Helobdella

Helobdella is a genus of leeches in the family Glossiphoniidae, the freshwater jawless leeches. They occur worldwide.[1]

Helobdella
Helobdella europaea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Annelida
Class:
Clitellata
Subclass:
Hirudinea
Order:
Rhynchobdellida
Family:
Glossiphoniidae
Genus:
Helobdella

Blanchard, 1896
Species

see text

These are small, flat leeches which do not feed on blood.[2]

Several species in this genus are used as model organisms in the study of developmental biology.[1]

It has been difficult to define species in this genus without DNA analysis. Like other leeches in this family, some Helobdella species are polymorphic, coming in different colors and patterns. On the other hand, some uniformly colored species are actually cryptic species complexes that may be divided into separate species with genetic analysis.[2]

As of 2004 there were approximately 40 described species, with species being described and reclassified continually.[3]

Species include:[2]

  • Helobdella austinensis[1]
  • Helobdella chaquensis
  • Helobdella cordobensis
  • Helobdella cryptica
  • Helobdella duplicata
  • Helobdella elongata
  • Helobdella europaea
  • Helobdella longicollis
  • Helobdella malvinensis
  • Helobdella michaelseni
  • Helobdella modesta
  • Helobdella paranensis
  • Helobdella pichipanan
  • Helobdella obscura
  • Helobdella robusta
  • Helobdella similis
  • Helobdella stagnalis
  • Helobdella triserialis
  • Helobdella virginiae[4]
  • Helobdella wodzickiorum
  • Helobdella xenoica

References
  1. Kutschera, U., et al. (2013). Description of a new leech species from North America, Helobdella austinensis n. sp.(Hirudinea: Glossiphoniidae), with observations on its feeding behaviour. Zoosyst Evol 89(2) 239-46.
  2. Siddall, M. E. and E. Borda. (2003). Phylogeny and revision of the leech genus Helobdella (Glossiphoniidae) based on mitochondrial gene sequences and morphological data and a special consideration of the triserialis complex. Zoologica Scripta 32(1), 23-33.
  3. Siddall, M. E. and E. Borda. (2004). Leech collections from Chile including two new species of Helobdella (Annelida: Hirudinida). American Museum Novitates 1-18.
  4. (in Spanish) Oceguera-Figueroa, A. (2007). Especie nueva de sanguijuela del género Helobdella (Rhynchobdellida: Glossiphoniidae) del lago de Catemaco, Veracruz, México. Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Acta Zoológica Mexicana 23(1) 15-22.

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