pe·rip·a·tus /pəˈrɪpətəs/
Pe·ri·pa·top·sis, Pe·rip·a·tus prop. n. Zool. The type genus of Peripatopsidae, consisting of onychophorans (lowly organized invertebrates related evolutionarily to the arthropods, also called “walking worms” AND “velvet worms”) found chiefly in Asiatic and African tropical regions, in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and tropical America.
Syn: -- genus Peripatopsis.
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peripatus
n : any of numerous velvety-skinned wormlike carnivorous animals
common in tropical forests having characteristics of both
arthropods and annelid worms [syn: onychophoran, velvet
worm]