Rank Family | Higher classification Euonychophora | |
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El abrazo del onychophoro familia peripatidae
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.
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Description
The Peripatidae exhibit a range of derivative features. They are longer, on average, than the Peripatopsidae and also have more leg pairs, numbering between 22 and 43—the gonopore is always between the penultimate pair. 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.
Distribution
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.