Peripatus/pəˈrɪpətəs/ is a genus of velvet worms in the Peripatidae family.[1] The name "peripatus" (unitalicised and uncapitalised) 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.[1] This genus is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.[2]
Description
Velvet worms in this genus may have as few as 24 or 25 pairs of legs (in P. antiguensis or P. dominicae, respectively)[3][4] or as many as 36 leg pairs (in P. evelinae).[5] Males in this genus bear crural tubercles on more than two pregenital leg pairs. The dorsal primary papillae in this genus feature an apical piece that is larger than the basal piece.[6]
^Read, V. M. St. J. (July 1988). "The Onychophora of Trinidad, Tobago, and the Lesser Antilles". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 93 (3): 225–57. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1988.tb01362.x.
