''Paraperipatus'' is a genus of
velvet worms
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
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 f ...
.
The number of legs vary within species as well as among species in this genus and can range from as few as 21 pairs (e.g., in ''
P. ceramensis'') up to 27 pairs in males and 29 pairs in females (both in ''
P. papuensis'').
The maximum number of leg pairs recorded in this genus (29) is also the maximum number of leg pairs found in the family Peripatopsidae. This genus exhibits
matrotrophic viviparity
Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the ...
, that is, mothers in this genus retain eggs in their uteri and supply nourishment to their embryos, but without any placenta. Species in this genus are found in
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...
and
Maluku, Indonesia.
Species
The genus contains the following species:
* ''
Paraperipatus ceramensis''
(Muir
"Muir" is the Scots word for "moorland", and Scots Gaelic for "sea", and is the etymological origin of the surname and Clan Muir/Mure/Moore in Scotland and other parts of the world.
Places United States
* Muir, Willits, California, a former unin ...
& Kershaw, 1909)
* ''
Paraperipatus keiensis''
Horst, 1923
* ''
Paraperipatus lorentzi''
Horst, 1910
* ''
Paraperipatus novaebritanniae''
(Willey, 1898)
* ''
Paraperipatus papuensis
''Paraperipatus papuensis'' is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae
Peripatopsidae is one of the two living velvet worm families.
Description
The Peripatopsidae exhibit relatively many characteristics that are perceived as original ...
''
(Sedgwick, 1910)
* ''
Paraperipatus vanheurni''
Horst, 1922
''Paraperipatus amboinensis''
Pflugfelder, 1948, ''Paraperipatus leopoldi''
Leloup 1931, ''Paraperipatus schultzei''
Heymons, 1912, and ''Paraperipatus stresemanni''
Bouvier, 1914 are considered ''
nomina dubia
In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application.
Zoology
In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...
'' by Oliveira et al., 2012.
References
Onychophorans of Australasia
Onychophoran genera
{{Onychophora-stub