Coelacanth
Diplurus newarki (Bryant, 1934)
Late Triassic
Lockatong Formation
North Bergen, New Jersey
Age - Late
Triassic -
Occurrence - Location Specific
I’ve only collected a few
times in northern NJ and what success I’ve had can be attributed to the
advice of the friends I’ve collected with or just luck. With this in
mind I’ll keep be keeping the verbiage to a minimum and concentrate on
.some of my finds.
Sometimes called the “Living than Fossil” coelacanths are best
known for their
fleshy "lobed" or limb-like fins that are internally
supported by bone. These fish were thought to be extinct
until a living coelacanth was discovered off the coast of Southeast
Africa in
1938.
Diplurus newarki is
a fresh water coelacanth and small individuals may be found in high
concentrations in certain layers of the Lockatong Formation but the
preservation can be poor. Finding a complete fish in good condition can
be a challenge.
Diplurus newarki 9 cm
(professionally prepped)
Excellent preservation on this specimen. This piece of shale was
encrusted in mud and sat for over a week until I got
around to washing the mud off.
Click on the individual sections for a close up.
Before and after prepping images.
Isolated fins, skulls and bone are common. Most of the fish are partials
or just faint impressions.
This fish is almost complete with the skull on the left partially
covered and the tail plainly visible.
. This example is an impression.
Isolated skulls are common, a few scales are visible directly behind the
skull (black arrow)
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