Eoperipatus totoro

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Eoperipatus totoro
Eoperipatus totoro.jpg
First known specimen of Eoperipatus totoro (in Vietnam)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Onychophora
Family: Peripatidae
Genus: Eoperipatus
Species:
E. totoro
Binomial name
Eoperipatus totoro
Oliveira et al., 2013

Eoperipatus totoro is a species of velvet worm of the family Peripatidae discovered in Vietnam in 2007. [1] As of 2013, it is the only velvet worm known from Vietnam. The specific name is derived from caterpillar-like Catbus from the Japanese animated film My Neighbor Totoro. It has a distinct feature from other worms in having uniquely shaped hairs on its body surface. Its ability to spit out nets of sticky glue from its appendages is used for catching prey. [2] Like other velvet worms in this genus, this species exhibits lecithotrophic ovoviviparity; that is, mothers in this genus retain yolky eggs in their uteri. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

The first specimen was caught in Cát Tiên National Park, Vietnam by P.V. Kvartalnov, E.A. Galoyan and I.V. Palko from the Lomonosov Moscow State University and Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre in November 2007. [4] It was described for the first time in 2010 by Vietnamese researchers Thai Dran Bai and Nguyen Duc Anh. [5] But formal description was made only in June 2013 by a team led by Georg Mayer and Ivo de Sena Oliveira from the University of Leipzig, Germany. The type specimen was a male caught in 2009 by Peter Geissler from the Alexander Koenig Research Museum.

Found in the Crocodile Lake area of the park, it is so far the only velvet worm described from Vietnam, although at least one other undescribed species lives in the country. [6] Before 2013, only three valid species of Eoperipatus were recognised in Southeast Asia, and E. totoro as a distinct species was confirmed using detail data from scanning electron microscopy and molecular analysis (mitochondrial COI and 12S rRNA sequences).

The generic name Eoperipatus is derived from an Ancient Greek combining form of Ἠώς (ēṓs), meaning "dawn", and peripatos, meaning "walking about". The specific name totoro was requested by the collectors of the first specimen, who were reminded of the caterpillar-like Catbus from the Japanese animated film My Neighbor Totoro . [2]

Description

Unlike other velvet worms, E. totoro has uniquely shaped hairs on its body surface[ clarification needed ]. These worms spend most of their lives inside moist soil, in rotting logs or under rocks. They come out only during rainy season [ clarification needed ], and therefore, are not easily seen. They can spit out jets of sticky adhesive fluid from two appendages on their back, by which they capture small prey. The "glue" is composed of a mixture of proteins in which prey can be entangled. [6]

This species can reach 65 mm (2.6 in.) in length. Females have 24 pairs of legs; males have 23 pairs of legs. Diagnostic features include distinct types of scales on the ventral side of the body, the inner structure of the circular pits on the male genital pad, and the position and size of the anal gland pads in males. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catbus</span> Fictional character in My Neighbor Totoro

Catbus is a fictional supporting character in the Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is a large, grinning, twelve-legged cat with a large bushy tail and a hollow body that serves as a bus, with windows and seats covered with fur. The character's popularity has led to a spinoff short film, toys for children, an art car, and an exhibit in the Ghibli Museum. Catbus is believed to be based on the Japanese bakeneko, an ancient urban legend where cats that grow old learn to shapeshift. In the original Japanese version of My Neighbor Totoro, Catbus is voiced by Naoki Tatsuta, whilst in the Disney English release, Catbus is voiced by Frank Welker, and by voice actor Carl Macek in the Streamline Pictures release.

Macroperipatus is a genus of Neotropical velvet worms in the Peripatidae family. Velvet worms in this genus can have as few as 24 pairs of legs or as many as 42 leg pairs. This genus is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.

Opisthopatus roseus is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. As traditionally defined, this species is rose pink with 18 pairs of legs. Known as the pink velvet worm, it is found only in the Weza Forest, a Mistbelt Forest in South Africa. Specimens have been found on the forest floor amongst leaf litter, beneath, and within fallen logs.

Speleoperipatus is a monospecific genus of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family, containing the single species Speleoperipatus spelaeus. This species is a pale greenish yellow, almost white, with 22 or 23 pairs of legs and no eyes. Specimens range from 27 mm to 34 mm in length. The minimum number of leg pairs found in this species (22) is also the minimum number found in the neotropical Peripatidae. This velvet worm is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.

<i>Typhloperipatus</i> Genus and species of velvet worm

Typhloperipatus is a genus of velvet worm in the family Peripatidae, containing the sole species Typhloperipatus williamsoni. This genus is notable for containing the only species in the phylum Onychophora found in South Asia. This species is also striking in that this velvet worm shows no trace of eyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peripatidae</span> Family of invertebrate animals

Peripatidae is a family of velvet worms. The oldest putative representatives of the family herald from Burmese amber dated to the mid-Cretaceous, around 100 million years ago, with representatives from Dominican and Baltic amber attesting to a broader distribution in the Palaeogene / Neogene; molecular variability suggests that the family's crown group may have arisen in the early Mesozoic.

<i>Eoperipatus</i> Genus of velvet worms

Eoperipatus is a Southeast Asian genus of velvet worm in the family Peripatidae. The number of legs in this genus varies within species as well as among species and ranges from 22 pairs to 25 pairs. This genus exhibits lecithotrophic ovoviviparity; that is, mothers in this genus retain yolky eggs in their uteri.

<i>Epiperipatus</i> Genus of velvet worms

Epiperipatus is the most diverse genus of neotropical velvet worms in the family Peripatidae. Species in this genus are found in Central and South America. Velvet worms in this genus can have as few as 23 pairs of legs or as many as 39 leg pairs. This genus is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.

Heteroperipatus is a genus of Central American velvet worms in the Peripatidae family. The number of legs in this genus varies within species as well as among species and ranges from 26 pairs to 32 pairs. This genus is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.

<i>Oroperipatus</i> Genus of velvet worms

Oroperipatus is a genus of Neotropical velvet worms in the family Peripatidae. Species in this genus are found in South America west of the Andes and in Mexico. Velvet worms in this genus can have as few as 22 pairs of legs or as many as 40 leg pairs. This genus is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.

Cerradopatus is a monospecific genus of velvet worm containing the single species Cerradopatus sucuriuensis. Males of this species have 28 or 29 pairs of legs; females have 30 to 32. This species is native to the Brazilian savannah. This species is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.

Eoperipatus horsti is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. This species is brown with pale spots and a darker line running down the middle of its back. Females of this species have 24 or 25 pairs of legs; males have 23 or 24, usually 23. The males of this species can reach 40 mm in length, and the females can reach 46 mm in length, but the average specimen is 34 mm in length. The type locality is in West Malaysia.

Eoperipatus butleri is a Malaysian species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family.

Eoperipatus weldoni is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. This velvet worm is dark brown with pale spots and a darker line running down the middle of its back. The ventral surface is yellowish grey with small spots of brown. This species has 23 to 25 pairs of legs and can reach 65 mm in length, but the average specimen is 58 mm in length. The type locality is in West Malaysia.

Epiperipatus brasiliensis is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. Males of this species have 29 pairs of legs; females have 31 or 33. This species ranges from 37 mm to 80 mm in length. The type locality is in Pará, Brazil. Epiperipatus vagans from Barro Colorado Island (Panama) was originally described as subspecies of Epiperipatus brasiliensis, but is now treated as a full species.

Epiperipatus machadoi is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. This species is dark brown with a series of light brown arcs on each side forming circles down its back and ranges from 20 mm to 66 mm in length. Males of this species have 27 to 29 pairs of legs, usually 28; females have 28 to 31, usually 31. The type locality is in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Peripatus dominicae is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. Males of this species have 25 pairs of legs; females can have 28 to 31 pairs of legs, but usually have 29. Females in this species range in size from 29 mm to 56 mm in length, while males range from 17 mm to 25 mm in length. The original description of preserved specimens report that this species is usually reddish brown with a diffuse darker streak down the middle of the back, with a much paler "light grey or greyish yellow" ventral surface. Like other neotropical peripatid velvet worms, this species is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta. The type locality is in Dominica.

Peripatus evelinae is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. The male of this species has 33 pairs of legs; females have 35 or 36 leg pairs. This species has more legs than any other species of Peripatus; the females of the other species have at most 34 leg pairs, and the males have at most 32. The original description of P. evelinae was based on two specimens and reported females with 32 and 34 leg pairs, but another examination of these specimens revealed a male with 33 leg pairs and a female with 35 leg pairs instead as well as numerous embryos, including females with 35 and 36 leg pairs. The male specimen is 44 mm long; the female is 65 mm long. The type locality is in Goiás, Brazil.

Mongeperipatus solorzanoi, the Solórzano's velvet worm, is the largest known species of velvet worm and a member of the Peripatidae family. Like other Neotropical peripatid velvet worms, this species is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.

Mongeperipatus is a genus of velvet worms in the family Peripatidae from Costa Rica. The species in this genus are notable for their large size and for the degree of sexual dimorphism that they exhibit in the number of legs: females have 37 to 41 pairs, several more than the males, which have only 32 to 34 pairs. This genus is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.

References

  1. Oliveira I.; Hering L. & Mayer, G. "Updated Onychophora checklist". Onychophora Website. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Oliveira Ide S, Schaffer S, Kvartalnov PV, Galoyan EA, Palko IV, Weck-Heimann A, Geissler P, Ruhbergh H, Mayer G (2013). "A new species of Eoperipatus (Onychophora) from Vietnam reveals novel morphological characters for the South-East Asian Peripatidae". Zoologischer Anzeiger. 252 (4): 495–510. doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2013.01.001.
  3. Mayer, Georg; Franke, Franziska Anni; Treffkorn, Sandra; Gross, Vladimir; de Sena Oliveira, Ivo (2015), Wanninger, Andreas (ed.), "Onychophora", Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Invertebrates 3, Vienna: Springer Vienna, pp. 53–98, doi:10.1007/978-3-7091-1865-8_4, ISBN   978-3-7091-1864-1 , retrieved 2023-02-15
  4. Pavel Kvartalnov (25 November 2007). "About Totoro [in Russian]". livejournal.com. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  5. Thai Dran Bai; Nguyen Duc Anh (2010). "Discovery of Eoperipatus sp. (Peripatidae), the first representative of Onychophora in Vietnam". Academia Journal of Biology (Hanoi). 32 (4): 36–39.
  6. 1 2 Douglas Main (21 August 2013). "New Glue-Spitting Velvet Worm Found in Vietnam". livescience.com. TechMedia Network. Retrieved 28 August 2013.