Eoperipatus totoro

Last updated

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. [1] This species is notable as the first velvet worm from Vietnam to be formally described. [2] As of 2023, E. totoro remains the only species of velvet worm from Vietnam to be described. [3]

Contents

Discovery

Pavel V. Kvartalnov from the Lomonosov Moscow State University found the first specimen of E. totoro while looking under stones in the Crocodile Lakes area of Cát Tiên National Park in Vietnam with Eduard A. Galoyan and Igor V. Palko from the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre in November 2007. [3] [4] Vietnamese researchers Thai Dran Bai and Nguyen Duc Anh first described this species in 2010, [5] but a team led by Ivo de Sena Oliveira from the University of Leipzig published the first formal species description in 2013, including data from scanning electron microscopy and molecular analysis (mitochondrial COI and 12S rRNA sequences). [2] This team described this species based on two male specimens, including a holotype collected by Peter Geissler of the Alexander Koenig Research Museum in 2009, and five females, including two paratypes collected by Kvartalnov in 2008. [2] Although this species remains the only velvet worm described from Vietnam, a report of another velvet worm found in another part of Vietnam indicates that at least one other species in that country remains undescribed. [2]

Etymology

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 suggested by Kvartalnov, Galoyan, and Palko, after the titular character in the Japanese animated film My Neighbor Totoro who uses a vehicle (the Catbus) that resembles a velvet worm. [2] Kvartanov and his colleagues watched this film on the evening of their discovery of the first specimen, which reminded them of the Catbus. [4]

Description

This species is dark brown on the dorsal surface and brownish pink on the ventral surface. Females have 24 pairs of legs; males have 23 pairs of legs. The ventral surface of the legs are pink, and the first and last leg pairs are reduced in size. This species can reach 65 mm (2.6 in.) in length. 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]

Before 2013, only three valid species of Eoperipatus were recognised in Southeast Asia. E. totoro differs from these other species in the spherical shape of the apical pieces on its dorsal primary papillae and the position of its nephridial tubercle in the fourth and fifth leg pairs (in between the third and fourth spinous pads). Furthermore, E. totoro features repeated bright spots along the ventral midline between its legs. [2]

These velvet worms have permeable skin that readily dries out, so they spend most of their lives inside moist soil, in rotting logs, or under rocks. [6] They are found mainly during the rainy season, which runs from November to June in Vietnam. [2] Like other velvet worms, this species can spit out jets of sticky adhesive fluid from two dorsal appendages to capture small prey; this "glue" is a mixture of proteins in which the prey becomes entangled. [6]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 acacioi is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. This species is dark purple with a bilaterally symmetric pattern on its dorsal surface and ranges from 13 mm to 47 mm in length. Males of this species have 24 to 27 pairs of legs, usually 25 or 26; females have 26 to 30, usually 27 or 28. The type locality is in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Epiperipatus adenocryptus is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. This species is brown with a series of light brown arcs on each side forming a series of circles down its dorsal surface. Males of this species have 26 or 27 pairs of legs, usually 27; females have 28 to 30, usually 29. The type locality is in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Epiperipatus barbouri is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. This species is a dark purple, almost black, without any pattern on its dorsal surface. The ventral surface is much lighter and purplish pink. Females of this species have 30 to 34 pairs of legs. The type locality is in Grenada.

Epiperipatus vespucci is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family. This species is dark with a complex pattern on its dorsal surface. The male of this species has 30 pairs of legs; females have 33 or 34. The type locality is in Colombia.

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.

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

Tasmanipatus barretti, the giant velvet worm, is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. It is the sole species in the genus Tasmanipatus and is ovoviviparous.

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 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.

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 suggests that Peripatopsis sedgwicki is a species complex that contains three clades, each with a distinct geographic distribution, including at least one clade that may represent a novel species.

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.

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 Oliveira, Ivo de Sena; Schaffer, Stefan; Kvartalnov, Pavel V.; Galoyan, Eduard A.; Palko, Igor V.; Weck-Heimann, Andreas; Geissler, Peter; Ruhberg, Hilke; Mayer, Georg (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. Bibcode:2013ZooAn.252..495O. doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2013.01.001.
  3. 1 2 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. Bibcode:2023ZooK.1184..133O. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1184.107286 . ISSN   1313-2970. PMC   10680090 . PMID   38023768.
  4. 1 2 Pavel Kvartalnov (24 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.
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.