Macrobdellidae
| Macrobdellidae | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Macrobdellidae | ||||||||||||
| Richardson , 1969 |
Macrobdellidae is the name of a family of leeches in the subordination of Kieferegel with the freshwater living species known as ectoparasites at various vertebrates whose blood sucking, but in addition also as predators eat small animals and eggs. They are common in North America , Central America, and South America .
features
The leeches of the Macrobdellidae family usually have large, dorsoventrally flattened bodies, with 15 or 16 of the externally invisible segments each having 5 outer ringlets. Like other jaw rules, they have three jaws in their mouth, each of which is covered with a row of teeth (monostichodont) and can also be provided with salivary papillae. The storage stomach (goiter) has 2 pairs of blind sacs per segment and in the 19th segment, similar to the Hirudinidae, one pair of postcaeca - elongated posterior blind sacs. The entrance to the pharynx is narrow, but wider than the base of the middle dorsal jaw. The muscular longitudinal ridges of the pharynx end alternately in the jaws and at the edge of the entrance to the pharynx.
The penis of the hermaphrodite animals is always well developed. The paired sperm conductor forms a simple loop to the front within the 11th segment, with the epididymis on the beginning limb with the thin-walled sperm conductor on the ending segment. The vagina has no blind sac and always has a vaginal tube.
distribution and habitat
The flukes of the Macrobdellidae family are common in freshwater of inland waters in North America , Central America, and South America .
Life cycle
As a hermaphrodite , two leeches mate with each other with their penises . With the help of the clitellum, after mating, both partners secrete a cocoon made of a spongy chitinous material at the water's edge and lay their eggs in it. Finished young leeches later hatch from the cocoon.
nutrition
The Macrobdellidae feed on the blood of various vertebrates. Amphibian eggs, fry and various small animals are also eaten.
Sample types
The North American leech ( Macrobdella decora ) is widespread in North America. In addition to amphibians, reptiles and various mammals, it also sucks on humans and is also known as the American medical leech.
Genera
According to Laurence R. Richardson, the family includes the following genera :
- Macrobdella Verrill, 1872 (North and Central America)
- Potamobdella (Central America)
- Pintobdella (Central America)
According to Richardson, the following genera may also be included here:
- Oxyptychus (South America)
- Dinobdella (Asia)
literature
- Laurence R. Richardson (1969): A contribution to the systematics of the hirudinid leeches, with description of new families, genera and species. Acta Zoologica Hungarica 15 (1/2), pp. 97–149, here p. 142 .
- Raúl A. Ringuelet (1976): Sobre la macrotaxonomía de la familia Macrobdellidae Richardson y su división en subfamilias (Hirudiniformes Hirudinoidea). Neotrópica, 21 (66): 113-118.
- Roy T. Sawyer: North American Freshwater Leeches, Exclusive of the Piscicolidae, with a Key to All Species. Illinois Biological Monographs 46, University of Illinois Press, Urbana-Champaign / Chicago / London 1972. pp. 66-69 .