''Peripatopsis alba'', the white cave velvet worm, is a species of
velvet worm
Onychophora (from grc, ονυχής, , "claws"; and , , "to carry"), commonly known as velvet worms (due to their velvety texture and somewhat wormlike appearance) or more ambiguously as peripatus (after the first described genus, '' Peripatus ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Peripatopsidae
Peripatopsidae is one of the two living velvet worm families.
Description
The Peripatopsidae exhibit relatively many characteristics that are perceived as original or "primitive" with respect to the Peripatidae. The number of leg pairs in this ...
.
This species has 18 pairs of legs, with the last pair reduced, and no eyes.
Distribution and habitat
''Peripatopsis alba'' is a
troglobiont known only from two cave systems on
Table Mountain
Table Mountain ( naq, Huriǂoaxa, lit= sea-emerging; af, Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
; Wynberg Cave and Bats Cave.
One other troglobitic velvet worm species is known; ''
Speleoperipatus spelaeus
''Speleoperipatus'' is a monospecific genus of Onychophora, 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 n ...
'', from Pedro Cave and
Swansea Cave,
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
.
Conservation
It is listed as
Vulnerable on the
IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
due to its restricted distribution and the potential occurrence of human collection and disturbance.
References
Animals described in 1931
Blind onychophorans
Endemic fauna of South Africa
IUCN-assessed onychophorans
Onychophorans of temperate Africa
Onychophoran species
Troglobitic onychophorans
{{Onychophora-stub