Epiperipatus is the most diverse genus of neotropical velvet worms in the family Peripatidae. Species in this genus are found in Central and South America. This genus is viviparous, with mothers supplying nourishment to their embryos through a placenta.
Description
Several traits are considered diagnostic for this genus. These traits include the number of scale ranks (four to eighteen) on the basal piece of the primary papillae, four complete spinous pads of the soles of the feet of the fourth and fifth pairs of legs, sometimes with vestiges of a fifth pad, a nephridial tubercle on the fourth and fifth leg pairs, located between the third and fourth spinous pads, and in males, one to three pairs of pregenital legs with crural papillae. Velvet worms in this genus can have as few as 23 leg pairs (in E. hyperbolicus) or as many as 39 leg pairs (in E. titanicus).
Species
The genus contains the following species:
- Epiperipatus acacioi <small>(Marcus & Marcus, 1955)</small>
- Epiperipatus adenocryptus <small>Oliveira et al., 2011</small>
- Epiperipatus barbadensis <small>(Froehlich, 1962)</small>
- Epiperipatus barbouri <small>(Brues, 1911)</small>
- Epiperipatus beckeri <small>Costa, Chagas & Pinto-da-Rocha, 2018</small>
- Epiperipatus bernali <small>Costa & Giribet, 2021</small>
- Epiperipatus betheli <small>(Cockerell, 1913)</small>
- Epiperipatus biolleyi <small>(Bouvier, 1902)</small>
- Epiperipatus brasiliensis <small>(Bouvier, 1899)</small>
- Epiperipatus broadwayi <small>(Clark, 1913)</small>
- Epiperipatus cratensis <small>Brito, Pereira, Ferreira, Vasconscellos & Almeida, 2010</small>
- Epiperipatus diadenoproctus <small>Oliveira et al., 2011</small>
- Epiperipatus edwardsii <small>(Blanchard, 1847)</small>
- Epiperipatus evansi <small>(Bouvier, 1904)</small>
- Epiperipatus enymari <small>Chagas-Jr & Costa, 2025</small>
- Epiperipatus hilkae <small>Morera-Brenes and Monge-Najera, 1990</small>
- Epiperipatus hyperbolicus <small>Costa, Chagas & Pinto-da-Rocha, 2018</small>
- Epiperipatus imthurni <small>(Sclater, 1888)</small>
- Epiperipatus isthmicola <small>(Bouvier, 1902)</small>
- Epiperipatus lewisi <small>(Arnett, 1961)</small>
- Epiperipatus lucerna <small>Costa, Chagas & Pinto-da-Rocha, 2018</small>
- Epiperipatus machadoi <small>(Oliveira & Wieloch, 2005)</small>
- Epiperipatus marajoara <small>Costa, Chagas & Pinto-da-Rocha, 2018</small>
- Epiperipatus ohausi <small>(Bouvier, 1900)</small>
- Epiperipatus paurognostus <small>Oliveira et al., 2011</small>
- Epiperipatus puri <small>Costa, Mendes & de Leão Giupponi, 2023</small>
- Epiperipatus simoni <small>(Bouvier, 1898)</small>
- Epiperipatus titanicus <small>Costa, Chagas & Pinto-da-Rocha, 2018</small>
- Epiperipatus torrealbai <small>Scorza, 1953</small>
- Epiperipatus trinidadensis <small>(Sedgwick, 1888)</small>
- Epiperipatus vagans <small>(Brues, 1925)</small>
- Epiperipatus vespuccii <small>Brues, 1914</small>
Epiperipatus nicaraguensis <small>(Bouvier, 1900)</small> and Epiperipatus tucupi <small>(Froehlich, 1968)</small> are considered nomina dubia by Oliveira et al. 2012.
References