A New Species of Leech, Poecilobdella kananbalaae from Karnataka, India
C. K. Mandal *
Zoological Survey of India, F.P.S. Building, 27, J. L Nehru Road, Kolkata-700016, India.
S. Mridha
Zoological Survey of India, F.P.S. Building, 27, J. L Nehru Road, Kolkata-700016, India.
P. Sharma
Zoological Survey of India, F.P.S. Building, 27, J. L Nehru Road, Kolkata-700016, India.
M. Bose
Zoological Survey of India, F.P.S. Building, 27, J. L Nehru Road, Kolkata-700016, India.
N. Hassan
Zoological Survey of India, F.P.S. Building, 27, J. L Nehru Road, Kolkata-700016, India.
A. Sachi
Ayurvedic Institution, Rajasthan, India.
S. Ghosh
School of Biological Science, NISER, Bhubaneswar-752050, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Poecilobdella is a genus of Asian leeches belonging to the family Hirudinidae. The species is characterised by a brown dorsal surface and a yellowish ventral surface without spots, three pairs of black dorsal stripes, of which the most lateral pair is broken, and one pair of black ventrolateral stripes. This study reports a new species discovered in Ulsoor Lake, Bangalore, India. The collected specimens were brown dorsally and yellowish ventrally, without any spots. Three pairs of black dorsal stripes were observed, with the most lateral pair being broken. One pair of black ventrolateral stripes was present. The eyes were situated on annuli 3, 5, 6, 8 and 11. Gonophores were present between annuli 33 and 34 and between annuli 38 and 39. The anterior sucker consisted of seven annuli, whereas the posterior sucker had five annuli. The discovery of Poecilobdella kananbalaae contributes to knowledge of freshwater-leech biodiversity in India. This chapter provides a basis for further taxonomic and ecological studies in the region. Future studies should focus on a detailed evaluation of the ecology and biology of the identified species.
Keywords: Annelida, Hirudinea, Hirudinidae, Poecilobdella kananbalaae, new species, freshwater leech, taxonomy