Over a century later, new records of Oroperipatus balzani (Camerano, 1897; Onychophora: Peripatidae) from Sara Ana Research and Training Center (Bolivian Yungas, La Paz, Bolivia), with a checklist of the species known from the country

Abstract

After over a hundred and twenty years, we here report a new record of Oroperipatus balzani (Camerano, 1997) in western Bolivia's lower Yungas of La Paz department. Six specimens of this species, first collected in 1891 by the Italian explorer L. Balzan, were observed at the Sara Ana Station (15°27′36″S, 67°28′17″W; 390 m above sea level) within both secondary forests and agricultural systems between October 2018 and December 2021. Oroperipatus balzani come from a mid-altitude forest of the eastern Andean slopes, and the specimen here reported was found at less than 500 m s.n.m., representing a notable altitude extension of the known range. The current record marks only the second documented occurrence of this species in Bolivia. Currently, three species (Oroperipatus, balzani, O. intermedius, and O. soratanus) are known in the country. All three species correspond to the Andean clade of Neotropical Onychophora. A checklist from Bolivia was updated. Furthermore, we discuss the distribution of Onychophora species in Bolivia.

Keywords

• Oroperipatus balzani
• Andean velvet worms
• Velvet worm distribution
• Bolivian Yungas
• Anthropogenized systems
• Agroforestry