Cretoperipatus

Cretoperipatus burmiticus is an extinct species of velvet worm known from Burmese amber. It is the sole member of the genus Cretoperipatus. This animal lived in what is now Myanmar's Kachin State during the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous. When first discovered, the back of Cretoperipatus was misinterpreted as its the front. This led to multiple incorrect interpretations of the animal's anatomy, something only realized 14 years later. Cretoperipatus is known from several specimens that show a variety of sizes, ages, and levels of preservation. One fossil is exceptionally preserved, allowing detailed analysis of its morphology and coloration.

Cretoperipatus had 22 pairs of legs and was brown with a lighter underbelly. It also had multiple types of dermal papillae (small bumps on its cuticle) found across the body. The animal’s head possessed a pair of antennae, two well-developed ocelli (a type of simple eye), a pair of slime papillae, a pair of frontal organs, and also preserved the structure of its internal jaws. The trunk preserved traces of its preventral and ventral organs as well as the genital pad. On its legs, Cretoperipatus had multiple spinous pads and a foot with a pair of claws. Depending on the pair, the number and structure of spinous pads differ.

Currently, Cretoperipatus is the only Mesozoic onychophoran as well as the oldest definitive member of the velvet worm crown group. Based on details of its legs, dermal papillae, trunk, and jaw, Cretoperipatus is placed in the family Peripatidae. It likely grouped with basal Asian genera like Eoperipatus and Typhloperipatus, being closest relatives with the latter.

Cretoperipatus was a terrestrial animal that lived in a biodiverse coastal rainforest. Based on its age, Cretoperipatus lived before the Indian subcontinent collided with Eurasia. This demonstrates that Asian velvet worms did not originate from India, instead arriving sometime earlier.