South African Peripatopsids  (Peripatopsis spp.)

Velvet worms belong to a phylum of their own, the Onychophora, meaning 'claw-bearers' (2), and are a fascinating group of ancient, caterpillar-like animals that have changed little over the last 400 million years (4). These small, shy creatures are rarely seen in their natural habitat yet have long fascinated scientists, because they seem to share traits with both arthropods (a group that includes insects and spiders) and annelids (segmented worms), providing an evolutionary ‘missing link' between the two (5). Ringed antennae are positioned on top of the head, with eyes near the base (6), and there are clawed legs down the whole length of the body (2). The skin is covered with scaly papillae and sensory hairs, which give these animals the velvety appearance their common name suggests (6). Velvet worms are generally blue-grey or brownish in colour, and often intricately patterned with stripes, diamonds, spots or chevrons (2). However, there are two white cave-dwelling velvet worms, of which the white cave velvet worm (Peripatopsis alba) is one, and these species lack eyes (7). Lion's Hill velvet worm (P. leonina) was formerly considered extinct, having last been collected in 1900, but it is now thought that populations may remain, since velvet worms are notoriously cryptic and difficult to find (1).