Onychophora

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Onychophora \On`y*choph"o*ra\, n. pl. [NL., from Gr. ?, ?, a
     claw + ?.] (Zool.)
     Malacopoda.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:



  Malacopoda \Mal`a*cop"o*da\, prop. n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. malako`s
     soft + -poda.] (Zool.)
     A class of air-breathing Arthropoda; -- called also
     {Protracheata}, and {Onychophora}.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: They somewhat resemble myriapods, and have from
           seventeen to thirty-three pairs of short, imperfectly
           jointed legs, two pairs of simple jaws, and a pair of
           antennae. The trancheae are connected with numerous
           spiracles scattered over the surface of the body.
           {Peripatus} is the only known genus. See {Peripatus}.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Onychophora
       n : enigmatic small elongated wormlike terrestrial invertebrates
           of damp dark habitats in warm regions; distinct from the
           phylum Annelida; resemble slugs with legs and are
           sometimes described as the missing link between
           arthropods and annelids [syn: {class Onychophora}]