onychophora

Onychophora
    n 1: 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: {Onychophora}, {class
         Onychophora}]
    

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

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]