A gentle prod with a kitchen knife was all it took to coax a rare predator from its dank, rotting lair in Caversham Valley yesterday afternoon.
It emerged from the crevice of a rotten log, squirming in the sunlight, and as it was plopped into the outstretched palm of an excited onlooker, the killer worm slowly unfurled to its full length and just lay there.
The unveiling of the peripatus - a small velvety caterpillar-like invertebrate often referred to as the "missing link" between worms and arthropods - was for the benefit of a group of 20 people, who had gathered to observe the creature in its natural habitat.
A colony of peripatus has been protected in a stand of Caversham Valley forest, growing beside Dunedin's main southern highway - a route which is designated for a significant expansion project.
Caversham Valley resident Dave Randle, who has helped encourage the rare invertebrate on properties and council reserve land in the area, said awareness and interest about the peripatus was on the rise.
A tour group of University of Otago science and communication doctorate and master's students and from its centre of sustainability got up close and personal with the peripatus, courtesy of Mr Randle, yesterday.
The "informal" group of biodiversity enthusiasts were interested in preserving the peripatus' natural habitat in the area, University of Otago zoology department professor Henrik Moller said.
The New Zealand Transport Agency has applied to change the designation alongside State Highway 1 through Caversham Valley between Lookout Point and Barnes Dr to enable the second stage of a road-widening upgrade, projected cost up to $25 million.
As part of its application to the Dunedin City Council the NZTA has submitted an ecological assessment of the Caversham Valley, which recommends several protective moves to help mitigate effects which the highway upgrade might create for colonies of peripatus.
Mr Randle said the invertebrate was an important part of the area's "urban biodiversity".
"I'm pleased by the growing interest and backing calling for better protection. It gives me hope for the future," Mr Randle said.
The ecology and mitigation proposals being promoted by the NZTA were "very, very thorough" and stronger than he had expected, Mr Randle said.
According to Landcare Research, the worms, which date from the Cambrian period, some 500 million years ago, are nocturnal predators, which use a sticky substance to trap and eat their prey.
