Velvet worm

Velvet Worm

The Velvet Worm (Onychophora, from the Greek onyx meaning "claw" and phoros meaning "bearer"), also known as Peripatus, is a phylum of elongated, soft-bodied, many-legged panarthropods.

Taxonomy

The phylum Onychophora is divided into two families: Peripatidae and Peripatopsidae, which are distinguished by the number of their oncopods (legs). The Peripatidae have more than 30 pairs of oncopods, while the Peripatopsidae have fewer.

Anatomy and Physiology

Velvet worms have a segmented body with a pair of oncopods on each segment. The body is covered with a thin, flexible cuticle which gives them their velvety appearance. They have a pair of antennae and simple eyes. The mouth is located on the underside of the head and leads to a muscular pharynx, which pumps food into the gut.

Behavior and Ecology

Velvet worms are nocturnal and live in moist environments, such as leaf litter and rotting logs. They are predators, feeding on small invertebrates which they immobilize with a sticky slime ejected from glands on their head.

Reproduction

Reproduction in velvet worms is sexual, with internal fertilization. Some species are oviparous, laying eggs which are brooded by the female, while others are viviparous, giving birth to live young.

Evolution

Fossil evidence suggests that velvet worms have changed little in the last 500 million years, making them important in the study of evolutionary biology.

Conservation

Many species of velvet worms are threatened by habitat loss and are listed as endangered species.

See also

• Arthropod
• Invertebrate
• Predator