Chinlea is an extinct genus of late Triassic Mawsoniid coelacanth fish found in and named after the Chinle Formation that crops out in the southwestern states of Arizona and New Mexico.

[3] However Schaeffer differentiated Chinlea from Dilpurus by its greater posterior extension of the supratemporal; increased ossification of the extrascapulars; a robust antroventral process on the lateral rostral; larger and triangular postorbital; longer dentary with notched posterior border; anteriorly narrowed angular; small, numerous, closely spaced teeth on dentary; large, tusk-like teeth on premaxilla dermopalatine, possibly ectopterygoid, and precoracoid; and no denticles on anterior borders of the dorsal and caudal fins.

[6][8] Unlike marine Latimeriids which include the one genus of extant coelacanths, Mawsoniids could also inhabit fresh or brackish water.

[6] The fluvial and lacustrine depositions in the Chinle Formation suggest an area with large bodies of water and a seasonal monsoonal climate.

[9][10] Chinlea lived alongside their likely prey Ceratodus (lungfish) that made burrows to avoid desiccation and lie dormant, giving evidence of a dry season.