Epiperipatus hilkae

Last updated

Epiperipatus hilkae
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Onychophora
Family: Peripatidae
Genus: Epiperipatus
Species:
E. hilkae
Binomial name
Epiperipatus hilkae
Morera-Brenes & Monge-Nájera, 1990

Epiperipatus hilkae is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. [1] This species is found in Costa Rica. This velvet worm is closely related to another species of Epiperipatus found in Costa Rica, E. isthmicola . [2] [3] The species E. hilkae is named in honor of the German zoologist Hilke Ruhberg for her extensive work on velvet worms. [2]

Contents

Discovery

This species was first described in 1990 by the biologists Bernal Morera-Brenes and Julián Monge-Nájera. They based the original description of this species on a female holotype and eight other specimens (five males and three females). [2] Morera-Brenes collected the holotype in Barra Honda National Park in 1985, in the canton of Nicoya in the province of Guanacaste in Costa Rica. [3] After capture, the holotype gave birth to four paratypes (one female and three males, including the male allotype). The holotype and four paratypes are deposited in the zoology museum of the University of Costa Rica in San José, Costa Rica. [2] [4] The other specimens (two males and two females) were collected in the Curú Wildlife Refuge on the Nicoya Penninsula in Costa Rica. [2] Because the original description of this species is based on specimens from two locations 62 km apart from one another, authorities suspect a species complex. [5] [6] [3]

Description

The female holotype measured 56 mm in length; the newborn paratypes ranged from 1.2 mm to 1.8 mm in length. [2] Males of this species have 25 to 27 pairs of legs; females have 28 to 29 pairs. [2] [7] [8] The dorsal surface of the body is dark brown with a series of light reddish brown hexagons along the middle of the back. [7] The ventral surface is pink until the sixth leg pair, where it becomes dark brown. Brown lines down the middle of both the back and the ventral surface are darker than the rest of the body. [2]

The external jaw blade features two accessory teeth in addition to the main tooth. The presence of two accessory teeth here distinguishes this species from others in the genus Epiperipatus in Central America. The internal jaw blade features one accessory tooth and twelve denticles in addition to the main tooth. [2]

The soles of the feet feature four pads, except for the last two pairs of legs, which are rudimentary. The first three pads on the feet are well-developed, but the fourth pad is rudimentary. The fourth and fifth leg pairs feature nephridial tubercles that are free from the third pad and only partly surrounded by the rudimentary fourth pad. Each leg features three-foot papillae, two anterior and one posterior. In males of this species, the two pregenital leg pairs feature crural tubercles, with two tubercles at the base of each leg. [2]

The dorsal surface of each body segment features twelve skin folds, with seven that reach the ventral side and five that are incomplete. These folds are divided only by the channel running down the middle of the back. The primary papillae are conical with rounded bases. [2] The apical piece of these papillae is symmetric, with two or three scale ranks, and the basal piece features four or five scale ranks. [7]

This species exhibits traits considered diagnostic for the genus Epiperipatus. These traits include the number of pregenital legs with crural papillae in males and the number of scale ranks at the base of the primary papillae. Furthermore, like other species in this genus, this species features nephridial tubercles on the fourth and fifth leg pairs, with each tubercle located between the third and fourth pads on the soles of the feet. [2] [9]

This species shares a more extensive set of traits with its close relative E. isthmicola. For example, these two species exhibit similar coloration and the same general shape of both jaw blades. [2] Furthermore, both species feature only four pads on their feet, with a rudimentary fourth pad that is reduced in size, and a nephridial tubercle detached from the third pad. [7] Moreover, both species feature some dorsal folds (plicae) that are incomplete. [7] [10]

These two close relatives can be distinguished, however, based on other traits. For example, E. hilkae features two accessory teeth on the outer jaw blade, [2] whereas E. isthmicola features only one accessory tooth. [10] Furthermore, E. hilkae features only four or five scale ranks on the basal piece of the primary papillae, whereas E. isthmicola features about fourteen scale ranks. [7]

Related Research Articles

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

Peripatus is a genus of velvet worms in the Peripatidae family. The name "peripatus" 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.

<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 contains the only species in the phylum Onychophora found in South Asia. This species is also striking in that this velvet worm shows no external trace of eyes, although rudimentary optical vesicles are present internally. This species is also notable for featuring males with the minimum number of legs recorded in any velvet worm in the family Peripatidae.

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

Eoperipatus is a genus of velvet worms in the family Peripatidae. These velvet worms have been reported from locations throughout Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 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. 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. This genus is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.

<i>Eoperipatus totoro</i> Species of velvet worm

Eoperipatus totoro is a species of velvet worm of the family Peripatidae. This species is notable as the first velvet worm from Vietnam to be formally described. As of 2024, E. totoro remains the only species of velvet worm from Vietnam to be described.

Principapillatus is a monospecific genus of velvet worm containing the single species Principapillatus hitoyensis. Males of this species have 26 to 29 pairs of legs, usually 27 or 28; females have 30 to 32, usually 30 or 31. This velvet worm is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta. This species was discovered in Costa Rica.

Eoperipatus horsti is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. Authorities have designated this velvet worm as the type species for the genus Eoperipatus, because among the species originally included in this genus, this species is the only one known from descriptions of both sexes. This species is found in Malaysia.

<i>Epiperipatus biolleyi</i> Species of velvet worm

Epiperipatus biolleyi is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. This species is red, without any pattern, on its dorsal surface. Females of this species have 28 to 32 pairs of legs; males have 25 to 30. Females range from 18 mm to 75 mm in length, with a mean length of 52 mm, whereas males range from 18 mm to 55 mm, with a mean length of 38 mm. The type locality is in Costa Rica.

<i>Epiperipatus brasiliensis</i> Species of velvet worm

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 cratensis is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatidae. This species is found in northeastern Brazil. This velvet worm is notable as a small species of Epiperipatus with many legs.

<i>Epiperipatus edwardsii</i> Species of velvet worm

Epiperipatus edwardsii is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatidae. Females of this species have 29 to 34 pairs of legs; males have 28 to 30. Females range from 23 mm to 56 mm in length, whereas males range from 25 mm to 30 mm. The type locality is in French Guiana.

Macroperipatus valerioi is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. Females of this species have 34 pairs of legs. The type locality is in Costa Rica.

Oroperipatus peruvianus is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. Males of this species have 34 pairs of legs; females have 36 or 37 pairs. This velvet worm is found in Peru.

Peripatus dominicae is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. The type locality for this species is on the Caribbean island of Dominica. Although the Canadian zoologist Stewart Peck introduced the name Peripatus dominicae dominicae in 1975 to distinguish the original species from other subspecies then assigned to P. dominicae, authorities now deem these subspecies to be separate species in light of the significant distances between their type localities.

<i>Peripatus juanensis</i> Species of velvet worm

Peripatus juanensis is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family discovered in Puerto Rico in 1900. As of 2018, it is the only velvet worm found in Puerto Rico. Females of this species have 31 or 32 pairs of legs; males have 27.

Mongeperipatus solorzanoi, also known as Solórzano's velvet worm, is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatidae. This species is the largest known velvet worm, reaching 22 cm in length. This velvet worm is found in the Caribbean coastal forest of Costa Rica.

Mongeperipatus is a genus of velvet worms in the family Peripatidae from Costa Rica. The biologists José Pablo Barquero-González, Steven Sánchez-Vargas, and Bernal Morera-Brenes introduced this genus in 2020 to contain the newly discovered type species, M. kekoldi, together with another species, M. solorzanoi. A phylogenetic analysis using DNA sequences placed these two species in their own monophyletic clade. Furthermore, these two species share morphological characters that indicate that these species do not belong in the other genera and instead belong together in a separate genus. The genus Mongeperipatus is named in honor of the Costa Rican biologist Julián Monge-Nájera.

Epiperipatus hyperbolicus is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatidae. This velvet worm is known only from its type locality in the state of Alagoas in Brazil. The species name refers to the unusually large apical piece on the primary papillae on this velvet worm. This distinctive apical piece is notable for its size and spherical shape. The males of this species have 23 pairs of legs; females have 24 or 25 pairs.

Epiperipatus titanicus is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatidae. This velvet worm is known only from its type locality in the state of Alagoas in Brazil. The species name refers to the large size of its females and its numerous legs. This species features more legs than any other Brazilian species of velvet worm.

References

  1. ↑ Oliveira I.; Hering L. & Mayer, G. "Updated Onychophora checklist". Onychophora Website. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Morera-Brenes, Bernal; Monge-Nájera, Julián (1990). "Epiperipatus hilkae, n. Sp. from Costa Rica (Onychophora: Peripatidae)". Revista de Biología Tropical. 38 (2B): 449–455. ISSN   2215-2075.
  3. 1 2 3 González, José Pablo Barquero; Alvarado, Adrián Alonso Cabrera; Cubero, Stephanie Vallejo; Nájera, Julián Monge; Brenes, Bernal Morera (2016-12-01). "The geographic distribution of Costa Rican velvet worms (Onychophora: Peripatidae)". Revista de Biología Tropical. 64 (4): 1401–1414 [1402, 1408–09]. doi:10.15517/rbt.v64i4.19486. hdl: 11056/17683 . ISSN   2215-2075.
  4. ↑ Brenes, Bernal Morera; Nájera, J.; Saenz, R. (1988). "Parturition in onychophorans: new record and a review" (PDF). Brenesia. 29: 15–20.
  5. ↑ Oliveira, I. S.; Read, V. M. S. J.; Mayer, G. (2012). "A world checklist of Onychophora (velvet worms), with notes on nomenclature and status of names". ZooKeys (211): 1–70 [10]. Bibcode:2012ZooK..211....1O. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.211.3463 . PMC   3426840 . PMID   22930648.
  6. ↑ Oliveira, Ivo de Sena (2023-11-16). "An updated world checklist of velvet worms (Onychophora) with notes on nomenclature and status of names". ZooKeys (1184): 133–260 [148]. Bibcode:2023ZooK.1184..133O. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1184.107286 . ISSN   1313-2970. PMC   10680090 . PMID   38023768.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Oliveira, Ivo S.; Lacorte, Gustavo A.; Fonseca, Cleusa G.; Wieloch, Alfredo H.; Mayer, Georg (2011-06-10). "Cryptic Speciation in Brazilian Epiperipatus (Onychophora: Peripatidae) Reveals an Underestimated Diversity among the Peripatid Velvet Worms". PLOS ONE. 6 (6): e19973 [Table S1]. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019973 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   3112143 . PMID   21695250.
  8. ↑ Monge-Nájera, Julián (1994). "Reproductive trends, habitat type and body characteristics in velvet worms (Onychophora)". Revista de Biología Tropical. 42 (3): 611–622. ISSN   2215-2075.
  9. ↑ Costa, Cristiano Sampaio; Chagas-Junior, Amazonas; Pinto-da-Rocha, Ricardo (2018-10-16). "Redescription of Epiperipatus edwardsii, and descriptions of five new species of Epiperipatus from Brazil (Onychophora: Peripatidae)". Zoologia. 35: 1–15 [2]. doi: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e23366 . ISSN   1984-4689.
  10. 1 2 Costa, Cristiano S.; Giribet, Gonzalo; Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo (2021). "Morphological and molecular phylogeny of Epiperipatus (Onychophora: Peripatidae): a combined approach". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 192: 763–793 [781–782, Table S1].
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.