Rhynchobdellida

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Jawless leeches
Branchellion parkeri (48725005826).jpg
Branchellion parkeri
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Clade: Sedentaria
Class: Clitellata
Subclass: Hirudinea
Infraclass: Euhirudinea
Order: Rhynchobdellida
Blanchard, 1893
Families

Rhynchobdellida (from the Greek rhynchos, mouth, and bdellein, sucking), [1] the jawless leeches [2] or freshwater leeches, [3] are an order of aquatic leeches. [4] [5] Despite the common name "freshwater leeches", species are found in both sea and fresh water. They are defined by the presence of a protrusible proboscis instead of jaws, and having colourless blood. [6] [7] [8] They move by "inchworming" [9] and are found worldwide. The order contains 110 species, divided into 41 genera and three families. [9] Members of the order range widely in length, usually between 7 and 40 mm. [3] They are hermaphrodite. [3] The order is not monophyletic. [10]

Contents

Appearance and eating habits

Glossiphoniidae: Smooth Turtle Leech (Placobdella parisitica) on a snapping turtle shell. (Southern United States) Smooth Turtle Leech imported from iNaturalist photo 3860130 on 27 November 2022.jpg
Glossiphoniidae: Smooth Turtle Leech ( Placobdella parisitica) on a snapping turtle shell. (Southern United States)

Instead of jaws and teeth, Rhynchobdellidae have protrusible proboscises, which they use to penetrate the host's skin. [3] [11] Mouths of Rhynchobdellidae species are small holes from which the proboscis can be protruded. [11] The proboscis then sucks out the desired bodily fluid from the host: usually blood or coelomic fluid in the case of invertebrate victims. [10]

Rhynchobdellidae are either sanguivorous or predatory.[ citation needed ] Sanguivorous species usually feed on a variety of other animals, using their proboscis to host's skin. They generate anticoagulants (like mosquitoes) and natural anaesthesia to help the feeding. [3] Predatory Rhynchobdellidae have digestive enzymes that help break down their prey, which usually consists of small invertebrates such as insect larvae or amphipods. [3]

Families

Glossiphoniidae (Freshwater jawless leeches)

Piscicolidae: Trachelobdella lubrica is a parasite of fish. Trachelobdella lubrica 02.jpg
Piscicolidae: Trachelobdella lubrica is a parasite of fish.

The Glossiphoniidae, the freshwater jawless leeches,[ citation needed ] or leaf leeches (due to their shape) [12] are freshwater leeches, flattened, and with a poorly defined anterior sucker. [3] The family Glossiphoniidae contains one of the world's largest species of leech, the giant Amazon leech, which can grow up to 45 cm in length. [13] Many species show extended parental care, keeping eggs in nests or pouches and caring for and feeding the young. [3] [14] They feed on both vertebrate and invertebrate animals. [5]

Piscicolidae (Fish leeches)

The Piscicolidae occur in both freshwater and seawater, have cylindrical bodies, and a usually well-marked, bell-shaped, anterior sucker. [3] [5] They are parasites of fish. [12] [5] The family was originally divided into three subfamilies based on species' pulsatile vesicles, but the subfamilies were disbanded in 2006. [5]

Ozobranchidae: Ozobranchus jantseanus (dorsal view) Ozobranchus jantseanus cropped.jpg
Ozobranchidae: Ozobranchus jantseanus (dorsal view)

Ozobranchidae (Turtle leeches)

Ozobranchidae are primarily parasitic on marine turtles, and are sometimes merged with the Piscicolidae. [3] [5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mehlhorn, Heinz, ed. (2008), "Rhynchobdellida" , Encyclopedia of Parasitology, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, p. 1249, doi:10.1007/978-3-540-48996-2_2723, ISBN   978-3-540-48996-2 , retrieved 2022-11-27
  2. ↑ "Taxonomy browser; Rhynchobdellida". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Order Rhynchobdellida". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  4. ↑ "Explore the Taxonomic Tree". FWS.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gulf of Mexico Origins, Waters, and Biota | Volume I: Biodiversity. Harte Research Institute. 2009. pp. 789–790. ISBN   9781603442695.
  6. ↑ "Rhynchobdellida | leech order | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  7. ↑ "Rhynchobdellida | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  8. ↑ "Definition of RHYNCHOBDELLIDA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  9. 1 2 "Rhynchobdellida - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  10. 1 2 Borda, Elizabeth; Sidall, Mark (2004-12-30). "Review of the evolution of life history strategies and phylogeny of the Hirudinida (Annelida: Oligochaeta)". Lauterbornia . 52: 7–15 – via ResearchGate.
  11. 1 2 Rogers, D. Christopher; Thorp, James H. (2019-03-31). Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates: Volume 4: Keys to Palaearctic Fauna. Academic Press. ISBN   978-0-12-385025-6.
  12. 1 2 Thompson, Gerald; Coldrey, Jennifer; Bernard, George (1984). The pond. William Collins. pp. 116–118.
  13. ↑ "Amazon Giant Leech (Haementeria ghilianii) | Invertebrate Zoology". 2018-08-31. Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  14. ↑ Rohde, Klaus (2005-09-13). Marine Parasitology. Csiro Publishing. ISBN   978-0-643-09927-2.
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