Ooperipatellus is a genus of Australian and New Zealand velvet worms in the Peripatopsidae family.[1] Species in this genus are oviparous.[2] This genus is notable as the only one in which velvet worms have no more than 14 pairs of legs:[3] Most species in this genus have 14 leg pairs, and O. nanus has only 13 pairs,[4][5][6] the minimum number found in the phylum Onychophora.[7] Velvet worms in this genus are also among the smallest known, with adults often only 10 to 20 millimeters long.[6] Species in this genus have no modified head papillae, the males feature a cruciform genital opening (gonopore), and the females feature an ovipositor.[3][6] This genus contains all oviparous velvet worm species with 13 or 14 leg pairs and no modified head structures (e.g., sclerotized head organs).[6]
| Ooperipatellus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Ooperipatellus nanus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Onychophora |
| Family: | Peripatopsidae |
| Genus: | Ooperipatellus Ruhberg, 1985 |
| Species | |
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See text | |
In spite of a disjoint geographic distribution across New Zealand, Tasmania, and Southern Australia, morphological and molecular data indicate that this genus is a monophyletic group. Molecular studies indicate that this clade includes two subclades, one containing species in New Zealand and the other containing species in both Tasmania and mainland Australia. Paleogeographic evidence indicates that glacial events severed the land connection between Tasmania and mainland Australia more recently than rifting broke the land connection between Australia and New Zealand, which would explain the phylogenetic tree that emerges from molecular studies of this genus.[6]
Species edit
The genus contains the following species:[1][8][9]
- Ooperipatellus decoratus (Baehr, 1977)
- Ooperipatellus duwilensis Reid, 1996
- Ooperipatellus insignis (Dendy, 1890)
- Ooperipatellus nanus Ruhberg, 1985
- Ooperipatellus nickmayeri Oliveira & Mayer, 2017
- Ooperipatellus parvus Reid, 1996
- Ooperipatellus spenceri Cockerell, 1913
- Ooperipatellus viridimaculatus (Dendy, 1900)
Ooperipatellus cryptus Jackson & Taylor, 1994 is considered a nomen dubium by Oliveira et al., 2012.
References edit
- ^ a b "Australian Faunal Directory". Australian Government Department of the Environment. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Reid, A. L. (1996). "Review of the Peripatopsidae (Onychophora) in Australia, with comments on peripatopsid relationships". Invertebrate Systematics. 10 (4): 663–936 [819-821]. doi:10.1071/it9960663. ISSN 1447-2600.
- ^ Tait, N.N.; Briscoe, D.A. (1995-05-01). "Genetic differentiation within New Zealand Onychophora and their relationships to the Australian fauna". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 114 (1): 103–113. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1995.tb00115.x. ISSN 0024-4082.
- ^ Gleeson, Dianne M. (1996-01-01). "Onychophora of New Zealand; past, present and future". New Zealand Entomologist. 19 (1): 51–55. doi:10.1080/00779962.1996.9722023. ISSN 0077-9962.
- ^ a b c d e Oliveira, Ivo de Sena; Mayer, Georg (2017-06-01). "A new giant egg-laying onychophoran (Peripatopsidae) reveals evolutionary and biogeographical aspects of Australian velvet worms". Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 17 (2): 375–391. doi:10.1007/s13127-016-0321-3. ISSN 1618-1077. S2CID 256006350.
- ^ Allwood, Julia; Gleeson, Dianne; Mayer, Georg; Daniels, Savel; Beggs, Jacqueline R.; Buckley, Thomas R. (2010). "Support for vicariant origins of the New Zealand Onychophora". Journal of Biogeography. 37 (4): 669–681. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02233.x. S2CID 55395265.
- ^ "New Zealand peripatus/ngaokeoke: Current knowledge, conservation and future research needs" (PDF). New Zealand Department of Conservation (2014). Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ^ Oliveira; Read; Mayer (2012). "A world checklist of Onychophora (velvet worms), with notes on nomenclature and status of names". ZooKeys (211): 1–70. doi:10.3897/zookeys.211.3463. PMC 3426840. PMID 22930648. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
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