Sulawesi Coelacanth Latimeria menadoensis
Abstract
To test the assumption of the existence of a possible new population of coelacanth in Indonesia, we sequenced the mitochondrial DNA from cytochrome b and 12s rDNA genes, and described the morphological features of the specimen discovered on July 1998. Significant differences in base sequences revealed that the Comorean and the Indonesian coelacanth belong to distinct populations. Estimation of divergence time, high transition-transversion ratios, preponderance of third position silent substitution, strong morphological differentiation and geographical isolation led us to consider that the Indonesian coelacanth is a new species, Latimeria menadoensis n. sp., closely related to L. chalumnae.
Keywords: coelacanth / new species / cytochrome 6 / 12s rDNA / Indonesia
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