Opisthopatus amatolensis explained

Opisthopatus amatolensis is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family.^[1] This species has 16 pairs of legs.^[2] The type locality is in South Africa.^[3] The validity of this species is uncertain:^[4] Although some authorities deem O. amatolensis to be invalid even as a subspecies of O. cinctipes, a similar species also found in South Africa, other authorities recognize O. amatolensis as a separate species, citing the significant distance (161 km) between the type localities of these two species.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Oliveira, I.. Hering, L.. Mayer, G.. amp. Updated Onychophora checklist. Onychophora Website. 24 November 2016.
2. Hamer . M.L. . Samways . M.J. . Ruhberg . H. . 1997 . A review of the Onychophora of South Africa, with discussion of their conservation . Annals of the Natal Museum . 38 . 1 . 283–312.
3. Oliveira. I. S.. Read. V. M. S. J.. Mayer. G.. A world checklist of Onychophora (velvet worms), with notes on nomenclature and status of names. ZooKeys. 2012. 211. 1–70. 10.3897/zookeys.211.3463. 22930648. 3426840. free. 2012ZooK..211....1O .
4. Ruhberg . Hilke . Hamer . Michelle L. . 2005 . A new species of Opisthopatus Purcell, 1899 (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae) from KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa . Zootaxa . 1039 . 27–38 . 10.5281/zenodo.169797 . ResearchGate.