Specimen image via iDigBio · CC0
Peripatus
Sign in to saveAlso known as Velvet worm
Peripatus is a genus of velvet worms in the Peripatidae family. The name "peripatus" (unitalicised and uncapitalised) is also used to refer to the Onychophora as a whole, although this group comprises many other genera besides Peripatus. The genus Peripatus is found in Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. This genus is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 89
- With media
- 18
- Family
- Peripatidae
- Collections
- INHS, SAM, MCZ, UMZC, GNM, CAS
- Recorded in
- Venezuela, Guyana, Mexico, New Zealand, Virgin Islands, U.S., Martinique, South Africa, Ecuador
~2 min read
Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Description
- Species
- Former species
- References
- External links
Peripatus is a genus of velvet worms in the Peripatidae family. The name "peripatus" (unitalicised and uncapitalised) is also used to refer to the Onychophora as a whole, although this group comprises many other genera besides Peripatus. The genus Peripatus is found in Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. This genus is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.
== Description == Velvet worms in this genus may have as few as 24 or 25 pairs of legs (in P. antiguensis or P. dominicae, respectively) or as many as 36 leg pairs (in P. evelinae). Males in this genus bear crural tubercles on more than two pregenital leg pairs. The dorsal primary papillae in this genus feature an apical piece that is larger than the basal piece.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Peripatus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.