Peripatidae is a family of velvet worms.[1] The oldest putative representatives of the family herald from Burmese amber dated to the mid-Cretaceous, around 100 Ma, with representatives from Dominican and Baltic amber attesting to a broader distribution in the Palaeogene / Neogene; molecular variability suggests that the family's crown group may have arisen in the early Mesozoic.[2]
The Peripatidae exhibit a range of derivative features. They are longer, on average, than the Peripatopsidae and also have more leg pairs. The number of leg pairs in the Peripatidae range from 19 (in Typhloperipatus williamsoni[3]) to 43 (in Plicatoperipatus jamaicensis[4]).[5][6] The gonopore is always between the penultimate leg pair.[5] There are no oviparous species—the overwhelming majority are viviparous. The females of many viviparous species develop a placenta with which to provide the growing embryo with nutrients.
The Peripatidae are restricted to the tropical and subtropical zones; in particular, they inhabit Central America, northern South America, Gabon, Northeast India, and Southeast Asia.[7]
Neopatida is a monophyletic lineage within the Peripatidae, comprising all peripatids except the few found outside of the Americas.[8] The excluded peripatid genera are the southeast Asian †Cretoperipatus and Eoperipatus, the African Mesoperipatus, and the northeast Indian Typhloperipatus.
The family consists of the following genera:
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Peripatidae is a family of velvet worms. The oldest putative representatives of the family herald from Burmese amber dated to the mid-Cretaceous, around 100 Ma, with representatives from Dominican and Baltic amber attesting to a broader distribution in the Palaeogene / Neogene; molecular variability suggests that the family's crown group may have arisen in the early Mesozoic.
