| 1A | Total number of annuli less than 80; (complete segments three-annulate; young carried on ventral side of parent; with protrusible proboscis, no jaws; not normally found swimming; dorsoventrally flattened) | Family Glossiphoniidae 5 |
| 1B | Total number of annuli more than 80; (complete segments five- or seven-annulate; young not carried by parent; without proboscis; with or without jaws; usually very good swimmers; vermiform shape) | 2 |
| 2A | Five pairs of eyes arranged in a parabolic arch | 3 |
| 2B | Less than five pairs of eyes with or without accessory ocelli; dorsal side uniformly coloured without markings; (without jaws) | Family Salifidae 19 |
| 3A | Dorsal side with banded colour pattern, alternating dark green and yellowish green bands; (amphibious) | 'Mesobdella' lineata |
| 3B | Dorsal side uniformly coloured with or without numerous, small, black spots or with longitudinally striped pattern | 4 |
| 4A | With jaws | Hirudinidae 21 |
| 4B | Without jaws; uniformly pearl grey without black spots, ventrally much paler than on dorsal side and having two areas separated by a wide, yellow stripe laterally | Semiscoloides congolensis |
| 5A | Four pairs of eyes | 6 |
| 5B | One to three pairs of eyes | 8 |
| 6A | Eyes arranged in two subparallel rows | Theromyzon cooperi |
| 6B | First three pairs of eyes arranged in two subparallel rows, fourth pair (buccal eyes) on lateral margins of head | 7 |
| 7A | First pair of crop caecae with anteriorly directed lobes; dorsal surface of the body mostly distinctly marked with two or four rows of dark spots | Oosthuizobdella garoui |
| 7B | First pair of crop caecae without anteriorly directed lobes; dorsal surface of the body without dark spots | Oosthuizobdella stuhlmanni |
| 8A | Eyes three pairs [CAUTION: the posterior pairs may be coalesced, in which case they would appear as one pair; close examination will reveal a bilobed character confirming that these constitute two of three pairs] | 9 |
| 8B | Eyes one or two pairs | 13 |
| 9A | Eyes arranged in two rows; second and third pairs of eyes large, about equal in size, members of each pair approximately equidistant, thus representing the four corners of a square; first pair very small; head region conspicuously dilated into a circular sucker, distinct from body; dorsal side without striped pattern; (ten pairs of crop caecae) | Hemiclepsis quadrata |
| 9B | Eyes paired in three groups corresponding with the three corners of a triangle; eyes of second and third pairs of each side coalesced (see caution in 8A); head region not conspicuously dilated; dorsal side finely striped or finely mottled; (six or seven pairs of crop caecae) | 10 |
| 10A | Gonopores separated by one annulus; dorsally 34 or 36 narrow, longitudinal green or brown stripes at widest region of body; (seven pairs of crop caecae) | Alboglossiphonia conjugata |
| 10B | Gonopores separated by two annuli | 11 |
| 11A | Dorsal side with 14-20 narrow, longitudinal, brown stripes at widest region of body and roughened by papillae ; each annulus in middle region of body with about 12 large and several much smaller papillae | Alboglossiphonia macrorhyncha |
| 11B | Dorsal side with more than 20 narrow, longitudinal stripes at widest region of body, or finely mottled ; (seven pairs of crop caecae) | 12 |
| 12A | Dorsal side with 28 or 30 narrow, dark green or brown stripes, not roughened by papillae; cephalic sucker deep and cup-shaped; (first six pairs of crop caecae bilobed) | Alboglossiphonia cheili |
| 12B | Dorsal side with 34 or 36 green or light brown, narrow stripes or finely mottled and roughened by 15 to 18 large papillae and numerous smaller papillae in middle region of body; cephalic sucker not deeply cup-shaped | Alboglossiphonia disjuncta |
| 13A | Two pairs of eyes, first pair very small, about a quarter to a third the diameter of second pair | 14 |
| 13B | One pair of eyes | 15 |
| 14A | First pair of eyes close together, between and in line with antero-medial corners of second pair; proboscis pore in centre of sucker; dorsal side of body with three or five rows of large papillae forming ridges, especially distinct posteriorly , sometimes perceptible only in dead animals; posterio- dorsal surface with four or six rows of bright yellow spots | Batracobdelloides tricarinata |
| 14B | First pair of eyes more widely separated than second pair and in front of, and nearly opposite to, outer margins of second pair; proboscis pore at anterior edge of oral sucker; dorsal side without ridges or yellow spots | Oosthuizobdella aspera |
| 15A | With brown chitinoid plaque dorsally in neck region. (six pairs of crop caecae) | Helobdella stagnalis |
| 15B | Without chitinoid plate | 16 |
| 16A | Dorsal side of every third annulus with up to eight large, dark-coloured tubercles, tipped with black, in a transverse row; gonopores separated by one annulus; (five pairs of crop caecae) | Helobdella conifera |
| 16B | Dorsal side without tubercles or with large tubercles, e not arranged as above; gonopores separated by two annuli; (seven pairs of crop caecae) | 17 |
| 17A | Mouth opening large; eyes coalesced; dorsal side with 11 pairs of dark green patches. [Reproducing individuals with enclosed brood pouch and aperture on mid-ventral line in posterior half of body | Marsupiobdella africana |
| 17B. | Proboscis pore small, at anterior margin of cephalic sucker | 18 |
| 18A | Dorsal side with an interrupted, golden-yellow median stripe from between eyes to just in front of posterior sucker and five series of dark, irregularly-shaped blotches and roughened by irregularly-arranged papillae of various sizes; eyes well separated | Placobdelloides multistriata |
| 18B | Uniformly flesh-coloured to olive brown; dorsal side of each annulus extremely roughened by large tubercles, each with a rosette of pointed papillae on summit; each annulus in mid-body region with transverse row of 15 to 24 tubercles; eyes touching | Placobdelloides jaegerskioeldi |
| 19A | Two accessory copulatory pores present, one anterior and one posterior to the male and female gonopores respectively; two 'pairs' of eyes in which the posterior pair are doublets | .Barbronia spp. |
| 19B | Accessory copulatory pores absent | 20 |
| 20A | One pair of eyes; gonopores separated by seven annuli | Salifa africana |
| 20B | One pair of eyes with six or seven accessory pairs of ocelli; gonopores separated by five annuli | Salifa perspicax |
| 21A | Dorsal side with longitudinally-striped colour pattern; sides of body yellow or orange |
| 22 |
| 21B | Dorsal side uniformly coloured, with or without small black spots | 28 |
| 22A | Ventral side heavily maculated (spotted/ blotched) with black; six dark bands dorsally, with large, black maculations | Asiaticobdella fenestrata |
| 22B | Ventral side with a few black maculations or lacking pigment | 23 |
| 23A | Dorsal side with a dark median stripe | 24 |
| 23B | Dorsal side without a dark median stripe | 27 |
| 24A | Ventral side without marginal black stripes; dorsally five or seven dark stripes or with median black stripe only | Hirudo hildebrandti |
| 24B | Ventral side with black marginal stripes | 25 |
| 25A | Dorsal side with 11 narrow black stripes, first two pairs on each side of median stripe segmentally merged to form a chain-like pattern | Aliolimnatis africana |
| 25B | Dorsal side with seven dark stripes alternating with six light-coloured stripes | 26 |
| 26A | Median stripe black, light-coloured stripes yellow | Aliolimnatis oligodonta |
| 26B | Median stripe light brown, remaining light-coloured stripes olive green |
| Aliolimnatis buntonensis |
| 27A | Dorsal side with six narrow, dark-brown stripes | Aliolimnatis obscura |
| 27B | Dorsal side with five yellow stripes bordered with black | Hirudo michaelseni |
| 28A | Gonopores separated by eight annuli; dorsally and ventrally uniformly spotted with small, black blotches | Praobdella maculata |
| 28B | Gonopores separated by five annuli; without black spots | Praobdella radiata |
|
| NOTES ON SPECIES |
| Haemadipsidae |
| The haemadipsidae are strictly terrestrial leeches more commonly known from the Australasian tropics. It is not presently clear whether or not the South American and African Mesobdella species are actually the closest relatives of those haemadipsids in India and Asia, but their ecology is essentially the same. |
| 'Mesobdella' lineata (Sciacchitano |
| Forest streams in Natal and North-eastern Transvaal. Probably haematophagous. Not common. When out of the water, keeps to wet rocks and vegetation close to stream. 14 mm. |
| Haemopidae |
| Haemopid leeches are macrophageous only. That is, they feed on earthworms and other invertebrates having given up the blood feeding habits of their ancestors. They are usually fairly sluggish worms found in detritus or mud. Semiscoloides congolensis (Sciacchitano, 1959) (=Semiscolex congolensis) Known only from Victoria Falls. (Zimbabwe). Macrophagous. Probably terrestrial. 45 mm. |
| Glossiphoniidae |
| Glossiphoniids are strongly dorso-ventrally flattened. They exhibit a form of marked parental care in which the young attach themselves to the venter of their parent after hatching and are transported to their first blood meal when the parent seeks its next. |
| Theromyzon cooperi (Harding, 1932) (=Theromyzon lineatum): fairly common to abundant in pans, dams and vleis inhabited by waterbirds. Haematophagous, feeds excludively on birds. 26 mm. |
| Oosthuizobdella garoui (Harding, 1932) (=Placobdella garoui): common in eastern parts of southern Africa. Rare in dry western parts, but fairly common in the northern parts of Namibia. Occurs in various types of habitats, particularly pans and vleis, in which the leeches are often present in very large numbers. Haematophagous on reptiles, birds and mammals. 38 mm. |
| Oosthuizobdella stuhlmanni (Blanchard, 1897) (=Placobdella stuhlmanni): common throughout southern Africa but only in habitats where there are amphibians. Haematophagous on amphibians. 33 mm. |
| Hemiclepsis quadrata (Moore, 1924) (= Batracobdella quadrata) (= Alboglossiphonia quadrata Sawyer 1986): apparently rare, known only from coastal areas in Zululand. Probably haematophagous on fish. 7,6 mm. |
| Alboglossiphonia conjugata (Oosthuizen, 1978) (= Batracobdella conjugata): throughout southern Africa, very common in North-Western parts but not common in other parts. Liquidosomatophagous. 9 mm. |
| Alboglossiphonia macrorhyncha (Oosthuizen, 1978) (=Glossiphonia macrorhyncha): very common in most eastern parts of southern Africa, progressively less so westeward and not yet recorded in western half or region. Liquidosomatophagous. 10 mm. |
| Alboglossiphonia cheili (Oosthuizen, 1978) (=Batracobdella cheili): throughout southern Africa, very common in North-western parts but not common elsewhere. Liquidosomatophagous. 3 mm. |
| Alboglossiphonia disjuncta (Moore, 1939) (=Glossiphonia disjuncta = Batracobdella disjuncta): very common throughout southern Africa. Liquidosomatophagous. 12 mm. |
| Batracobdelloides tricarinate (Blanchard, 1897) (= Batracobdella tricarinata = Batracobdella nilotica = Batracobdella amnicola): very common throughout the region, present in any body of water inhabited by fish. Haematophagous on fish, especially catfishes (Clariidae). 20 mm. |
| Oosthuizobdella aspera (Moore, 1939) (= Placobdella aspera): extremely rare in southern Africa, only one record from Kruger National Park. Haematophagous on crocodiles. 14,9 mm (contracted). |
| Helobdella stagnalis (Linnaeus, 1758): fairly common in eastern parts but apparently not present in western, drier parts. Liquidosomatophagous on oligochaetes. 13 mm. |
| Helobdella conifera (Moore, 1933): very common in eastern and northern parts of southern Africa and extremely abundant in some habitats. Apparently not present in drier western parts. Liquidosomatophagous. 14 mm. |
| Marsupiobdella africana Goddard & Malan, 1912: common throughout southern Africa in bodies of water inhabited by Xenopus spp. Often found on freshwater crabs which serve as transport hosts. Haematophagous, apparently exclusively on Xenopus spp. 12 mm. |
| Placobdelloides multistriata (Johansson, 1909) (= Placobdella multistriata = Placobdella pulchra = Placobdella auroguttata = Placobdella unita): very common throughout southern Africa. Because of its habit of using large, freshwater hemipterans (waterscorpions and waterbugs) as transport hosts it is very often found in bodies of water not inhabited by the hosts on which it feeds, occurring even in swimming pools and temporary pools of rain water, to which it is introduced by these night-flying insects. Haematophagous on terrapins and crocodiles. 40 mm. |
| Placobdelloides jaegerskioeldi (Johansson, 1909) (= Placobdella jaegerskioeldi): restricted to habitats inhabited by hippopotami. Haematophagous on this mammal; host specific. 62 mm. |
| Salifidae |
| Salifids are thin and mostly without color. They can be found more often aerated streams where their favorite food is chironomid larvae. Even when these leeches cannot themselves be found, evidence of their presence is encountered with the observation of numerous oval chitnoid 'cocoons' (egg cases) cemented to the undersides of rocks and debris. |
| Genus Barbronia This genus is represented by two undescribed species, both of which are fairly common in the South-eastern part, less so westward; and not yet recorded in the dry, western and northern areas. Macrophagous. 22 mm (both). |
| Salifa africana (Moore, 1939) (= Mimobdella africana): known only from one locality in the most North-easterly part of southern Africa. Macrophagous. 33,3 mm. |
| Salifa perspicax Blanchard, 1897: common throughout southern Africa. Macrophagous. 40 mm. |
| Hirudinidae |
| These are the true "medicinal' leeches which subsist almost exclusively on blood acquired from amphibians and other vertebrates. In the fully adult state they are large (up to 10 cm) and excellent swimmers exhibiting rather ornate color patterns on their dorsal surface. |
| Asiaticobdella fenestrata (Moore, 1939) (= Limnatis fenestrata): restricted to but common in North-western part of southern Africa. Haematophagous on mammals. 60 mm. |
| Hirudo hildebrandti Blanchard, 1897 (= Aliolimnatis hildebrandti Sawyer 1986): common in eastern parts, not present in western parts. Haematophagous on mammals. 35 mm. |
| Aliolimnatis africana (Blanchard, 1897) (= Limnatis africana): restricted to most northerly parts. Haematophagous on mammals. 40 mm. |
| Aliolimnatis oligodonta (Johansson, 1913) (=Limnatis oligodonta): common in eastern parts, not present in western parts. Haematophagous on mammals. 58 mm. |
| Aliolimnatis buntonensis (Meyer, 1951) (= Limnatis buntonensis): very common in eastern parts of southern Africa from KwaZulu-Natal northwards, not present in southern and western parts. Haematophagous on mammals. 85 mm. |
| Aliolimnatis obscura (Moore, 1939) (= Limnatis obscura): common in western part of southern Africa and from southern parts of Namibia and Botswana northwards. Haematophagous on mammals. |
| Hirudo michaelseni Augener, 1936 (= Aliolimnatis michaelseni Sawyer 1986): very common throughout southern Africa. Haematophagous on mammals but also on amphibians and fish. Immature leeches also feed on freshwater snails. 65 mm. |
| Praobdella maculata (Moore, 1939) (= Myxobdella maculata): in eastern parts of southern Africa from KwaZulu-Natal northwards. Not common. Haematophagous in nasal cavities of mammals. 52 mm (contracted). |
| Praobdella radiata Moore, 1958: in eastern parts of southern Africa from KwaZulu-Natal northwards. Not common. Haematophagous in nasal cavities of mammals. 61 mm. |
|
|
|