The Blind velvet worm is a member of a primitive but successful group of animals known from the fossil record back to the Cambrian. The species has no eyes and a white cylindrical body extending to about 50mm in length when walking. It has 15 pairs of stubby, non-jointed legs. They are carnivorous and hunt at night. The species occurs in dry and wet eucalypt forest in shaded, moist areas like stream sides and are often found in decaying logs or under moss or in deep leaf litter. The blind velvet worm has a restricted range in the Mt Elephant/South Sister area and is found from near sea level to about 800m.
Threats come from the loss of habitat including removal of rotting logs by conversion of native forest to plantation or agriculture, too frequent or high intensity fire and firewood collection.
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Please note that this species was previously named Tasmanipatus anophthalmus.
