Americobdella
| Americobdella valdiviana | |
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| Genus: | Americobdella
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| Species: | A. valdiviana
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| Binomial name | |
| Americobdella valdiviana (Philippi, 1872)
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Macrobdella valdiviana Philippi, 1872 | |
Americobdella is a genus of carnivorous leeches from southern Chile, comprising only the species, Americobdella valdiviana.
Taxonomy
[edit]Philippi, who originally classified A. valdiviana as an erpobdellid leech, noted that Americobdella valdiviana was similar to Trocheta (now synonymized with Erpobdella) "in both appearance and habit".[1] It is phylogenically between two major groups of leeches, the Rhynchobdellida and the Arhynchobdellida.[1] Recent work has suggested A. valdiviana is more closely related to the Erpobdelliformes than the Hirudiniformes.[1]
Description
[edit]Americobdella valdiviana is a predator and has only rudimentary jaws. Because of these features, it was originally classified as an erpobdellid leech.[1] A. valdiviana is grey-coloured on the dorsal side with a yellowish ventral side. Whether eyes are present in this species is a matter of debate. While Philippi originally described Americobdella valdiviana as having no eyes, other authors have indicated that eyes are indeed present.[1]
Diet
[edit]A. valdiviana feeds on earthworms.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Siddall, Mark E.; Elizabeth Borda (2004). "Leech Collections from Chile Including Two New Species of Helobdella" (PDF). American Museum Novitates. New York: American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2004)457<0001:LCFCIT>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0003-0082. Retrieved 22 March 2010.