Tasmanipatus barretti, the giant velvet worm, is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family.[1] It is the sole species in the genus Tasmanipatus[2] and is ovoviviparous.[3]

Tasmanipatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Onychophora
Family: Peripatopsidae
Genus: Tasmanipatus
Ruhberg, Mesibov, Briscoe & Tait, 1991
Species:
T. barretti
Binomial name
Tasmanipatus barretti
Ruhberg, Mesibov, Briscoe & Tait, 1991
Map of Tasmania with the distribution Tasmanipatus barretti in pink
Synonyms
  • Ooperipatus insignis (Barrett, 1938)

Taxonomy

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Tasmanipatus barretti was described by Ruhberg et al. in 1991.[4][5] The generic name Tasmanipatus refers to the species' distribution in Tasmania, Australia. The specific name barretti refers to Australian naturalist Charles Leslie Barrett, who was sent a specimen from St Marys. Barrett is thought to have published the first record of the species, though he did not recognise it as a new species.[5]

Morphology

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The dorsal surface is mauve with a darker median stripe. The ventral surface is creamy-white. There are 15 pairs of oncopods (legs). Adults are typically 35–40 mm long, but may extend to 75 mm while walking.[5] The common name refers to its size, which is large among the Peripatopsidae; however, much larger velvet worms exist in the Peripatidae (see Mongeperipatus solorzanoi).

References

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  1. ^ Oliveira, I. S.; Hering, L. & Mayer, G. "Updated Onychophora checklist". Onychophora Website. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  2. ^ Oliveira, Ivo de Sena; Ruhberg, Hilke; Rowell, David M.; Mayer, Georg (2018-08-16). "Revision of Tasmanian viviparous velvet worms (Onychophora : Peripatopsidae) with descriptions of two new species". Invertebrate Systematics. 32 (4): 909–932. doi:10.1071/IS17096. ISSN 1447-2600. S2CID 91253450.
  3. ^ Baker, Caitlin M; Buckman-Young, Rebecca S; Costa, Cristiano S; Giribet, Gonzalo (2021-12-09). Xia, Xuhua (ed.). "Phylogenomic Analysis of Velvet Worms (Onychophora) Uncovers an Evolutionary Radiation in the Neotropics". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 38 (12): 5391–5404. doi:10.1093/molbev/msab251. ISSN 1537-1719. PMC 8662635. PMID 34427671.
  4. ^ "Species Tasmanipatus barretti Ruhberg, Mesibov, Briscoe & Tait, 1991". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Government. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  5. ^ a b c Ruhberg, H.; Mesibov, R.; Briscoe, D. A.; Tait, N. N. (1991). "Tasmanipatus barretti gen. nov., sp. nov. and Tasmanipatus anophthalmus sp. no.: two new and unusual onychophorans (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae) from northeastern Tasmania". Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania. 125: 7–10. doi:10.26749/rstpp.125.7.