Atacamaia
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| Atacamaia Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinistia |
| Order: | Coelacanthiformes |
| Family: | †Axeliidae |
| Genus: | †Atacamaia Arratia & Schultze, 2015 |
| Species: | †A. solitaria |
| Binomial name | |
| †Atacamaia solitaria Arratia & Schultze, 2015 | |
Atacamaia is an extinct genus of marine coelacanth from the Early Jurassic of Chile. The sole known species, Atacamaia solitaria, was discovered in the Atacama Desert, specifically in the Vaquillas Altas locality, dating to the Sinemurian stage. It is notable for being the first Mesozoic coelacanth found on the Pacific side of Gondwana.[1][2]
Atacamaia belongs to the order Coelacanthiformes, the group encompassing most Mesozoic coelacanths. Prior to its description, it was thought to belong to the family Mawsoniidae. In 2015, it was formally described by Gloria Arratia and Hans-Peter Schultze, who noted its close morphological resemblance to Axelia and Wimania from the Early Triassic of Svalbard. All three genera were reclassified into the family Whiteiidae, a family which was previously only known from the Triassic, which would have made Atacamaia the youngest known member of this lineage.[1] A 2025 taxonomic review of most fossil coelacanths reaffirmed the relationship of Atacamaia to the Triassic Svalbard coelacanths, but instead found evidence for classifying these three genera into their own family, Axeliidae, of which Atacamaia is still the youngest known member.[2]