A threatened velvet worm from Brazil: description and conservation status assessment of a new <i>Epiperipatus</i> species (Onychophora: Peripatidae)

Here we describe a new species of onychophoran, Epiperipatus enymari sp. n. from the Brazilian savanna of Mato Grosso state, one of the most threatened biomes in Brazil. In this study we enhance knowledge of the genus in the country, building on the latest phylogenetic review of Epiperipatus and data collected between 2014 and 2016 at Chapada dos Guimarães. Species delimitation analysis based on 12S rRNA marker sequences corroborates previous phylogenetic studies, indicating that the specimens from Chapada dos Guimarães represent an undescribed species. The new species is distinguishable from its congeners by a combination of characters observed through live images and scanning electron microscopy: colouring patterns and dorsal body markings, the number of plicae per segment, the shape of the basal and apical piece of the primary papillae, and distribution of scale ranks of the apical piece of primary papillae. We further discuss the conservation status of the new species based on International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) methodology and classify it as Critically endangered (CR). Major threats to Onychophora in Brazil are intense tourism and agriculture, dam construction and climate change. The assessment’s technical sheets are presented, and conservation remarks are discussed. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:act:66B831D5-E308-4240-806B-5D8DC44B4AFE