Hangdawg,
Was the Ceolacanth (sp?), which was believed extinct for 70 million years considered a problem after a few of them were caught and found to have none of the midway modifications to becoming a land animal?
The species of ceolacanth alive today are not represented anywhwere in the fossil record, therefore they couldn't have been thought of as extinct, because they hadn't been discovered yet.
Secondly, the ceolocanths belong to a group of fish called the lobe-fins. And certain lobe fins are said to have spawned terrestrial animals, just not the coelacanths, that's why they don't possess semi-terrestrial characters.
Both morphological & molecular studies point the finger at the Dipnoia (lungfish; another group of lobe-fins) as being the closest extant fish relatives of the early tetrapods. Curiously these DO possess semi-terrestrial traits. What a coincidence that both lines of evidence should agree!
Mark
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