358 CHARLES R. EASTMAN 



The earliest known representative of the family is a small form 

 occurring in the lower part of the Upper Devonian near Gerolstein, 

 in the Eifel District, first described by A, von Koenen' in 1895, and 

 referred by him with some hesitation to Holoptychius, but afterward 

 recognized by Smith Woodward^ as an undoubted Coelacanth, and 

 transferred by him to the typical genus. Prior to this discovery the 

 opinion had been generally entertained that, owing to the sudden 

 appearance of Coelacanth fishes in a complete state of development 

 in the Calciferous sandstones of Scotland, it was necessary to postulate 

 the existence of their ancestors during the Devonian, notwithstanding 

 their apparent failure to be preserved in both Europe and North 

 America. In fact, the oldest remains of Coelacanth fishes hitherto 

 found in this country are in strata of Coal Measure Age, and the few 

 species that are known are poorly or at best indifferently preserved. 

 Under these circumstances it is interesting to record the discovery, 

 made by Dr. Stuart Weller a few years ago, of an unusually perfect 

 example of Coelacanthus from the very base of the Mississippian 

 series near Burlington, Iowa. The exact horizon whence the specimen 

 was obtained is the blue shale bed forming the basal member of the 

 Kinderhook limestone, and designated as No. i in the local section 

 whose fauna is analyzed by Dr. Weller in Vol. X of the Iowa Geological 

 Survey Reports (p. 69 ff .) . In recognition of the important results 

 achieved by the author of Kinderhook Faunal Studies, and also as a 

 testimonial of personal regard, we have pleasure in presenting the 

 following description under a specific title dedicated in his honor. It 

 should be stated that the holotype is preserved in the Walker Museum 

 of the University of Chicago, and for the privilege of studying it in 

 behalf of the Iowa Geological Survey the writer desires to express 

 here his indebtedness to Dr. Weller. 



Coelacanthus welleri, sp. nov. 



Holotype, a somewhat imperfect fish, the total length of which to 

 the base of the caudal fin is about 19''"^, or a little more than three 

 times the length of the head with opercular apparatus. Trunk 



1 A. Von Koenen, "Ueber einige Fischreste des norddeutschen und bShmischen 

 Devons," Abhandl. k. Ges. Wiss. Gottingen, phys. CI. (1895), Vol. XL, p. 28. 



2 A. S. Woodward, "Note on a Devonian Coelacanth Fish." Geol. Mag. (1898), 

 Dec. 4, Vol. V, p. 529. 



