Coelacanth

Scientific name : Latimeria menadoensis

Large fish living in deep water, with unique charachters. The second dorsal, anal, pectoral and ventral fins have a short articulated pedoncle. The tail is divided into 3 lobes, with the central more prominent. Large head, strong teeth. Dark brown colour with white blotches and golden flecks. 124 cm. It lives at a depth between 150 and 300 m, along volcanic islands external slopes. Presumably nocturnal. Extremely unlikely to be observed during fish watching.
Two distinct Latimeria species exist, separated on genetical basis. Morphologically L. chalumnae (Comores) and L. menadoensis (North Sulawesi) are very similar. the only obvious difference is the colour, blue with white blotches in the former, brown with white blotches and golden flecks in the latter.