Metaperipatus
Metaperipatus is a genus of velvet worms in the family Peripatopsidae that includes the species Metaperipatus inae.[1] Males of this species have 20 pairs of legs; females have 22 pairs.[2] This species is a dark grayish blue in color, with large orange/red spots.[2] When walking, females of this species can be as long as 85 mm, and males can be as long as 60 mm.[2] The type locality is in central Chile.[3]
| Metaperipatus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Onychophora |
| Family: | Peripatopsidae |
| Genus: | Metaperipatus Clark, 1913 |
| Species: | M. inae |
| Binomial name | |
| Metaperipatus inae Mayer, 2007 | |
A second species assigned to this genus, M. blainvillei (Gervais, 1837), includes females with 20 to 22 pairs of legs and males with 19 to 22,[4] but M. blainvillei is considered a nomen dubium by Oliveira et al., 2012, because it is probably a species complex.[3]
Velvet worms in this genus exhibit matrotrophic viviparity, that is, mothers in this genus retain eggs in their uteri and supply nourishment to their embryos, but without any placenta.[5]
References
- "Updated Onychophora checklist". Onychophora Website. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- 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.
- 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.
- Monge-Nájera, Julián (1994). "Reproductive trends, habitat type and body characteristcs in velvet worms (Onychophora)". Revista de Biología Tropical: 611–622. ISSN 2215-2075.
- 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
Further reading
- Mayer, G. (2007). "Metaperipatus inae sp nov (Onychophora : Peripatopsidae) from Chile with a novel ovarian type and dermal insemination". Zootaxa. 1440 (1440): 21–37. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1440.1.2.