Figure 7. – A-C in The lungs of extinct and extant coelacanths: a morphological and histological review

Figure 7. – A-C: †Axelrodichthys araripensis from the Cretaceous of Brazil ("Josa collection"; specimen deposited at the MNHN, Paris). SEM images of the bony plates of the lung. A: External view of bony plates of the lung. Succession of bony plates are visible on the right (white asterisk). B: Detail of the external surface of bony plates (see white asterisk of Fig. 7A). Each bumpy relief (white arrowheads) corresponds to a spheritic mineralization. C: Detail of a spheritic mineralized bulk. D: Detail of some mineralized spherules (arrowheads). An osteocyte is seen (white asterisk) with one osteocytic canalicle (white arrow). Scale bars: A = 200 μm; B, C = 20 μm; D = 5 μm. Deposited at the Laboratoire de Paléontologie, MNHN, Paris.