Abstract. During the present study, DNA sequence data, gross morphology and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to examine cryptic species boundaries in the velvet worm, Peripatopsis clavigera species complex, from the southern Cape Afrotemperate forest belt in South Africa. Sequence data were generated for the mitochondrial COI and the nuclear 18S rRNA loci and phylogenetically analysed using both a Bayesian inference and a maximum-likelihood approach. Both the COI data and the combined DNA sequence topology (COI+18S) revealed the presence of five clades within the Peripatopsis clavigera species complex, and revealed that specimens from Tulbagh were distantly related and represented a sixth clade. The evolutionary distinction of the five clades was corroborated to varying degrees by the four species-delimitation methods (ABGD, PTP, GMYC and STACEY); however, both the gross morphological data and the SEM provided limited diagnostic differences between the five clades. Furthermore, the COI haplotype network and phylogeographic analyses provided evidence of genetic isolation between lineages that are currently syntopic. The distribution of genealogically exclusive and widespread maternal lineages was atypical among velvet worms and did not reflect the general trend of genetic and geographical isolation. Instead, lineages exhibited admixture among localities, a result most likely due to fluctuations in climatic conditions affecting the southern Cape Afrotemperate forest during the Pliocene–Pleistocene period as evident from our divergence time estimations. Four novel, narrow-range endemic species – P. ferox, sp. nov., P. mellaria, sp. nov., P. edenensis, sp. nov. and P. mira, sp. nov. – are described within the P. clavigera species complex, whereas the Tulbagh specimens are described as P. tulbaghensis, sp. nov. Collectively, these results demonstrate that Peripatopsis likely contains several undescribed species.

中文翻译：

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Peripatopsis clavigera 物种复合体 (Onychophora : Peripatopsidae) 的系统学揭示了神秘的进化枝模式，并描述了五个新物种

摘要。在本研究中，使用 DNA 序列数据、大体形态学和扫描电子显微镜 (SEM) 来检查来自南非南部非洲温带角森林带的天鹅绒蠕虫 Peripatopsis clavigera 物种复合体的隐秘物种边界。为线粒体 COI 和核 18S rRNA 位点生成序列数据，并使用贝叶斯推理和最大似然方法进行系统发育分析。COI 数据和组合的 DNA 序列拓扑 (COI+18S) 都揭示了 Peripatopsis clavigera 物种复合体中存在五个进化枝，并揭示了来自 Tulbagh 的标本是远亲的，代表了第六个进化枝。四种物种定界方法（ABGD、PTP、GMYC 和 STACEY）；然而，大体形态学数据和 SEM 提供的五个进化枝之间的诊断差异有限。此外，COI 单倍型网络和系统地理学分析提供了当前同位谱系之间遗传隔离的证据。家谱排他性和广泛的母系谱系在天鹅绒蠕虫中的分布是非典型的，并没有反映遗传和地理隔离的总体趋势。取而代之的是，谱系在不同地点之间表现出混合，这一结果很可能是由于气候条件的波动影响了上新世 - 更新世期间南部非洲温带角森林，从我们的分歧时间估计中可以看出这一点。四种新的、范围狭窄的特有物种——P. ferox, sp. nov., P. mellaria, sp. nov., P. edenensis, sp. 十一月 和 P. 米拉，sp. 十一月 – 在 P. clavigera 物种复合体中被描述，而 Tulbagh 标本被描述为 P. tulbaghensis, sp。十一月 总的来说，这些结果表明 Peripatopsis 可能包含几个未描述的物种。