Haemadipsa
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Ceylon gel ( Haemadipsa zeylanica ) sucking, anchored to the skin with both suction cups (head left) |
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| Blanchard , 1893 |
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Haemadipsa ( ancient Greek αἷμα Haima "blood" and δίψα dipsa "thirst") is the name of a species of leeches in the family of Landegel (Haemadipsidae), in humid forests of Asia as a blood sucking parasites especially mammals and also the people affected.
features
The landing leeches of the genus Haemadipsa are small and do not get longer than 6 cm, mostly significantly smaller. In the middle section they have five rings per segment. The ringlets with the third and fourth pairs of eyes are usually adjacent, but can also be separated from one another by a partial or complete ringlet. In their throat the leeches have three jaws, each with a row of teeth and without papillae, in which they differ from several two-jawed genera of the family. A curved extension (gripping papilla) sits on their rear suction cup, which enables them to move through the branches. The 23rd, 24th and 25th segments each have two "ears" (auricles) that moisten the rear suction cup with urine from the nephridia. This way, the leeches can suck up well even in drier weather. For species identification within the genus Haemadipsa , both the indentations of the furrows on the body surface and the number of radial ribs on the ventral surface of the posterior suction cup play a role, but this can vary significantly in individuals within a species, and it can also be in terms of conservation lead to a falsification of the number of radial ribs. The coloring and patterning of the body in the Haemadipsa species vary greatly, but the animals are usually striped or spotted.
Distribution, habitats and example species
The landing leeches of the genus Haemadipsa live in forests in South Asia , Southeast Asia and East Asia , where they infest mammals as blood-sucking parasites. The individual species differ, among other things, in whether they live in branches, in low shrubs, grass and herbaceous plants or in leaf litter. This also influences which host animals they prefer to attack and which parts of the human body they mainly attach themselves to.
The Ceylon leech ( Haemadipsa zeylanica ) , which is represented by several geographical subspecies, has a very large distribution area throughout Southeast Asia from India to Japan . It lives in the herb layer and attacks its hosts on the legs. An anesthetic in the saliva prevents you from noticing its bite, so it can soak up and eventually fall off. The up to 3.3 cm long, in Borneo , Indochina and Taiwan widespread tiger rule ( Haemadipsa picta ) lives in branches above a height of 1 m. His bite wounds are very painful. The situation is similar with the Indian species Haemadipsa ornata, which also lives in the branches . A distinct ground dweller, who also retreats under stones and bricks, is the Indian land leech ( Haemadipsa sylvestris ), which is up to 5 cm large and widespread in India and Southeast Asia , and which also bites very painfully.
species
The genus Haemadipsa includes the following species :
- Haemadipsa cavatuses
- Haemadipsa cochiniana
- Haemadipsa crenata
- Haemadipsa hainana
- Haemadipsa interrupta
- Haemadipsa japonica
- Haemadipsa limuna
- Haemadipsa moorei
- Haemadipsa montana
- Haemadipsa ornata
- Haemadipsa picta (tiger rule)
- Haemadipsa rjukjuana
- Haemadipsa sumatrana
- Haemadipsa sylvestris (Indian country leech)
- Haemadipsa trimaculosa
- Haemadipsa zeylanica (Ceylon gel)
literature
- Hugh L. Keegan, Seiichi Toshioka, Hiroshi Suzuki: Blood Sucking Asian Leeches of Families Hirudidae [sic] and Haemadipsidae. US Army Medical Command, Japan, 1968. Genus Haemadipsa Tennent, pp. 33-35.
- H. Robert Wilson, GHG Eisenberg: Land leeches of the genus Haemadipsa. Institute Report 121, Division of Cutaneous Hazards. Letterman Army Institute of Research, Presidio of San Francisco (California) 1982.
- Hasko Friedrich Nesemann: Aquatic invertebrates of the Ganga River System: Mollusca, Annelida, Crustacea (in part) , Volume 1. Chandi Press, Kathmandu 2007. p. 155.
- JP Moore: Arhynchobdellae. In: WA Harding, JP Moore (Ed.): The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Hirudinea. Taylor and Francis, London 1927. pp. 97-298, here 254ff.
