Peripatopsidae

The Peripatopsidae exhibit relatively many characteristics that are perceived as original or "primitive" with respect to the Peripatidae. The species in this family have relatively few legs, ranging from 13 pairs (in Ooperipatellus nanus{{Cite journal|last1=Yang|first1=Jie|last2=Ortega-Hernández|first2=Javier|last3=Gerber|first3=Sylvain|last4=Butterfield|first4=Nicholas J.|last5=Hou|first5=Jin-bo|last6=Lan|first6=Tian|last7=Zhang|first7=Xi-guang|date=2015-07-14|title=A superarmored lobopodian from the Cambrian of China and early disparity in the evolution of Onychophora|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279385005|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=112|issue=28|pages=8678–8683|doi=10.1073/pnas.1505596112|issn=0027-8424|pmid=26124122|pmc=4507230 |via=ResearchGate|doi-access=free |bibcode=2015PNAS..112.8678Y }}) to a maximum of 29 pairs (in Paraperipatus papuensis{{Cite journal|last=Monge-Nájera|first=Julián|date=1994|title=Reproductive trends, habitat type and body characteristcs in velvet worms (Onychophora)|url=https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/23266|journal=Revista de Biología Tropical|volume=42 |issue=3 |language=en|pages=611–622|issn=2215-2075}}{{Cite journal|last=Sedgwick|first=A.|date=1910|title=Peripatus papuensis|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/083369b0|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=83|issue=2117|pages=369–370|doi=10.1038/083369b0|bibcode=1910Natur..83..369S |s2cid=45711430 |issn=1476-4687|url-access=subscription}}).{{Cite book|last1=Giribet|first1=Gonzalo|url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780691197067-032/html|title=30. Onychophora|last2=Edgecombe|first2=Gregory D.|date=2020-03-03|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-19706-7|language=en|doi=10.1515/9780691197067-032|s2cid=240645062 }}{{Cite journal|last=Mayer|first=Georg|date=2007-04-05|title=Metaperipatus inae sp. nov. (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae) from Chile with a novel ovarian type and dermal insemination|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/216267921|journal=Zootaxa|volume=1440|issue=1|pages=21–37|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1440.1.2|issn=1175-5334|via=ResearchGate}} Behind or between the last leg pair is the genital opening (gonopore). This family includes both oviparous genera (e.g., Ooperipatellus and Ooperipatus) and viviparous genera, which adopt various modes of supplying nourishment to their embryos, ranging from lecithotrophic ovoviviparity (with yolky eggs retained in their uteri, e.g., Peripatoides) to matrotrophic viviparity (with little or no yolk in the eggs retained in their uteri and nourishment supplied by the mother instead, e.g., Metaperipatus, Opisthopatus, Paraperipatus, Paropisthopatus, and Peripatopsis).{{Citation |last1=Mayer |first1=Georg |title=Onychophora |date=2015 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-1865-8_4 |work=Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Invertebrates 3: Ecdysozoa I: Non-Tetraconata |pages=53–98 |editor-last=Wanninger |editor-first=Andreas |place=Vienna |publisher=Springer |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-7091-1865-8_4 |isbn=978-3-7091-1865-8 |access-date=2023-02-15 |last2=Franke |first2=Franziska Anni |last3=Treffkorn |first3=Sandra |last4=Gross |first4=Vladimir |last5=de Sena Oliveira |first5=Ivo|url-access=subscription }} The Peripatopsidae lack a placenta, however, which has been found in velvet worms only in the neotropical Peripatidae.{{Cite journal |last1=Marotta |first1=R. |last2=Ruhberg |first2=H. |date=2004 |title=Sperm ultrastructure of an oviparous and an ovoviviparous onychophoran species(Peripatopsidae) with some phylogenetic considerations |journal=Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=265–355 |doi=10.1111/j.1439-0469.2004.00278.x |doi-access=free }}{{Cite journal |last1=Baker |first1=Caitlin M |last2=Buckman-Young |first2=Rebecca S |last3=Costa |first3=Cristiano S |last4=Giribet |first4=Gonzalo |date=2021-12-09 |editor-last=Xia |editor-first=Xuhua |title=Phylogenomic Analysis of Velvet Worms (Onychophora) Uncovers an Evolutionary Radiation in the Neotropics |url=https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/38/12/5391/6357048 |journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution |language=en |volume=38 |issue=12 |pages=5391–5404 |doi=10.1093/molbev/msab251 |issn=1537-1719 |pmc=8662635 |pmid=34427671}}

Most genera in this family have only 15 pairs of legs; one genus has 15 or fewer (Regimitra, with 14 or 15 in the only species), and another genus includes only species with fewer than 15 (Ooperipatellus, with 13 or 14, depending on the species).{{Cite journal |last=Reid |first=A. L. |date=1996 |title=Review of the Peripatopsidae (Onychophora) in Australia, with comments on peripatopsid relationships |url=https://www.publish.csiro.au/is/it9960663 |journal=Invertebrate Systematics |language=en |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=663–936 |doi=10.1071/it9960663 |issn=1447-2600|url-access=subscription }} Two genera are characterized by 16 pairs of legs (Occiperipatoides{{cite journal |author=Reid, AL. |year=2002 |title=Western Australian Onychophora (Peripatopsidae): a new genus, Kumbadjena, for a southern species-complex |journal=Records of the Western Australian Museum |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=129–155 |doi=10.18195/issn.0312-3162.21(2).2002.129-155|doi-access=free }} and Paropisthopatus), another genus has 15 or 16 (Peripatoides),{{Cite journal |last1=Tait |first1=N.N. |last2=Briscoe |first2=D.A. |date=1995-05-01 |title=Genetic differentiation within New Zealand Onychophora and their relationships to the Australian fauna |url=https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1995.tb00115.x |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=114 |issue=1 |pages=103–113 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.1995.tb00115.x |issn=0024-4082|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last=Trewick |first=Steven A. |last2=Koot |first2=Emily M. |last3=Morgan-Richards |first3=Mary |date=2024 |title=Ngāokeoke Aotearoa: The Peripatoides Onychophora of New Zealand |url=https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/4/248 |journal=Insects |language=en |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=248 |doi=10.3390/insects15040248 |issn=2075-4450 |pmc=11050097 |pmid=38667378 |doi-access=free}} and only four genera include velvet worms with more than 16: Opisthopatus (with 16 to 18),{{Cite journal |last1=Daniels |first1=Savel R. |last2=Dambire |first2=Charlene |last3=Klaus |first3=Sebastian |last4=Sharma |first4=Prashant P. |date=2016 |title=Unmasking alpha diversity, cladogenesis and biogeographical patterning in an ancient panarthropod lineage (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae: Opisthopatus cinctipes ) with the description of five novel species |journal=Cladistics |language=en |volume=32 |issue=5 |pages=506–537 |doi=10.1111/cla.12154|pmid=34727674 |s2cid=49525550 |doi-access=free }} Peripatopsis (with 16 to 25), Metaperipatus (with 19 to 22), and Paraperipatus (with 21 to 29). Although leg number is fixed within most peripatopsid species,{{Cite journal |last=Lande |first=Virginia M. |date=1991 |title=Native and introduced Onychophora in Singapore |url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1991.tb00284.x |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |language=en |volume=102 |issue=2 |pages=101–114 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.1991.tb00284.x|url-access=subscription }} the four genera that feature more than 16 leg pairs exhibit some variation in leg number within species as well as among species.{{Cite journal |last1=Barnes |first1=Aaron |last2=Daniels |first2=Savel R. |date=2022 |title=Refining species boundaries among velvet worms (Onychophora, Peripatopsidae), with the description of two new species of Opisthopatus from South Africa |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ivb.12368 |journal=Invertebrate Biology |language=en |volume=141 |issue=2 |doi=10.1111/ivb.12368 |s2cid=248171576 |issn=1077-8306|url-access=subscription }} Peripatopsid species with more legs also feature greater intraspecific variation in leg number.

The distribution of the Peripatopsidae (also known as southern velvet worms{{Cite web |title=Southern Velvet Worms (Family Peripatopsidae) |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/85981-Peripatopsidae |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=iNaturalist |language=en}}) is circumaustral; in particular, they inhabit Australasia, South Africa and Chile. Most genera in this family are found in Australia, one genus (Peripatoides) is found in New Zealand, and another (Ooperipatellus) is found in both; two genera (Opisthopatus and Peripatopsis) are found in South Africa, two others (Metaperipatus and Paropisthopatus) are found in Chile, and one other (Paraperipatus) is found in Indonesia and New Guinea.

Peripatopsidae is divided into two main clades: one with members in Southern Africa and Chile, and another with members in Australasia.{{Cite journal |last=Murienne |first=Jerome |last2=Daniels |first2=Savel R |last3=Buckley |first3=Thomas R |last4=Mayer |first4=Georg |last5=Giribet |first5=Gonzalo |date=2014-01-22 |title=A living fossil tale of Pangaean biogeography |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3866409/ |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |language=en |volume=281 |issue=1775 |doi=10.1098/r |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250202074715/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3866409/ |archive-date=2025-02-02}} The majority of species belong to the Australasian clade, with most occurring in Australia. Below is a genus-level phylogeny of Peripatopsid velvet worms.{{Cite journal |last1=Giribet |first1=Gonzalo |last2=Buckman-Young |first2=Rebecca S. |last3=Costa |first3=Cristiano Sampaio |last4=Baker |first4=Caitlin M. |last5=Benavides |first5=Ligia R. |last6=Branstetter |first6=Michael G. |last7=Daniels |first7=Savel R. |last8=Pinto-da-Rocha |first8=Ricardo |date=2018 |title=The 'Peripatos' in Eurogondwana? – Lack of evidence that south-east Asian onychophorans walked through Europe |url=https://bioone.org/journals/Invertebrate-Systematics/volume-32/issue-4/IS18007/The-iPeripatos-i-in-Eurogondwana--Lack-of-evidence-that/10.1071/IS18007.full |journal=Invertebrate Systematics |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=840–863 |doi=10.1071/IS18007|url-access=subscription }} As it doesn't include all genera, it eventually needs updating.{{clade|{{clade

|label1=Australasian Clade

|1={{clade

|1=Paraperipatus

|2={{clade

|label1=Australian Clade

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Peripatopsidae sp. MCZ 131371 & MCZ 141416

|2={{clade

|1=Ooperipatus

|2={{clade

|1=Phallocephale

|2={{clade

|1=Aethrikos

|2=Euperipatoides

}}

}}

}}

}}

|2={{clade

|1=Occiperipatoides

|2=Kumbadjena

}}

}}

|label2=South Oceanian Clade

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Peripatoides

|2=Diemenipatus

}}

|2=Tasmanipatus

}}

|2=Ooperipatellus

}}

}}

}}

|label2=Afro-American Clade

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Peripatopsis

|2=Metaperipatus

}}

|2=Opisthopatus

}}

}}|style=font-size:100%;line-height:85%|label1=Peripatopsidae}}

The family contains the following genera:

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}

• Acanthokara Reid, 1996
• Aethrikos Reid, 1996
• Aktinothele Reid, 1996
• Anoplokaros Reid, 1996
• Austroperipatus Baehr, 1977
• Baeothele Reid, 1996
• Centrorumis Reid, 1996
• Cephalofovea Ruhberg et al., 1988
• Critolaus Reid, 1996
• Dactylothele Reid, 1996
• Diemenipatus Oliveira, Ruhberg, Rowell & Mayer, 2018
• Dystactotylos Reid, 1996
• Euperipatoides Ruhberg, 1985
• Florelliceps Tait & Norman, 2001
• Hylonomoipos Reid, 1996
• Konothele Reid, 1996
• Kumbadjena Reid, 2002
• Lathropatus Reid, 2000
• Leucopatus (Ruhberg, Mesibov, Briscoe & Tait, 1991)
• Leuropezos Reid, 1996
• Mantonipatus Ruhberg, 1985
• Metaperipatus Clark, 1913
• Minyplanetes Reid, 1996
• Nodocapitus Reid, 1996
• Occiperipatoides Ruhberg, 1985
• Ooperipatellus Ruhberg, 1985
• Ooperipatus Dendy, 1900
• Opisthopatus Purcell, 1899
• Paraperipatus Ruhberg, 1985
• Paropisthopatus Ruhberg, 1985
• Peripatoides Pocock, 1894
• Peripatopsis Pocock, 1894
• Phallocephale Reid, 1996
• Planipapillus Reid, 1996
• Regimitra Reid, 1996
• Ruhbergia Reid, 1996
• Sphenoparme Reid, 1996
• Tasmanipatus Ruhberg et al. 1991
• Tetrameraden Reid, 1996
• Vescerro Reid, 1996
• Wambalana Reid, 1996

{{div col end|CCS style=width: 900px;}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Commons category-inline}}
• {{Wikispecies-inline}}

{{Onychophora}}

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Category:Onychophoran families

Category:Taxa named by Eugène Louis Bouvier