Description

Whiteia oishii sp.
Coelacanth
Late Triassic
Noe Bihati, West Timor, Indonesia

225mm concretion with 142mm coelacanth and 106mm partial fish.

Fish. Association. Rare.

Whiteia is an extinct genus of coelacanth known from the Triassic of Indonesia, Madagascar, and North America (British Columbia). Coelacanths represent an ancient and once diverse lineage of fishes that has been able to navigate through mass extinctions but it has become vulnerable in today’s world – represented by just two species in one genus.

Coelacanths are so unique that there are collectors who specialize in acquiring specimens from different fossil localities.  In the old days, you would see them at shows from the Carboniferous of Montana or the Triassic of Madagascar. This specimen comes from one of the lesser-known sites.

An interesting association piece with part of another larger fish (representing another group) preserved.