# Redescription of four Epiperipatus species with an update on the distribution of Epiperipatus acacioi (Marcus & Marcus, 1955)

## TL;DR

This paper redescribes four species of Epiperipatus and expands the known distribution of E. acacioi in Brazil.

## Contribution

The paper provides updated taxonomic descriptions and extends the geographic range of E. acacioi based on molecular and geological evidence.

## Key findings

- Specimens from Serra da Moeda are closely related to E. acacioi, forming a nested clade.
- The distribution of E. acacioi was previously limited to Ouro Preto but now includes Rio Acima, Nova Lima, and Itabirito.
- Natural rock porosity in iron ore regions likely enabled the species' dispersal across tens of kilometers.

## Abstract

Due to recent phylogenetic studies on Neopatida over the last ten years, the genus Epiperipatus has become the most diverse within Peripatidae. Such an expansion occurred due to nomenclatural acts based on evidence from anatomical characters that had not been well supported for genera and species included in the last Epiperipatus revision. Among these species are Epiperipatus brasiliensis (Bouvier, 1900), E. acacioi (Marcus & Marcus, 1955), E. cratensis
Brito et al., 2010 and Peripatus bouvieri
Fuhrmann, 1913. Here, we provide the redescription of these three species previously included in Epiperipatus, besides presenting Epiperipatus bouvieri as a new combination. We extended the distribution of E. acacioi for the Serra da Moeda in the municipalities of Rio Acima, Nova Lima, and Itabirito (Minas Gerais, Brazil). The molecular data showed that specimens from these locations are closely related to E. acacioi, forming a clade deeply nested within the Epiperipatus group. Hitherto, the distribution of the species was restricted to the Estação Ecológica do Tripuí in the municipality of Ouro Preto. However, based on our results, the natural porosity of the rocks associated with the iron ore deposits of this region may have allowed the dispersal of the species along the mountains in this region for tens of kilometers.