''Peripatopsis leonina'', commonly known as the Lion's Hill velvet worm, is a species of

velvet worm Onychophora (from , , "claws"; and , , "to carry"), commonly known as velvet worms (for their velvety texture and somewhat wormlike appearance) or more ambiguously as peripatus (after the first described genus, '' Peripatus''), is a phylum of e ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Peripatopsidae Peripatopsidae or the Southern Velvet Worms are one of two extant families of velvet worm. This family includes more than 140 described species distributed among 41 genera, but some authorities deem only 131 of these species to be valid. The Fre ...

Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to South Africa, it has not been seen since 1912 and is thought to be

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

or possibly

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

Taxonomy and history

''Peripatopsis leonina'' was described by

William Frederick Purcell William Frederick Purcell (18 September 1866 - 3 October 1919) was an English-born South African arachnologist and zoologist. He is regarded as being the founder of modern Arachnology, araneology in South Africa. Early life and education Pur ...

in 1899, but no

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

was designated. Later publications referred to "paratypoids" and "ex types" of this species deposited in the Zoologisches Museum in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, Germany, however, the type status of these specimens is unclear. This species was last recorded in 1912 and requires taxonomic revision.

Distribution and habitat

''Peripatopsis leonina'' is known only from its type locality on the south-east slopes of Signal Hill (also known as Lion's Hill) on the

Cape Peninsula The Cape Peninsula () of South Africa is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good ...

of South Africa. It was found under stones in

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. Ravines may also be called a cleuch, dell, ...

s among

fynbos Fynbos (; , ) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean climate. The fynbos ...

Description

''Peripatopsis leonina'' is greenish-black to black with five longitudinal dark stripes above and pink below. The dorsal papillae are orange with black centres, creating a speckled appearance, while the ventral papillae are typically dark green. This species has 20 to 24 pairs of legs, usually 21 or 22 leg pairs, with the last pair of legs reduced. Females of this species measure long and wide, with males measuring long and wide.

Conservation

''Peripatopsis leonina'' was listed as

by the

International Union for the Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

in 1996, but was reassessed as

in 2003 on the basis that its extinction has not been conclusively confirmed. ''P. leonina'' was recorded only from the type locality, which has undergone significant residential and agricultural development. It has not been recorded since 1912, and could not be located in a 2009 survey of South African ''Peripatopsis''. It is likely to have declined due to

habitat fragmentation Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), causing population fragmentation and ecosystem decay. Causes of habitat fragmentation include geological proces ...

habitat degradation Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, and

air pollution Air pollution is the presence of substances in the Atmosphere of Earth, air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be Gas, gases like Ground-level ozone, ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles li ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10348680 Animals described in 1899 Endemic fauna of South Africa IUCN-assessed onychophorans Onychophorans of temperate Africa Onychophoran species Taxa named by William Frederick Purcell Critically endangered fauna of Africa