''Typhloperipatus'' is a genus 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 Peripatidae, containing the sole species ''Typhloperipatus williamsoni''. It is the only species in the phylum found in South Asia. The species was discovered in northeastern India in 1911.

Discovery

The species name was after Noel Williamson, a political officer at

Sadiya Sadiya is a town in Tinsukia district, Assam. It was the capital of the Chutia Kingdom and after the downfall of the kingdom it became the seat of the ''Sadiya-khowa-Gohain'' of the Ahom kingdom. Extensive remains of buildings and fortifica ...

who was murdered in 1911 along with Dr. J.D. Gregorson. The murders led to an expedition in the Abor region by the British government in India.

Stanley Wells Kemp Stanley Wells Kemp, FRS (14 June 1882 – 16 May 1945) was an English marine biologist. He was born in London, the second of three sons of Stephen Kemp, a professor at the Royal Academy and Royal School of Music. As a boy he took an interest i ...

, then an assistant superintendent at the

Indian Museum The Indian Museum in Central Kolkata, West Bengal, India, also referred to as the Imperial Museum at Calcutta in colonial-era texts, is the ninth oldest museum in the world, the oldest and largest museum in India as well as in Asia. It has rare ...

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

was a zoologist attached to this expedition. Three specimens were found on 29 December 1911 near the gorge of the

Dihang River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...

near Rotung. Although the nearest known velvet worm species, from Malaya, are typically found in dead wood, these were found mainly under large stones near the roots of trees. Subsequently some more specimens were found at the mouth of the Sireng stream and another specimen was found when the 32nd Sikkim Pioneers were working on the construction of a road between Upper Rotung and Rengin. It is the only

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

n species in the phylum.

Morphology

These velvet worms have no eyes. The colour of the upperside is a deep

umber Umber is a natural brown earth pigment that contains iron oxide and manganese oxide. In its natural form, it is called raw umber. When calcined, the color becomes warmer and it becomes known as burnt umber. Its name derives from ''terra d'omb ...

brown with the tips of the antennae slightly paler brown. The

papilla Papilla (Latin, 'nipple') or papillae may refer to: In animals * Papilla (fish anatomy), in the mouth of fish * Basilar papilla, a sensory organ of lizards, amphibians and fish * Dental papilla, in a developing tooth * Dermal papillae, part of ...

e on the skin have pale tips and the underside is pale brown. Some individuals have a dark dorsal stripe. The inner jaw has a serrate edge. Females have 20 pairs of oncopods (legs); males usually have 19 pairs but can have 20 pairs. The oncopods have coxal glands, four complete and spiny pads and the feet have two papillae. The minimum number of oncopod pairs found in this species (19) is the lowest number recorded in any member of the family Peripatidae. Although Kemp believed that the species was closer to neotropical forms than to Southeast Asian forms, modern studies place them close to '' Eoperipatus'' of Southeast Asia.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from1=Q19334550, from2=Q2806233 Onychophorans of southeast Asia Onychophoran genera Blind onychophorans