Fort Fordyce velvet worm

The species P. margaritarius can have from 21 to 23 pairs of legs. Specimens range from 15 mm to 46 mm in length and from 3.0 mm to 7.0 mm in width, but the male specimens reach a smaller maximum size, only 31 mm in length and 5.4 mm in width. The male genital opening is cruciform, and the female genital opening is a horizontal and small vertical slit. The dorsal surface varies from dark brown to black, whereas the ventral surface is white. When preserved, however, the lateral surfaces become orange, and the legs turn blue. The integument on the dorsal surface features dermal papillae that are pyramidal or shaped like domes. The dorsal primary papillae are moderately spaced and feature seven scale ranks. The dorsal accessory papillae feature only four scale ranks. The ventral papillae are moderately spaced and shaped like low-rise pyramids. The ventral primary papillae feature seven scale ranks. This species shares many traits with other velvet worms in the genus Peripatopsis. These shared traits include features considered characteristic for the genus, such as a cruciform genital opening in the male and variable color. This species shares more traits with the other three species in the P. sedgwicki species complex. …