The lungs of extinct and extant coelacanths: a morphological and histological review
How to cite: Meunier, F. J., Cupello, C., Herbin, M., Clément, G., & Brito, P. M. (2021). The lungs of extinct and extant coelacanths: a morphological and histological review. Cybium, 45(1): 21-30. https://doi.org/10.26028/CYBIUM/2021-451-002
This review deals with recent studies on the lungs of fossil and extant coelacanths with classical techniques (dissections, photonic histology) and modern techniques (SEM, X-ray tomography). This recent knowledge allows to attest the homology between: i) the large bony plates of the calcified organ of extinct coelacanths and the small plates that surround the lung of the extant coelacanth Latimeria; ii) the (supposed functional) lung covered with bony plates of extinct coelacanths and the vestigial (non-functional) lung of the extant coelacanth Latimeria. These results point the fatty organ of Latimeria as probably a mesenteric specialization, questioning its previous attribution to its pulmonary origin.