the coelacanths (Order Coelacanthiformes), including the two living species of coelacanths, both of the genus Latimeria: the West Indian Ocean coelacanth and the Indonesian coelacanth.

Taxonomy[]

• Class Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fishes and tetrapods)
  • Subclass Actinistia
    • Family Miguashaiidae (Devonian)
      • †Miguashaia
    • Family Diplocercidae (Devonian and Lower Carboniferous)
      • †Dictyonosteus
      • †Diplocercides (Nesides)
    • Family Hadronectoridae
      • †Allenypterus
      • †Hadronector
      • †Holopterygius
      • †Lochmocercus
      • †Polyosteorhynchus
      • †Spermatodus
    • Family Rhabdodermatidae (Primarily Carboniferous)
      • †Caridosuctor
      • †Rhabdoderma
      • †Sassenia
    • Family Laugiidae (Lower Triassic to Lower Cretaceous)
      • †Coccoderma
      • †Laugia
      • †Trachymetopon
    • Order Coelacanthiformes (coelacanths)
      • †Family Whiteiidae
      • †Family Rebellatricidae
      • Suborder Latimerioidei
        • †Family Mawsoniidae
        • Family Latimeriidae

Phylogeny[]

A, Miguashaia bureaui, Shultze, 1973, Upper Devonian (Frasnian), Migausha, Canada;
B, Diplocercides heiligostockiensis, Jessen (1966), Upper Devonian (Frasnian), Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany;
C, Serenichthys kowiensis gen. et sp. nov., Upper Devonian (Famennian), Grahamstown, South Africa;
D, Allenypterus montanus Melton 1969, Lower Carboniferous (Namurian), Montana, USA;
E, Rhabdoderma elegans, (Newberry, 1856), Upper Carboniferous (Westphalian), Linton, Ohio, USA;
F, Latimeria chalumnae Smith 1939, recent, east coast of Africa.

The following cladograms are based on multiple sources.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The Early Triassic Rebellatrix had a forked caudal fin and was a fast swimmer

The Middle Triassic Foreyia maxkuhni had an unusual body shape for a coelacanth

See also[]

• Lazarus taxon

References[]