VELVET WORMS FOUND ON GARDEN ROUTE
FIVE species of velvet worms have been discovered in the Afrotemperate forests in and around the Garden Route National Park (GRNP) by independent researchers from the University of Stellenbosch.
General manager of the GRNP, Vuyiswa Thabethe, said: “Not only are we in the midst of age-old wonder creatures dating back as far as five million years ago, velvet worms thrive in pristine conditions only. Their existence in the forest points to how well the forests are managed under the GRNP.”
An extensive fine-scale study of the Peripatopsis clavigera species complex found that the species, formerly grouped as the Knysna velvet worm, comprises five species that separated during the Plio-Pleistocene more than 5 million years ago.
Researchers expected to find three isolated species at most, in geographically discrete areas. Instead, the worms were found among many forest patches, sometimes with different species in the same log.
The fragmented Afrotemperate Southern Cape forests were shaped by ancient climatic conditions, characterised by alternate wet and dry conditions. This had an impact on the distribution of the species as forests expanded and contracted in response.
South Africa has two genera, namely, Peripatopsis and Opisthopatus. Peripatopsis occurs mainly in the Cape and Opisthopatus in the north-eastern areas such as KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. The Knysna velvet worm is part of the Peripatopsis genus. The additional species discovered forming part of Peripatopsis include P ferox, P mellaria, P edenensis, P mira and P tulbaghensis.
The worms are vulnerable to dehydration because of how they breathe, which is why their environment has to be pristine and why they can’t move far. The species is ranked as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.