Collaborative Research: PurSUiT: Understanding the Neotropical Velvet Worms (Onychophora, Peripatidae, Neopatida), a Cretaceous Radiation of Terrestrial Panarthropods

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Velvet worms (Onychophora) are ancient terrestrial invertebrates with a fossil record dating back to the Carboniferous. They have remained largely unchanged morphologically over their 300 million year history, and are thus considered “living fossils”. Velvet worms are therefore an ideal model to investigate how animals successfully colonize different environments and locations over long periods of geological time in the absence of any significant morphological change. Because velvet worms are rare and mainly inhabit remote forests, they are relatively poorly studied. This research will focus on the least-understood group of velvet worms, the Neotropical Peripatidae. The researchers will document and describe all newly discovered species, assess their conservation status, and analyze the evolutionary processes affecting species diversity and distribution through geological time. The research team and several trainees will combine cutting-edge molecular approaches with modern anatomical methods to advance our knowledge of the diversity and evolutionary history of this under-studied group. A 100-square-foot exhibit will be developed for the Harvard Museum of Natural History to explore the biodiversity, biogeography, ecology and evolution of velvet worms. The exhibit will also provide the opportunity for associated public programs, including lectures and K-12 activities. A rigorous estimate of Onychophora species diversity in the Neotropical region will be provided by using high throughput sequence data and by the application of cutting-edge morphological techniques. This research will produce high-quality genomes for onychophorans and a UCE (ultra-conserved elements) probe set targeting about 1,000 genomic loci that will be applied to fresh and museum-preserved specimens. The resulting evolutionary groupings will be used to test hypotheses related to Caribbean biogeography, including specific radiations in Jamaica and Puerto Rico and the colonization of the Lesser Antilles. All specimens and genetic products of the study taxa will be deposited in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. All specimen data, including images, videos, and genomic data, will be linked to publicly available specimen records through a centralized database.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.