Paraperipatus

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Paraperipatus
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Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Onychophora
Family: Peripatopsidae
Genus: Paraperipatus
Ruhberg, 1985
Species

See text

Paraperipatus is a genus of velvet worms in the family Peripatopsidae. [1] This genus exhibits matrotrophic viviparity, that is, mothers in this genus retain eggs in their uteri and supply nourishment to their embryos, but without any placenta. [2] Species in this genus are found in New Guinea and the surrounding islands, including the Maluku achipelago. [3] [4]

Contents

Description

The number of legs vary within species as well as among species in this genus and can range from as few as 21 pairs (e.g., in P. ceramensis ) up to 27 pairs in males and 29 pairs in females (both in P. papuensis ). [4] [5] The maximum number of leg pairs recorded in this genus (29) is also the maximum number of leg pairs found in the family Peripatopsidae. [6] [7] Females in this genus range from 11 mm to 90 mm in length, while the males range from 11 mm to 45 mm in length. The feet feature three distal papillae, with one anterior, one posterior, and the position of the third variable, but usually in the middle between the others. The nephridial opening on the fourth and fifth leg pairs is in the center of the third pad on the soles of the feet. [4] The genital pad in both sexes is located behind the last pair of legs. In males, the genital pad is prominent and conical. [8]

Species

The genus contains the following species: [1]

Paraperipatus amboinensisPflugfelder, 1948, Paraperipatus leopoldiLeloup 1931, Paraperipatus schultzeiHeymons, 1912, and Paraperipatus stresemanniBouvier, 1914 are considered nomina dubia by Oliveira et al., 2012.

References

  1. 1 2 "Updated Onychophora checklist". Onychophora Website. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  2. 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
  3. 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. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.211.3463 . PMC   3426840 . PMID   22930648.
  4. 1 2 3 Ruhberg, Hilke (1985). Die Peripatopsidae (Onychophora) : Systematik, Ökologie, Chorologie und phylogenetische Aspekte (in German). Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart. p. 143. ISBN   3-510-55023-4. OCLC   14872354.
  5. Monge-Nájera, Julián (1994). "Reproductive trends, habitat type and body characteristcs in velvet worms (Onychophora)". Revista de Biología Tropical: 611–622. ISSN   2215-2075.
  6. Giribet, Gonzalo; Edgecombe, Gregory D. (2020-03-03). 30. Onychophora. Princeton University Press. doi:10.1515/9780691197067-032. ISBN   978-0-691-19706-7.
  7. Mayer, Georg (2007-04-05). "Metaperipatus inae sp. nov. (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae) from Chile with a novel ovarian type and dermal insemination". Zootaxa. 1440 (1): 21–37. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1440.1.2. ISSN   1175-5334 via ResearchGate.
  8. Reid, A. L. (1996). "Review of the Peripatopsidae (Onychophora) in Australia, with comments on peripatopsid relationships" . Invertebrate Systematics. 10 (4): 663–936 [902]. doi:10.1071/it9960663. ISSN   1447-2600.