Tasmanipatus

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Tasmanipatus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Onychophora
Family: Peripatopsidae
Genus: Tasmanipatus
Ruhberg, Mesibov, Briscoe & Tait, 1991
Species:
T. barretti
Binomial name
Tasmanipatus barretti
Ruhberg, Mesibov, Briscoe & Tait, 1991
Tasmanipatus distribution map.jpg
Map of Tasmania with the distribution Tasmanipatus barretti in pink
Synonyms
  • Ooperipatus insignis(Barrett, 1938)

Tasmanipatus barretti, the giant velvet worm, is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. [1] It is the sole species in the genus Tasmanipatus [2] and is ovoviviparous. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

Tasmanipatus barretti was described by Ruhberg et al. in 1991. [4] [5] The generic name Tasmanipatus refers to the species' distribution in Tasmania, Australia. The specific name barretti refers to Australian naturalist Charles Leslie Barrett, who was sent a specimen from St Marys. Barrett is thought to have published the first record of the species, though he did not recognise it as a new species. [5]

Morphology

The dorsal surface is mauve with a darker median stripe. The ventral surface is creamy-white. There are 15 pairs of oncopods (legs). Adults are typically 35–40 mm long, but may extend to 75 mm while walking. [5] The common name refers to its size, which is large among the Peripatopsidae; however, much larger velvet worms exist in the Peripatidae (see Mongeperipatus solorzanoi ).

Related Research Articles

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

Leucopatus is a genus of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae, containing a single species, the blind velvet worm. It is found in northeast Tasmania, Australia, and is ovoviviparous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peripatopsidae</span> Family of invertebrate animals

Peripatopsidae is one of the two living velvet worm families.

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

Ooperipatellus is a genus of Australian and New Zealand velvet worms in the Peripatopsidae family. Species in this genus are oviparous. Most species in this genus have 14 pairs of legs, but O. nanus has only 13 pairs, which is the minimum number found in the phylum Onychophora. Velvet worms in this genus are among the smallest known, with adults often only 10 to 20 millimeters long. Morphological and molecular data indicate that this genus is a monophyletic group.

Florelliceps is a monospecific genus of ovoviviparous velvet worm containing the single species Florelliceps stutchburyae. This species is brown with 15 pairs of oncopods (legs). During mating, the male of this species uses a structure on his head to place a spermataphore on the gonopore of the female. The type locality is Mount Warning, New South Wales, Australia.

Opisthopatus cinctipes is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. This species has 16 pairs of legs, all with claws and all used for walking. The color of the dorsal surface varies from blue to olive green. Females range from 7 mm to 50 mm in length, whereas males range from 6 mm to 36 mm. Like other velvet worms in this genus, this species exhibits matrotrophic viviparity, that is, mothers in this genus retain eggs in their uteri and supply nourishment to their embryos, but without any placenta. The type locality is in South Africa.

Cephalofovea pavimenta is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. It is only known from the type locality; Mount Canobolas in New South Wales, Australia.

Cephalofovea tomahmontis is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. This species is ovoviviparous, has 15 pairs of oncopods (legs), and lives in rotting logs and leaf litter. The type locality is Mount Tomah, New South Wales, Australia, after which this species is named. Like all members of the genus Cephalofovea, both sexes of C. tomahmontis have a furrow on the head, between the antennae, which the male everts to carry his spermatophore to the female.

Ooperipatellus decoratus is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species has 14 pairs of legs and is found in Tasmania, Australia.

<i>Ooperipatellus nanus</i> Species of velvet worm

Ooperipatellus nanus is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the South Island.

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 keiensis is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. This species is green-black with yellow-brown spots. Females of this species have 24 or 25 pairs of legs; males have 22 or 23. Females range from 27 mm to 48 mm in length, whereas males range from 25 mm to 33 mm. The type locality is in Kai Besar, Indonesia.

Paraperipatus novaebritanniae is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. This species is black with brown-yellow spots. Females of this species have 24 pairs of legs; males have 22 or 23 leg pairs. Females range from 14 mm to 55 mm in length, whereas males range from 14 mm to 26 mm. The type locality is in New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

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.

Paraperipatus lorentzi is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. This species is a dark green-blue. Females of this species have 22 to 28 pairs of legs; males have 21 or 22 pairs of legs. Whereas the original description of this species records 19 mm as the length of a male specimen, females range from 33 mm to 60 mm in length. The type locality is in Western New Guinea, Indonesia. The validity of this species is uncertain: Although some authorities deem P. lorentzi to be a junior synonym of P. papuensis, a similar species also found in Western New Guinea, others recognize them as two separate species.

Paraperipatus vanheurni is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. This species ranges from pale blue or lilac to dark purple in color. Females of this species have 25 to 27 pairs of legs; males have 21. This species ranges from 15 mm to 60 mm in length. The type locality is in Western New Guinea, Indonesia.

Peripatopsis balfouri is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. This species has 18 pairs of clawed legs. Also known as the blue velvet worm, this species ranges from 9 mm to 22 mm in length. The type locality is 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.

<i>Peripatopsis moseleyi</i> Species of velvet worm

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.

Diemenipatus mesibovi is a species of viviparous velvet worm in the family Peripatopsidae. This species has 15 pairs of legs in both sexes. The type locality is in Tasmania.

Robert 'Bob' Evan Mesibov is an American born and educated Australian myriapod specialist. He earned a B.A. from New York University in 1966 and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1971.

References

  1. Oliveira, I. S.; Hering, L. & Mayer, G. "Updated Onychophora checklist". Onychophora Website. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  2. Oliveira, Ivo de Sena; Ruhberg, Hilke; Rowell, David M.; Mayer, Georg (2018-08-16). "Revision of Tasmanian viviparous velvet worms (Onychophora : Peripatopsidae) with descriptions of two new species". Invertebrate Systematics. 32 (4): 909–932. doi:10.1071/IS17096. ISSN   1447-2600. S2CID   91253450.
  3. Baker, Caitlin M; Buckman-Young, Rebecca S; Costa, Cristiano S; Giribet, Gonzalo (2021-12-09). Xia, Xuhua (ed.). "Phylogenomic Analysis of Velvet Worms (Onychophora) Uncovers an Evolutionary Radiation in the Neotropics". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 38 (12): 5391–5404. doi:10.1093/molbev/msab251. ISSN   1537-1719. PMC   8662635 . PMID   34427671.
  4. "Species Tasmanipatus barretti Ruhberg, Mesibov, Briscoe & Tait, 1991". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Government. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  5. 1 2 3 Ruhberg, H.; Mesibov, R.; Briscoe, D. A.; Tait, N. N. (1991). "Tasmanipatus barretti gen. nov., sp. nov. and Tasmanipatus anophthalmus sp. no.: two new and unusual onychophorans (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae) from northeastern Tasmania". Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania. 125: 7–10. doi: 10.26749/rstpp.125.7 .