Trocheta intermedia Kutschera, 2010

- & Grosser, Clemens, 2015, Differentiation of some similar species of the subfamily Trochetinae (Hirudinida: Erpobdellidae), Ecologica Montenegrina 2 (1), pp. 29-41 : 33-37

Trocheta intermedia Kutschera, 2010

Important taxonomical characteristics of T. intermedia are listed in the description of this leech ( Kutschera 2010). The described annulation, separation of genital pores and morphology of the genital atrium was given on the basis of the re­examination of the type material and material collected by the author in this study. In addition a description of the vasa deferentia and the ovarian sacks in T. intermedia is provided.

Genital atrium: Kutschera (2010) originally described this organ as follow: „The morphology of this organ was found to be variable and very similar to that of T. bykowskii (s. Fig. 58e in Nesemann & Neubert 1999)”. However, the studied specimen in Nesemann & Neubert (1999) belongs to the population from the river Wisper, which will be described as T. taunensis n. sp. in this study. The genital atrium in the Trocheta specimens from the river Wisper bearing a long and slender cornua in its total extension without a swollen base ( Fig. 8E). The genital atrium of T. intermedia has short cornua with a swollen base ( Fig. 4 A­B), similar as in D. punctata mauchi Nesemann, 1995 ( Fig. 4C).

Annulation: Kutschera (2010) described the annulation in the description like this: „Typical tri­annulate somites, with the primary (basic) annuli a1, a2 and a3 sometimes subdivided into secondary annuli (Trontelj & Sket 2000), are indistinguishable from those described for T. bykowskii (Dresscher & Engel 1955, Mann 1959…).“ The annulation of Trocheta by Dresscher & Engel (1955) is pictured in Fig. 5A. However, this figure do not shows T. bykowskii , it is the later described T. pseudodina (syn. by Nesemann 1990). The type material of T. intermedia has basically quinqueannulate somites with a broadened and slightly subdivided annulus b6 ( Fig. 5B). Consequently the annulation of T. intermedia is typical for the genus Dina R.Blanchard, 1892 .

Separation of the genital pores: Kutschera (2010) described the position of the genital pores in the original description as follow: „On the grey­pigmented ventral side, the swollen clitellum with the male and female genital pores that are separated by two annuli can be seen.“ This can not be seen on the type material. The male genital pore is situated on the annulus a2, the female is in the furrow b5/b6. The genital pores are separated by 1.5 to 1.75 annuli in the reality ( Fig. 6A). The position of the gonopores of D. p. mauchi is the same ( Fig. 6B; Nesemann 1995).

Vas deferens and ovarian sacks: The shape and extension of the vasa deferentia and ovarian sacks of T. intermedia and D. p. mauchi are the same ( Figs. 7 A­B).

In the conclusion, T. intermedia is indistinguishable from D. punctata mauchi in all taxonomical relevant characteristics of the morphology and anatomy. Therefore, T. intermedia should be considered as a younger synonym of D. punctata mauchi .