Familial Relationships of Leeches

Investigators: Kathleen Apakupakul and Mark E. Siddall

The manuscript, submitted to Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution can be viewed in its entirety on line and the data set may be downloaded.

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Relationships in detail:

Branchiobdellida and Acanthobdellida
Glossiphoniidae
Piscicolidae and Ozobranchidae
Hirudiniformes (= Haemadipsidae, Haemopidae, 'Hirudinidae')
Erpobdellidae

The following Families and Subfamilies of leeches have previously been recognized:

Rhynchobdellida
    Glossiphoniidae
    Glossiphponiinae
    Haementeriinae
    Theromyzinae
    Piscicolidae
    Piscicolinae
    Platybdellinae
    Pontobdellinae
    Ozobranchidae
Arhynchobdellida
    Erpobdelliformes
    Erpobdellidae
    Salifidae
    Hirudiniformes
    Hirudinidae
    Haemadispsidae
    Haemopidae
 - proboscis present
    - membranous cocoons
    - brood on substrate
    - brood on venter
    - feed on ducks / copulate
    - feed on fish, hardened cocoons
    - 1 pr pulsatile vesicles / somite
    - no pulsatile vesicles
    - 2 pr pulsatile vesicles / somite
    - lateral branchiae
- proboscis absent
    - 2 layers diagonal muscles, marginal row of paired eyes
    "jaws" unarmed
    "jaws" armed with "stylets"
    - protrusible penis, row of 10 eyes
    - medicinal leeches, jaws armed with fine denticles
    - terrestrial leeches, "auricles"
    - not blood feeders, jaws unarmed or robust denticles

Taxa:

Rhynchobdellida: Glossiphoniidae: Glossiphoniinae
Glossiphonia complanata* France / USA
Placobdella parasitica USA
Placobdella costata France
Placobdella molesta Uruguay
Desserobdella phalera USA
Hemiclepsis marginata France

Rhynchobdellida: Glossiphoniidae: Haementeriinae
Haementeria gracilis Uruguay
Haementeria ghilianii Amazon

Rhynchobdellida: Glossiphoniidae: Theromizinae
Theromyzon rude CAN
Theromyzon pallens* France

Rhynchobdellida: Piscicolidae: Piscicolinae
Piscicola geometra* France
Calliobdella vivida USA
Cystobranchus meyeri Can
Branchellion torpedinis USA

Rhynchobdellida: Piscicolidae: Platybdellinae
Myzobdella lugubris USA

Rhynchobdellida: Ozobranchidae
Ozobranchus margoi USA

Arhynchobdellida: Erpobdellidae
Eprobdella octoculata* France
Erpobdella punctata USA
Erpobdella testacea France
Mooreobdella bucera USA
Mooreobdella tetragon USA
Mooreobdella melanostoma USA
Nephelopsis obscura Can

Arhynchobdellida: Hirudinidae
Macrobdella decora USA
Hirudo medicinalis* France
Limnatis oligodonta Congo

Arhynchobdellida: Haemopidae
Haemopis marmorata USA
Haemopis lateromaculata USA

Arhynchobdellida: Haemadipsidae
Haemadipsa sylvestris Vietnam
Chtonobdella bilineata Australia

Acanthobdellida
Acanthobdella peledina* Sweden

Branchobdellida
Cambarincola fallax USA

Oligochaeta
Tubifex tubifex
Lumbriculus variegatus
Pontodrilus bermudiensis
Lumbricus terrestris

Polychaeta
Amphisamytha galapagensis
Paralvinella palmiformis

Character sets to be used:

Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit 1
Small subunit ribosomal gene (18S rDNA)
Morphology