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Latimeria chalumnae

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA SARCOPTERYGII COELACANTHIFORMES LATIMERIIDAE

Scientific Name: Latimeria chalumnae
Species Authority: Smith, 1939
Common Name/s:
English – Coelacanth, Gombessa
French – Coelacanthe
Spanish – Celecanto

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Critically Endangered A2cd, C2b ver 2.3
Year Published: 2000
Annotations:
Needs updating
Assessor/s: Musick, J.A.
Reviewer/s:
Contributor/s:
History:
1996 – Endangered
1994 – Vulnerable (Groombridge 1994)
1990 – Vulnerable (IUCN 1990)
1988 – Insufficiently Known (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: Known as the "living fossil", this species occurs in the Indo-West Pacific in the vicinity of the Grand Comoro and Anjouan islands, the coast of South Africa, Madagascar, and Mozambique.
Countries:
Native:
Comoros; Indonesia
Regionally extinct:
South Africa
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:
Native:
Atlantic – southeast; Indian Ocean – western
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population Trend: Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: L. chalumnae is a nocturnal hunter, sheltering within caves throughout the day and foraging at night on squid and other fish species.
Systems: Marine

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: It is listed on CITES Appendix I
Citation: Musick, J.A. 2000. Latimeria chalumnae. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 June 2013.
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