Placobdella costata

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Placobdella costata
Systematics
Subclass : Leeches (Hirudinea)
Order : Hirudinida
Subordination : Proboscis (Rhynchobdelliformes)
Family : Plattegel (Glossiphoniidae)
Genre : Placobdella
Type : Placobdella costata
Scientific name
Placobdella costata
( Ms. Müller , 1846)

The turtle leech Placobdella costata is a species from the subclass of leeches (Hirudinea). As the only representative of the genus Placobdella , it also occurs in European waters.

features

The species reaches a length of 2 to 7 centimeters. The back has a blue-green to dark brown color and a light central stripe interrupted by dark spots. The edge of the sides of the body is mottled light and dark. Placobdella costata apparently only has one pair of eyes, but the two front eyes are fused together and moved towards the rear pair of eyes.

Occurrence and way of life

The Placobdella species are native to North America, Placobdella costata being the only exception. The species is common in the Mediterranean and around the Black Sea . In Central Europe, on the other hand, it is only found sporadically, but its distribution area in Germany extends to the area around Berlin. There are some smaller concentrations on the Elbe near Dessau. The species is relatively common in waters along the Baltic Sea in Poland, namely in the Masurian Lake District and in the Baltic States .

The habitat of Placobdella costata are the plant- rich bank areas in stagnant water. Placobdella costata sucks blood on pond turtles, in particular it was found on the European pond turtle ( Emys orbicularis ). It is also possible that the European beaver ( Castor fiber ) is a substitute host, as the leech also occurs in waters in which there are hardly any pond turtles, but where there are beavers. Water birds are also possible hosts. In the middle of the 19th century it was reported that these leeches were used medicinally in humans in the Crimea , where they were frequently found, such as the leech ( Hirudo medicinalis ). Attempts by the first describer Fritz Müller to apply the leeches to himself, however, were unsuccessful. Müller was also unable to discover a jaw apparatus with teeth in this trunk leech, as in the medical leech it enables not only sucking but also scratching of the skin.

Systematics

Placobdella costata is the type species of the genus Placobdella . This genus was placed by Hansjochen Autrum in 1936 as a subgenus in the genus Haementeria , Placobdella costata was therefore known for a few decades under the name Haementeria costata . A. Soos established the genus Placobdella again in 1969 with the type species Placobdella costata . However, it was not until the end of the 20th century that the proposal became generally accepted in the system.

The leech was first described by Fritz Müller in 1846 and called Clepsine costata . The first description appeared in German in the Archive for Natural History.

supporting documents

literature

  • Herbert W. Ludwig: Animals and plants of our waters . BLV Verlagsgesellschaft, Munich 2003, p. 142, ISBN 3-405-16487-7

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Mark E. Siddall, Rebecca B. Rudinoff & Elizabeth Borda: Phylogenetic evaluation of systematics and biogeography of the leech family Glossiphoniidae. Invertebrate Systematics, 19, pp. 105-112, 2005, p. 107
  2. ↑ Michael L. Zettler and Uwe Jueg: Responsibility for less popular animal groups? Example leeches, higher crabs and mollusks. Pulsatilla, 4, pp. 76-80, 2001, pp. 76-77
  3. ↑ Clemens Grosser: Placobdella costata (F. Müller, 1846) - a compilation of German sites with information on the chemical composition of some bodies of water . Lauterbornia, 33, pp. 19-22, 1998
  4. ↑ Aleksander Bielecki, Andrzej Jabłoński & Katarzyna Palińska1: The prevalence of occurrence of parasite Placobdella costata (Fr. Müller, 1846) (Hirudinea: Glossiphoniidae) on the mud turtle Emys orbicularis (L.). Wiadomości Parazytologiczne, 53 (suplement), p. 115, 2007
  5. ↑ Melita Vamberger, Peter Trontelj: Placobdella costata (Fr. Müller, 1846) (Hirudinea: Glossiphoniidae), a leech species new for Slovenia. Natura Sloveniae 9, 1, pp. 37–42, 2007, p. 40
  6. ^ A b Fritz Müller: Clepsine costata, new art. Archive for Natural History, I, pp. 82–85, plate III. Fig. 1 u. 2, 1846
  7. ↑ Jessica E. Light and Mark E. Siddall: Phylogeny of the Leech Family Glossiphoniidae Based on Mitochondrial Gene Sequences and Morphological Data. The Journal of Parasitology, 85, 5, pp. 815-823, 1999
  8. ^ A. Soos: Identification Key to the Leech (Hirudinoidea) Genera of the World, with a catalog of the species. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 15, 1-2, pp. 151-201, Budapest 1969

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