Opisthopatus roseus

The pink velvet worm (Opisthopatus roseus) is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family.[1]

Opisthopatus roseus
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Onychophora
Class:	Udeonychophora
Order:	Euonychophora
Family:	Peripatopsidae
Genus:	Opisthopatus
Species:	O. roseus
Binomial name
Opisthopatus roseus Lawrence, 1947

It is known only from Weza Forest, a Mistbelt Forest in South Africa. Opisthopatus roseus has been found on the forest floor amongst leaf litter, beneath, and within fallen logs. The species was previously considered extinct but is now listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Habitat loss and degradation are thought to be the cause of the species' decline.[2][3]

See also

• Onychophora#Conservation

References

1. Oliveira, I.; Hering, L. & Mayer, G. "Updated Onychophora checklist". Onychophora Website. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
2. Hamer, M. 2003. Opisthopatus roseus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 5 August 2007.
3. Oliveira, I. S.; Read, V. M. S. J.; Mayer, G. (2012). "A world checklist of Onychophora (velvet worms), with notes on nomenclature and status of names". ZooKeys (211): 1–70. doi:10.3897/zookeys.211.3463. PMC 3426840. PMID 22930648.

Further reading

• Daniels, S. R. (2011). "Genetic variation in the Critically Endangered velvet worm Opisthopatus roseus (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae)". African Zoology. 46 (2): 419–424. doi:10.1080/15627020.2011.11407516. hdl:10019.1/22007.
• Mayer, G.; Bartolomaeus, T.; Ruhberg, H. (2005). "Ultrastructure of mesoderm in embryos of Opisthopatus roseus (Onychophora, Peripatopsidae): Revision of the "long germ band" hypothesis for Opisthopatus". Journal of Morphology. 263 (1): 60–70. doi:10.1002/jmor.10289. PMID 15536644.