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Oroperipatus peruvianus
Oroperipatus peruvianus is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatidae family.[1] Males of this species have 34 pairs of legs; females have 36 or 37 pairs.[2] This velvet worm is found in Peru.[3] DiscoveryThis species was first described in 1917 by the American biologist Charles T. Brues. He based the original description of this species on six specimens (four females and two males). These specimens were collected in 1916 by the American zoologist Gladwyn K. Noble, who found them beneath stones by a roadside in a moderately dry location at an altitude of about 6,000 feet (1,830 meters) in the district of Tabaconas in Peru. The female holotype, three female paratypes, and two male specimens are deposited in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University.[2][3][4] DescriptionBrues reports that his four female specimens range from 55 mm to 61 mm in length and from 7.5 mm to 9.0 mm in width. The females have either 36 or 37 pairs of legs, with two specimens featuring each number, and both males have 34 leg pairs. The body of this velvet worm is a uniform deep brown with a distinct yellowish band behind the antennae. The sole of each foot has five pads. The nephridial tubercles of the fourth and fifth leg pairs are nearly included in the third pad, which is deeply notched but not completely divided by the tubercle. The fourth pad is indented on its distal margin opposite the tubercle. The feet feature four and sometimes five papillae.[2] The inner blade of the jaw features two prominent accessory teeth and a smaller third accessory tooth, immediately followed by seven or eight denticles with no diastema.[2][5] References
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