Redescription of four <i>Epiperipatus</i> species with an update on the distribution of <i>Epiperipatus acacioi</i> (Marcus &amp; Marcus, 1955)

Due to recent phylogenetic studies on Neopatida over the last ten years, the genus <i>Epiperipatus</i> has become the most diverse within Peripatidae. Such an expansion occurred due to nomenclatural acts based on evidence from anatomical characters that had not been well supported for genera and species included in the last <i>Epiperipatus</i> revision. Among these species are <i>Epiperipatus brasiliensis</i> (Bouvier, 1900), <i>E. acacioi</i> (Marcus & Marcus, 1955), <i>E. cratensis</i> Brito et al., 2010 and <i>Peripatus bouvieri</i> Fuhrmann, 1913. Here, we provide the redescription of these three species previously included in <i>Epiperipatus</i>, besides presenting <i>Epiperipatus bouvieri</i> as a new combination. We extended the distribution of <i>E. acacioi</i> for the Serra da Moeda in the municipalities of Rio Acima, Nova Lima, and Itabirito (Minas Gerais, Brazil). The molecular data showed that specimens from these locations are closely related to <i>E. acacioi</i>, forming a clade deeply nested within the <i>Epiperipatus</i> group. Hitherto, the distribution of the species was restricted to the Estação Ecológica do Tripuí in the municipality of Ouro Preto. However, based on our results, the natural porosity of the rocks associated with the iron ore deposits of this region may have allowed the dispersal of the species along the mountains in this region for tens of kilometers.