Peripatopsis moseleyi
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| Peripatopsis moseleyi | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Onychophora |
| Family: | Peripatopsidae |
| Genus: | Peripatopsis |
| Species: | P. moseleyi |
| Binomial name | |
| Peripatopsis moseleyi (Wood-Mason, 1879) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Peripatopsis moseleyi is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family.[1] Males of this species (as traditionally defined) have 20 to 24 pairs of legs with claws (plus one pair without claws);[2] females have 19 to 23 pairs of legs with claws (plus one pair without claws).[3] Females range from 11 mm to 75 mm in length, whereas males range from 9 mm to 50 mm.[4] The type locality is in South Africa.[5]
More recent phylogenetic results indicate that this species as traditionally defined is instead a species complex (P. moseleyi sensu lato) containing five genetically distinct clades, now described as separate species: P. birgeri, P. hamerae, P. janni, P. stortchi, and P. moseleyi sensu stricto. Males of this species more narrowly defined (P. moseleyi sensu stricto) have 22 to 24 pregenital pairs of legs (plus one genital pair); females have 23 pregenital pairs (plus one genital pair). Female specimens range from 42 mm to 60 mm in length; males range from 22 mm to 40 mm in length.[6]
