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.
Opisthopatus is a genus of South African velvet worms in the family Peripatopsidae. Velvet worms in this genus are found in South Africa, in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga provinces, as well as in Lesotho and Eswatini. This genus was first proposed in 1899 by the zoologist William F. Purcell to contain the newly discovered species O. cinctipes, which he designated as the type species.
Peripatopsidae is one of the two living velvet worm families. This family includes more than 140 described species distributed among 41 genera, but some authorities deem only 131 of these species to be valid. The French zoologist Eugène Louis Bouvier proposed this family in 1905 with Peripatopsis as the type genus.
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.
Metaperipatus is a genus of velvet worms in the family Peripatopsidae that contains two species found in Chile, including Metaperipatus inae. This genus was created by the American zoologist Austin Hobart Clark in 1913 to contain the type species, M. blainvillei. Authorities believe M. blainvillei is a species complex, however, and some consider M. blainvillei a nomen dubium.
Opisthopatus amaxhosa is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is a clade in the O. cinctipes species complex. This species has 16 or 17 pairs of legs in both sexes and varies from light to dark pink on the dorsal surface and from dark to light brown on the ventral surface. Males of this species range from 12 mm to 14 mm in length. Also known as the Xhosa velvet worm, this species is found in the Eastern Cape province in South Africa.
Opisthopatus drakensbergi is a species of velvet worms in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is a clade in the O. cinctipes species complex. This species has 16 pairs of legs. Specimens are brown and slate black with a line down the middle of the back and a brown ventral surface. The original description of this species is based on a male holotype measuring 13 mm in length. This species is found at high altitude in the forests of the Drakensberg mountains in KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa.
Opisthopatus highveldi is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is a clade in the O. cinctipes species complex. This species has 16 pairs of legs and varies in color from brown to black to indigo. The original description of this species is based on two holotypes ranging from 16 mm to 17 mm in length. Also known as the Highveld velvet worm, this species is found in indigenous forest patches along the Highveld in Mpumalanga province in South Africa.
Opisthopatus kwazululandi is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is part of the O. cinctipes species complex. This species has 16 pairs of legs. The color of its dorsal surface varies from brown to rose pink, and the ventral surface ranges from light brown to creamy white. The original description of this species is based on a male holotype measuring 16 mm in length and a female holotype measuring 22 mm in length. Also known as the coastal velvet worm, this species is found in Eastern Cape province and Kwazulu-Natal province in South Africa.
Peripatopsis hamerae is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is a clade in the P. moseleyi species complex. The original description of this species is based on one specimen of each sex, each measuring 22 mm in length with a black dorsal surface and creamy white ventral surface. The male of this species has 22 pairs of pregenital legs and one pair of genital legs; the female has 23 pairs of pregenital legs and one pair of genital legs. Also known as the Kamala velvet worm, this species is known only from Groot Bruintjieshoogte in South Africa.
Peripatopsis janni is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is a clade in the P. moseleyi species complex. The original description of this species is based on male specimens ranging from 15 mm to 30 mm in length. Live animals are dark green on the dorsal surface but greyish white on the ventral surface. The number of legs in males of this species varies from 21 pregenital pairs to 22 pregenital pairs. Also known as the Amathole velvet worm, this species is found in the Amathole mountains in South Africa.
Peripatopsis moseleyi is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. Males of this species have 20 to 24 pairs of legs with claws ; females have 19 to 23 pairs of legs with claws. Females range from 11 mm to 75 mm in length, whereas males range from 9 mm to 50 mm. The type locality is in South Africa.
Peripatopsis sedgwicki is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. Also known as the Tsitsikamma velvet worm, this species has a narrow geographic distribution in South Africa but is especially abundant in the indigenous forest of the Tsitsikamma mountains. Recent phylogenetic analysis using molecular data finds that Peripatopsis sedgwicki as traditionally understood based on morphology is a species complex that contains four different species: P. sedgwicki s.s., P. orientalis, P. collarium, and P. margaritarius.
Peripatopsis alba, the white cave velvet worm, is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is notable as one of only two species of velvet worm known to be troglobitic; the only other velvet worm known to be a troglobiont is Speleoperipatus spelaeus. The white cave velvet worm is rare and limited to one cave system on Table Mountain in South Africa.
Ooperipatellus nickmayeri is a species of oviparous velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is larger than any other in the genus Ooperipatellus. With a body size exceeding 60 mm in females and 30 mm in males, these velvet worms can be more than twice as long as other species of this genus.
Opisthopatus baziya is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species has 16 or 17 pairs of legs in both sexes and ranges from rose pink to dark pink. Male specimens range from 17 mm to 31 mm in length; female specimens range from 13 mm to 26 mm in length. This species is endemic to the forests at Baziya in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
Peripatopsis aereus is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is known only from the Riviersonderend Mountains in South Africa. This velvet worm was discovered living in sympatry with another species in the same genus, P. lawrencei. These two sympatric species can be distinguished based on the number of legs: The species P. aereus has 18 pairs of legs, whereas the species P. lawrencei has only 17 leg pairs.
Peripatopsis collarium is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. This velvet worm is a point endemic known only from a small sample found in the Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve in South Africa. The species name of P. collarium refers to a distinctive white head collar present in all specimens of this velvet worm. This species was discovered as a clade within the Peripatopsis sedgwicki species complex.
Peripatopsis orientalis is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. This species was discovered as one of four clades within the Peripatopsis sedgwicki species complex. Each clade represents a separate species, each with a different geographic distribution in South Africa. The species P. orientalis has the broadest distribution among the four species in this species complex. The specific name refers to the relatively eastern distribution of this species within this species complex.
Peripatopsis margaritarius is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. This velvet worm is a point endemic found only in the Fort Fordyce Nature Reserve in South Africa. This species was discovered as a clade within the Peripatopsis sedgwicki species complex. This velvet worm can have from 21 to 23 pairs of legs, unlike the other three species in the P. sedgwicki species complex, which have only 19 or 20 leg pairs.
