Onychophora
/ˌɒnɪˈkɒf(ə)rə
/plural noun Zoology
A small phylum of terrestrial invertebrates which comprises the velvet worms such as peripatus. They share characteristics with the arthropods and annelids, having a long, soft segmented body with stubby legs (lobopods).Other ecdysozoan phyla include Nematoda, Tardigrada, and Onychophora; this classification thus removes onychophorans from the Arthropoda and makes them an outgroup....
- However, on both morphological and molecular grounds it seems that two groups that are sometimes given phylum rank, the Onychophora and the Tardigrada, are the closest living relatives of the arthropods.
- Tardigrades, close relatives of Onychophora and Arthropoda, possess ornamented armored exoskeletons in high predation marine environments.
Origin
Modern Latin (plural), from Greek onux, onukh- 'nail, claw' + -phoros 'bearing'.