Codonobdella sp.

Kaygorodova, Irina A., 2015, Annotated checklist of the leech species diversity in the Maloe More Strait of Lake Baikal, Russia, ZooKeys 545, pp. 37-52 : 45

Taxon classification Animalia Rhynchobdellea Piscicolidae

Codonobdella sp.

New species records:

Northern transit of Maloe More Strait, Nyurgon Bay, Kharansa Bay, opposite the Cape Khoboy, Shibetey Bay.

Morphological characteristics.

Body length of 8-10 mm. It differs from the type species, Codonodbella truncata , by the existence of a distinctive pigmentation on the dorsal side and the representative shape of the body (Fig. 5). There is a monotonous gray-green coloration of the dorsal side and a lighter colour on the ventral surface. A striped pattern is located laterally on each side of the body. Formerly, this leech was mistaken for Piscicola geometra ( Kozhova and Izmest’eva 1998, Rusinek 2007) because of the similarity in colour patterns, the piscicola-like body shape and the lighter coloration of the ventral surface.

Ecological characteristics.

This leech is an inhabitant of open waters. Within the Maloe More, it was recorded in the northern part of the strait at a depth of 30-140 m.