▁Lat imer ia ▁ch al um na e ▁was ▁first ▁found ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 8 . ▁In ▁keeping ▁with ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁river ▁names , ▁' kow i ensis ' ▁is ▁after ▁the ▁K owie ▁River ▁which ▁has ▁its ▁head w aters ▁in ▁the ▁hills ▁surrounding ▁the ▁site , ▁while ▁' Ser en ich th ys ' ▁hon ours ▁Ser ena ▁G ess , ▁who ▁provided ▁storage ▁space ▁for ▁some ▁ 7 0 ▁tons ▁of ▁foss il - b ear ing ▁black ▁sh ale . ▁ ▁Co el ac anth s ▁are ▁thought ▁to ▁have ▁origin ated ▁in ▁the ▁Dev onian , ▁ 4 1 9 . 2 ▁ ± ▁ 3 . 2 ▁million ▁years ▁ago . ▁Five ▁species ▁of ▁re construct able ▁co el ac anth ▁were ▁previously ▁known ▁from ▁this ▁period , ▁and ▁were ▁found ▁in ▁North ▁America , ▁Europe , ▁China ▁and ▁Australia . ▁At ▁the ▁time ▁these ▁foss ils ▁formed ▁in ▁an ▁est u ary ▁adjacent ▁to ▁the ▁semi - en closed ▁Ag ul has ▁Sea , ▁Africa ▁was ▁still ▁part ▁of ▁G ond w ana , ▁together ▁with ▁India , ▁Australia , ▁Ant arct ica ▁and ▁South ▁America . ▁All ▁the ▁whole ▁impress ions ▁found ▁were ▁of ▁ju ven iles , ▁suggesting ▁that ▁S . ▁k owi ensis ▁was ▁using ▁this ▁shall ow ▁est u ary ▁as ▁a ▁nur ser y , ▁behaviour ▁still ▁seen ▁in ▁modern ▁fish . ▁The ▁ext ant ▁co el ac anth , ▁Lat imer ia , ▁be ars ▁live ▁young