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. Velvet worms in this genus may have as few as 24 or 25 pairs of legs or as many as 36 leg pairs. This genus is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.
Lansdown Guilding was a theologian and naturalist. He is best known for his works on the flora and fauna of St Vincent in particular and on the Caribbean in general. He wrote numerous illustrated papers for journals of scholarly societies in England including the first descriptions of velvet worms and scale insects in the ground pearl family.
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.
Epiperipatus imthurni is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatidae. This species ranges from light orange or yellowish brown to a dark brown on its dorsal surface; the ventral surface is a lighter orangeish shade of the same color. The type locality is in Guyana. No males have been recorded from this species. Females can reach a large size, up to 2.25 g in weight, and range from 25 mm up to 96 mm in length. They have 29 to 32 pairs of legs, usually 30 or 31. Females from Trinidad were shown to reproduce via parthenogenesis; the only velvet worm known to do so.
Macroperipatus torquatus is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. This species has a brown or red back with a bright yellow collar, a black head with black antennae, a white underside with a red tint, and 37 to 42 pairs of legs. These velvet worms range from 100 mm to 150 mm in length. This species is notable for its numerous legs and its large size, with mature females ranging from 1.75 g to as much as 5.68 g in weight. This species is found in Trinidad.
Heteroperipatus clarki is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. Females of this species have 26 to 29 pairs of legs. The original description of this species is based on a female specimen measuring 100 mm in length. The type locality is in Panama.
Oroperipatus eisenii is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatidae. Females of this species have 27 to 29 pairs of legs, usually 28; males have 23 to 26. Females range from 30 mm to 57 mm in length, while males range from 20 mm to 23 mm. The type locality is found in Brazil and central Mexico.
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. Female specimens range from 55 mm to 61 mm in length. The type locality is in Peru.
Peripatus brolemanni is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. Females of this species have 30 to 33 pairs of legs; males have 29. Females range from 39 mm to 65 mm in length, whereas males range from 27 mm to 28 mm. The type locality is in Venezuela.
Peripatus danicus is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. Females of this species have 31 to 33 pairs of legs; males have 26 to 28. Females range from 26 mm to 45 mm in length, whereas males range from 9 mm to 21 mm. The type locality is in Saint Thomas Island.
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.
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.
Peripatus sedgwicki is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. Females of this species have 29 to 32 pairs of legs; males have 28 to 30. Females range from 25 mm to 60 mm in length, while males range from 23 mm to 30 mm. The type locality is in Venezuela.
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.
Ooperipatellus insignis is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. Females of this species range from 5 mm to 39 mm in length, while males range from 4 mm to 30 mm in length. This species has 14 pairs of legs and is found in Victoria, Australia.
Ooperipatus oviparus is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. Females of this species range from 4 mm to 60 mm in length, whereas males range from 4 mm to 20 mm. This species lays eggs and has 15 pairs of legs with claws. It is found in Victoria, Australia.
Paraperipatus ceramensis is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is grey-green with rust speckles. Females of this species have 21 or 22 pairs of legs and range from 13 mm to 55 mm in length. The type locality is in Seram, Indonesia.
Paraperipatus papuensis is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. This species is a pale greenish blue. Females of this species may have as few as 21 pairs of legs or as many as 29 pairs, exhibiting the greatest intraspecific variation in leg number found in any peripatopsid species. Males of this species range from 21 to 27 leg pairs. The maximum number of leg pairs recorded in this species (29) is also the maximum number of leg pairs found in the family Peripatopsidae. Females range from 22 mm to 83 mm in length, whereas males range from 19 mm to 45 mm. The type locality is in Western New Guinea, Indonesia.
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.
