Coelodus Heckel, 1854

Poyato-Ariza F. J. & Wenz S., 2002, A new insight into pycnodontiform fishes, Geodiversitas 24 (1), pp. 139-248 : 222

Genus Coelodus Heckel, 1854 sensu stricto

TYPE SPECIES. — Coelodus saturnus Heckel, 1854 .

INCLUDED SPECIES. — Monotypic genus.

REVISED DIAGNOSIS. — Derived pycnodontid fish with the following autapomorphies: prearticular teeth extremely elongated, up to five times longer perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the bone; diastema in caudal endoskeleton present, separating hypochordal elements 7 and 8. Unique combination of reverted primitive and derived characters: mouth gape subhorizontal; body ovoid in contour, maximum body height about 60% of standard length; caudal pedicle long, well differentiated; 11 teeth on main prearticular tooth row; grooves on vomerine and prearticular teeth present; about 31 vertebrae; 10 or 11 hypochordal elements in caudal endoskeleton, some of them hypertrophied; caudal fin double emarginated in distal contour; dorsal ridge scales separated from each other; no spines on dorsal ridge scales.