Enhancing African coelacanth monitoring using environmental DNA.

Coelacanths are rare, elusive, ancient lobe-finned fish species, residing in poorly accessible tropical marine caves and requiring close monitoring and protection. Environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches are being increasingly applied in the detection of rare and threatened species. Here we devise an eDNA approach to detect the presence of African coelacanths () off the eastern coast of South Africa.