Extension of the northern distribution of Onychophora in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2008v21n2p161Abstract
The Onychophora represent a rare group of invertebrates whose phylogenetic position is important in understanding the origin and evolution of the arthropods. These animals generally inhabit humid tropical forests and caves, and can vary in size from 2.5-20cm. The present study reports the occurrence of an onychophoran belonging to the genus Peripatus. The specimen was collected fortuitously in June, 2007, at Mata do Açude Cafundó (07º10’49”S and 35º05’39”W), a remnant area of Atlantic Forest situated in the municipality of Cruz do Espírito Santo, Paraíba State, northeastern Brazil. This represents the fi rst report of an onychophoran from a remnant forest area in Paraíba, extending the northern distribution of this taxon, and is only the seventh report of an onychophoran in an Atlantic Forest remnant north of the mouth of the São Francisco River. A data bank will be needed in order to adequately document the distributions, population sizes, degrees of isolation, and habitat quality of known species of onychophorans from this sector of the Atlantic Forest.Downloads
Published
2011-09-27
Issue
Section
Artigos
License
After the electronic publication of the manuscript, the authors are entitled, without any restriction, on its contents.
License Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0 Internacional - CC BY
Authors are able to take on additional contracts separately, non-exclusive distribution of the version of the paper published in this journal (ex.: publish in institutional repository or as a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.