Epiperipatus cratensis is a species of velvet worm in the family Peripatidae.[1] This species is found in northeastern Brazil. This velvet worm is notable as a small species of Epiperipatus (reaching only 32 mm in length) with many legs (as many as 34 pairs in females and 33 pairs in males).[2]
| Epiperipatus cratensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Onychophora |
| Family: | Peripatidae |
| Genus: | Epiperipatus |
| Species: | E. cratensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Epiperipatus cratensis Brito et al. 2010
| |
Discovery, distribution, and habitat
editThis species was first described in 2010 by a team of biologists led by the zoologist Samuel V. Brito. They based the original description of this species on a male holotype and three paratypes (two males and one female). These specimens were collected during the rainy season in 2007 from the banks of a river in a tropical humid forest in the Chapada do Araripe mountains of northeastern Brazil. These specimens were found by searching in small holes in the ground and under stones, leaf litter, or fallen tree trunks.[2]
The type specimens were found in the municipality of Crato in the southern part of the state of Ceará in Brazil. The species name refers to this type locality.[2] These specimens are deposited in invertebrate collection of the Universidade Regional do Cariri in Crato in Brazil.[2][3]
This species was the first velvet worm described from the mountainous forests of northeastern Brazil. These forests represents islands of the Atlantic Forest biome isolated within the arid and hot Caatinga domain. These fragmented humid enclaves are vestiges from the interglacial periods of the Pleistocene epoch, when the Atlantic Forest advanced into the Caatinga before retreating to its original distribution.[2]
Phylogeny
editA phylogenetic analysis based on molecular data and morphology places Epiperipatus cratensis in a clade with three closely related species of Epiperipatus: E. titanicus, E. lucerna, and E. hyperbolicus. Within this clade, these three species appear in a sister group, emerging as the closest relatives of E. cratensis among all the described species of Epiperipatus in this analysis.[4] Like E. cratensis, these three species are all found in the humid highland forests of northeastern Brazil.[5]
Description
editThe male holotype measures 27 mm in length and 4.7 mm in width; the female paratype measures 32 mm in length and 5.2 mm in width. These velvet worms range from purple to white. The antennae feature only 31 to 36 complete rings, fewer than those observed in other Brazilian species of Epiperipatus. The dorsal surface of each segment features 12 transverse folds (plicae) separated by deep furrows.[2][6] The basal piece of the primary papillae features five to seven scale ranks.[7] The apical piece has a spherical shape with an asymmetric distribution of scales: two or three ranks in the back,[5] but as many as four elsewhere.[7]
Males of this species have 30 to 33 pairs of legs; females have 33 or 34 pairs.[5] In males of this species, two or three pairs of the pregenital legs feature crural papillae (tubercles), with one or two papillae per leg.[4] The soles of the feet feature four spinous pads, except for the last pair of legs, which feature only two spinous pads. The feet have three papillae, two anterior and one posterior.[2][6]
This species exhibits traits considered diagnostic for the genus Epiperipatus. These traits include the number of pregenital legs with crural papillae in males and the number of scale ranks at the base of the primary papillae. Furthermore, like other species in this genus, this species features nephridial tubercles and four complete spinous pads on the fourth and fifth leg pairs, with each tubercle located between the third and fourth spinous pads on the soles of the feet.[2][5][4][6]
This species shares a more extensive set of traits with its close relatives, E. titaniccus, E. lucerna, and E. hyperbolicus. For example, all four species feature bright diamond patterns on the dorsal surface of the body. Furthermore, all four species feature one accessory tooth in addition to the main tooth on the inner jaw. Moreover, males of all four species feature anal glands with inconspicuous openings.[4][5]
The species E. cratensis can be distinguished from these close relatives, however, by the apical piece of the primary papillae. In E. cratensis, this piece is spherical with an asymmetric distribution of scales. In E. titanicus, this piece is conical and symmetric. In E. lucerna, this piece is asymmetric but is also conical. In E. hyperbolicus, this piece is spherical and asymmetric but is also more robust than in E. cratensis. Furthermore, E. hyperbolicus features fewer legs (23 to 25 pairs), E. lucerna can feature fewer (27 to 31 pairs), and E. titanicus features more (36 to 39 pairs) than those recorded in E. cratensis (30 to 34 pairs).[5]
References
edit- ^ Oliveira I. S.; Hering L. & Mayer, G. "Updated Onychophora checklist". Onychophora Website. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Brito, Samuel; Pereira, Janaina; Ferreira, Felipe; Vasconcellos, Alexandre; Almeida, Waltécio (2010-04-30). "Epiperipatus cratensis sp. nov. (Onychophora: Peripatidae) from northeastern Brazil". Neotropical Biology and Conservation. 5 (1): 47–52. doi:10.4013/nbc.2010.51.07.
- ^ Oliveira, Ivo de Sena (2023-11-16). "An updated world checklist of velvet worms (Onychophora) with notes on nomenclature and status of names". ZooKeys (1184): 133–260 [146]. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1184.107286. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 10680090. PMID 38023768.
- ^ a b c d Costa, Cristiano S.; Giribet, Gonzalo; Pinto-Da-Rocha, Ricardo (2021). "Morphological and molecular phylogeny of Epiperipatus (Onychophora: Peripatidae): a combined approach". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 192: 763–793 [781, 783, 785, 788–789, Table S1].
- ^ a b c d e f Costa, Cristiano Sampaio; Chagas-Junior, Amazonas; Pinto-da-Rocha, Ricardo (2018-10-16). "Redescription of Epiperipatus edwardsii, and descriptions of five new species of Epiperipatus from Brazil (Onychophora: Peripatidae)". Zoologia. 35: 1–15 [2, 4–8, 12–13]. doi:10.3897/zoologia.35.e23366. ISSN 1984-4689.
- ^ a b c Oliveira, Ivo De Sena; Wieloch, Alfredo Hannemann; Mayer, Georg (2010). "Revised taxonomy and redescription of two species of the Peripatidae (Onychophora) from Brazil: a step towards consistent terminology of morphological characters". Zootaxa. 2493: 16–34. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2493.1.2.
- ^ a b Oliveira, Ivo S.; Lacorte, Gustavo A.; Fonseca, Cleusa G.; Wieloch, Alfredo H.; Mayer, Georg (2011-06-10). "Cryptic Speciation in Brazilian Epiperipatus (Onychophora: Peripatidae) Reveals an Underestimated Diversity among the Peripatid Velvet Worms". PLOS ONE. 6 (6): e19973 [Table S1]. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0019973. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3112143. PMID 21695250.