Rhynchobdellida

Jawless leeches
Branchellion parkeri
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Clade: Sedentaria
Class: Clitellata
Subclass: Hirudinea
Infraclass: Euhirudinea
Order: Rhynchobdellida
Blanchard, 1893
Families

Rhynchobdellida (from the Greek rhynchos, mouth, and bdellein, sucking),[1] the jawless leeches[2] or freshwater leeches,[3] are an order of aquatic leeches.[4][5] Despite the common name "freshwater leeches", species are found in both sea and fresh water. They are defined by the presence of a protrusible proboscis instead of jaws, and having colourless blood.[6][7][8] They move by "inchworming"[9] and are found worldwide. The order contains 110 species, divided into 41 genera and three families.[9] Members of the order range widely in length, usually between 7 and 40 mm.[3] They are hermaphrodite.[3] The order is not monophyletic.[10]

Appearance and eating habits

Instead of jaws and teeth, Rhynchobdellidae have protrusible proboscises, which they use to penetrate the host's skin.[3][11] Mouths of Rhynchobdellidae species are small holes from which the proboscis can be protruded.[11] The proboscis then sucks out the desired bodily fluid from the host: usually blood or coelomic fluid in the case of invertebrate victims.[10]

Rhynchobdellidae are either sanguivorous or predatory. Sanguivorous species usually feed on a variety of other animals, using their proboscis to host's skin. They generate anticoagulants (like mosquitoes) and natural anaesthesia to help the feeding.[3] Predatory Rhynchobdellidae have digestive enzymes that help break down their prey, which usually consists of small invertebrates such as insect larvae or amphipods.[3]

Families

Glossiphoniidae (Freshwater jawless leeches)

The Glossiphoniidae, the freshwater jawless leeches, or leaf leeches (due to their shape)[12] are freshwater leeches, flattened, and with a poorly defined anterior sucker.[3] The family Glossiphoniidae contains one of the world's largest species of leech, the giant Amazon leech, which can grow up to 45 cm in length.[13] Many species show extended parental care, keeping eggs in nests or pouches and caring for and feeding the young.[3][14] They feed on both vertebrate and invertebrate animals.[5]

Piscicolidae (Fish leeches)

The Piscicolidae occur in both freshwater and seawater, have cylindrical bodies, and a usually well-marked, bell-shaped, anterior sucker.[3][5] They are parasites of fish.[12][5] The family was originally divided into three subfamilies based on species' pulsatile vesicles, but the subfamilies were disbanded in 2006.[5]

Ozobranchidae (Turtle leeches)

Ozobranchidae are primarily parasitic on marine turtles, and are sometimes merged with the Piscicolidae.[3][5]

See also

References

Wikispecies has information related to Rhynchobdellida.
  1. ^ Mehlhorn, Heinz, ed. (2008), "Rhynchobdellida", Encyclopedia of Parasitology, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, p. 1249, doi:10.1007/978-3-540-48996-2_2723, ISBN 978-3-540-48996-2, retrieved 2022-11-27
  2. ^ "Taxonomy browser; Rhynchobdellida". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Order Rhynchobdellida". keys.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  4. ^ "Explore the Taxonomic Tree". FWS.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Gulf of Mexico Origins, Waters, and Biota | Volume I: Biodiversity. Harte Research Institute. 2009. pp. 789–790. ISBN 9781603442695.
  6. ^ "Rhynchobdellida | leech order | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  7. ^ "Rhynchobdellida | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  8. ^ "Definition of RHYNCHOBDELLIDA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  9. ^ a b "Rhynchobdellida - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  10. ^ a b Borda, Elizabeth; Sidall, Mark (2004-12-30). "Review of the evolution of life history strategies and phylogeny of the Hirudinida (Annelida: Oligochaeta)". Lauterbornia. 52: 7–15 – via ResearchGate.
  11. ^ a b Rogers, D. Christopher; Thorp, James H. (2019-03-31). Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates: Volume 4: Keys to Palaearctic Fauna. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-385025-6.
  12. ^ a b Thompson, Gerald; Coldrey, Jennifer; Bernard, George (1984). The pond. William Collins. pp. 116–118.
  13. ^ "Amazon Giant Leech (Haementeria ghilianii) | Invertebrate Zoology". 2018-08-31. Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  14. ^ Rohde, Klaus (2005-09-13). Marine Parasitology. Csiro Publishing. ISBN 978-0-643-09927-2.
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