DEVONIAN FISHES OF IOWA 245 



discovery of an entire specimen has completely modified my 

 views. It now appears that besides the fins of so exceptional a 

 structure, which I regarded as anal and dorsal, this fish has a 

 very distinct normal anal and two dorsals. Now, unless the 

 existence of three dorsal and two anal fins of very different 

 structure — an arrangement which occurs in no known genus of 

 fishes — be admitted, it is necessary to regard the terminal fin of 

 the body as a caudal. For the rest, this is not the only known 

 example of a caudal supported by inter-apophysial bones, the 

 caudal of Polypterus bichir being supported by similar bones, 

 at least in its upper lobe. What is truly exceptional is the pro- 

 longation of the tail beyond these rays, and the little fascicle of 

 articulated rays surrounding its extremity. . . . 



"The most important difference [as compared with other 

 Coelacanths] is presented by the dentition. The genus Undina 

 has, according to Minister, pavement-like teeth very similar to 

 those of certain Pycnodonts. Coelacanthus, on the other hand, 

 has conical teeth like the Sauroids, and everything leads to the 

 belief that it is a carniverous fish, so that, far from belonging 

 to the same genus, it is doubtful whether it belongs to the same 

 family. Leaving the caudal aside, the other fins of the genus 

 Coelacanthus present a very simple structure, composed of slen- 

 der but not dichotomous rays. The first dorsal corresponds to 

 [i. e., arises opposite] the extremity of the pectorals. The sec- 

 ond is opposite the space between the ventrals and the anal. 

 The anal itself is very closely approximated to the caudal. This 

 last fin (comprising in it the bundle of articulated rays which 

 fringes the extremity of the vertebral column) nearly equals 

 one-third of the total length of the fish. The vertebrae are much 

 higher than they are long towards the anterior part of the trunk, 

 but they become sensibly elongated posteriorly. The same is 

 true of the apophyses, which, very slender in the abdominal 

 region, take on a much greater development in the caudal region. 

 The scales, to judge from the fragment of C. granulosus, are 

 large, elongated, and have their posterior margin rounded. I 

 have not been able to ascertain whether they are enamelled or 

 not, but the fact that they are found in strata older than the Jura 

 leads me to suppose that, as in all the fishes of that age, they 

 were invested with a layer of enamel. Their extreme thinness, 

 no doubt, has made them too fragile to be commonly preserved. 

 I conclude from this description that the genus Coelacanthus, 

 although near the genus Undina of Count Minister, is neverthe- 

 less distinct from it, and that the latter should therefore form 

 a separate type of the Coelacanth family." 



