Review and images by stemturtle; edited by bmathison1972
The release of a figure that represents a neglected phylum is a wish come true for the synoptic collector. A velvet worm, also referred to as a peripatus (when unitalicized), belongs to phylum Onychophora. It resembles a caterpillar with antennae, having 13 to 43 pairs of stubby legs, corresponding to body segmentation. This stylized figure is handmade of clay by littlebigwomen, sold on Etsy.
The model is not identified at the species level. It is available in two colors that glow in the dark: red and green (blue was sold out). I would prefer an earth-tone color. This figure has 7 pairs of legs. The 2023 release date is not marked. Length is about 3 inches or 7.6 cm. Let’s call the scale 1:1. I like the size.
The velvet worm is a nocturnal predator with two oral papillae, one on each side of the head, that squirt adhesive to capture invertebrate prey, and also for defense. These organs are not featured. The body is covered with protrusions, too tiny to sculpt, that make the skin look like velvet. The two eyes are absent. There was no attempt to show the mouth, that has a pair of blades used for feeding. Each foot ends in two claws, also not detailed. Many species have live birth. Distribution is damp tropical forests in South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Hallucigenia sparsa (Favorite Co. Ltd.), on left, and Aysheaia pendunculata (COG Ltd.) are extinct marine lobopodians from the Cambrian Period, interpreted as stem-group onychophorans. Onychophorans are a sister group to arthropods in clade Panarthropoda, important for the study of arthropod ancestry. The inclusion of tardigrades in the clade complicates analysis. Velvet worms probably made the terrestrial transition at least 400 million years ago. The fossil record is very poor.
We welcome this new figure. There are more than 200 species of velvet worms. In the future, perhaps a company will produce a peripatus figure that is identified by species.