Dina prokletijaca Grosser & Pešić, 2016

Grosser, Clemens, Pešić, Vladimir, Berlajolli, Violeta & Gligorović, Bogić, 2016, Glossiphonia balcanica n. sp. and Dina prokletijaca n. sp. (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae, Erpobdellidae) - two new leeches from Montenegro and Kosovo, Ecologica Montenegrina 8, pp. 17-26 : 21-25

Dina prokletijaca Grosser & Pešić n. sp.

( Figures 2 A-D, 3A-C)

Type material. Holotype ( SMF 19963 ), KOSOVO KS16, Istok town, Zatra, spring Nenqershi , 42°47'20.7"N, 20°28'54.4"E, 23.3.2014, leg. Berlajolli, body length 23 mm, width 4, 5 mm . Paratypes ( SMF 19964 ) : 18 specimens, ten of them are adults with a well visible clitellum (length/width: 23/4, 27/5, 24/5, 26/5, 23/5, 20/5, 20/4, 22/5, 21/4, 20/ 3.5 mm); eight paratypes without a visible clitellum (length/width: 22/4, 21/4.5, 18/4, 15/3, 15/3, 13/3, 15/3.5, 16/ 3 mm); 8 specimens, same locality as holotype, 29.3.2015, leg. Berlajolli ; 5 specimens, same locality as holotype, 23.8.2015, leg. Berlajolli ; 4 specimens. 08.11.2015, leg. Berlajolli. Ten paratypes are deposited in the SMF, other paratypes in the first author’s collection .

Further records: KOSOVO: Peje / Peć, Zatra, spring Kroni i Kadrushit , 42°38'52"N, 20°16'50" E, alt. 659 m asl, 05.3.2014 Berlajolli, 2 specimens ; Peje / Peć, Zatra, spring Kroni i Bajram Brales , 42°38'36" N, 20°16'39" E alt. 781 m asl, 7.4.2014 Berlajolli, 14 specimens ; Peje / Peć, Kuqishte, spring Gurra e Hakes , 42°41'00.8"N, 20°04'57.4"E, alt. 1441 m asl, 30.4.2014 Berlajolli, 70 specimens ; Peje / Peć, Rugovo, Boge, spring Gurra e Dreshajve , 42°45'41.2"N, 20°03' 24.0"E, alt. 1599 m asl, 11.5.2014 Berlajolli 33 specimens .

Comparative material examined. Dina montana Sket, 1968 : MONTENEGRO, Štavna, leg. et det. P. Trontelj, 02.07.2007, 4 specimens (length/width: 40/4.5, 30/4, 25/3, 24/ 3 mm).

Diagnosis. Leeches with a typical Dina -annulation (quinqueannulate, b1, b2, a2, b5 <b6 (c11, c12); small and stocky leeches; the dorsal surface bright greyish with two wide and dark paramedian longitudinal stripes; ovisacs reaching the fourth somite after the female genital pore, and curled in their entire course.

Description

Habitus: Small and stocky leeches. The body is cylindrical along the entire length, with small but not raised lateral keels in the last third ( Fig. 2B ). The cranial sucker large with a wide mouth opening; the upper lip not elongated. The caudal sucker of medium size, clearly narrower than the width of the body. Conspicuous papillae are absent; numerous very small inconspicuous papillae are dorsally and ventrally visible on annulus a2.

Size: Small leeches. Preserved adult specimens up to 27 mm in the length and 5 mm in width.

Annulation: Leeches with a typical Dina -like annulation. The midbody somites quinqueannulate with annulus b6 only slightly broadened, more clearly broadened in the last half of the body. Annulus b6 not or only very slightly subdivided into annuli c11 and c12, other annuli not subdivided. The male genital pore situated in the furrow b2/a2, the female in the furrow b5/b6. The genital pores separated by two annuli.

Colour: The dorsal surface of preserved specimens is bright greyish with two wide dark paramedian longitudinal stripes, along the entire length. The paramedian stripes forms the boundary of a bright median stripe ( Fig. 2A ). The ventral surface plain and brighter than the dorsal surface.

Eyes: The eyes in studied preserved specimens strongly reduced or not visible.

Sexual organs: The male sexual organs are characterized by a small atrial body with short and thick cornua. The cornua sharply bending to the ventral side, in proximal elongated to the border of b1/b6 or on b6 of the previous somite, the apical part not coiled ( Fig. 3 B-C).

The paired vasa deferentia extending to the seventh ganglion after the female genital pore, after the fourth ganglion the vasa deferentia thickened and strongly curled.

The female sexual organs are characterized by the ovarian sacks (paired structure which are lying dorsally to the vas deferens) reaching the fourth somite after the female genital pore. The ovarian sacks are strongly curled in their entire course ( Fig. 3A ).

Etymology: The species is named after the mountain (Prokletije – a mountain range on the western Balkan peninsula, extending from northern Albania to Kosovo and eastern Montenegro) from which the type specimen was collected.

Differential diagnosis: The new species is closely related to Dina montana Sket, 1968 and D. dinarica Sket, 1968 . The both species live in the same area as the new species (see: Grosser et al. 2015a, b). From the latter species Dina prokletijaca n. sp. differs in the size, reaching approximately the half of size of D. dinarica . The latter species has more pronounced annulation than the new species with all annuli apart from b6 may be subdivided. Further difference includes the extension of the ovarian sacks which is one somite shorter in D. dinarica . Due to the shape and extension of the sexual organs Dina prokletijaca n. sp. resembles D. montana Sket, 1968 , a species originally described from the Prokletije Mountain ( Sket 1968). The latter species differs from Dina prokletijaca n. sp. in: 1) slender and dorsoventrally more flattened body, dorsal surface smooth without papillae, 2) cranial sucker elongated with a small mouth opening ( Fig. 3C right), 3) the dorsal colour of freshly preserved specimens of D. montana is very dark greyish to brownish, therefore the dark paramedian stripes are not clearly visible, and 4) eight eyes visible, occasionally only a single eye absent.

Dina lineata (O. F. Müller, 1774) a medium sized to large leeches can be easily distinguished from D. prokletijaca n. sp., by the slender body with a small mouth opening. The small sized Dina lineata lacustris Sket, 1968 differs in the female genital pore shifted on b6 (in the middle or at the end of the annulus), never in the furrow b5/b6 ( Sket 1968).

The reduction of visible eyes make the new species similar to Dina minuoculata Grosser, Moritz & Pešić, 2007 , a medium to large yellow spotted leech known from the mountain area of Montenegro ( Grosser et al. 2007). The latter species is characterized by the conspicuous papillae and less curled ovarian sacks. Moreover, the reduction of pigmentation of eyes is much further progressed in D. prokletijaca n. sp.

Variability. A strong variability was observed in eyes and extension of ovarian sacks. In the holotype eyes are not visible; in some young specimens a small single eye can be present. The extension of ovarian sacks also vary; in one specimen the both ovarian sacks reaches the ganglion of the fourth somite, in another specimen the ovarian sacks extends to the furrow b6/a1 between the third and fourth somite after the female genital pore. However, intermediate position was also found and in one specimen, the right ovarian sack reaches to the ganglion of the fourth somite but the left one reaches to the furrow b5/b6 of the third somite after the female genital pore.

Habitat: Dina prokletijaca n. sp. was collected in rheocrene springs in deciduous forests dominated by the common beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.). The leeches were collected from March to December, with peak in spring.

Distribution: Kosovo (Prokletije Mts.).

Key to the Dina -species from the Western Balkan (excluded the species of the so-called Dina ohridana - complex which contains species endemic to lake Ohrid, characterized by genital pores separated by three annuli)

1 Living specimens white, without any dark or yellow spots or stripes; eyes absent; caudal sucker large, reaching the maximum body diameter; genital pores separated by 3 annuli; troglobiont. ..................................................... Dina absoloni Johansson, 1913

- Living specimens coloured with dark paramedian stripes; caudal sucker, eyes and separation of genital pores various; not typical troglobiont. ......................................... 2

2 Trocheta -like annulation, somite with 8 to 9 annuli, 2 or 3 broadened annuli following 5 or 7 narrow annuli; cranial sucker elongated with a rostelloid upper lip; large leeches,> 100 mm in length............................................... Dina krasensis ( Sket, 1968)

- Dina -like annulation, somites quinqueannulate with b6 broadened............................. 3

3 Dorsal surface with yellow or whitish spots................................................................. 4

- Dorsal surface without yellow or whitish spots............................................................ 5

4 Male genital pore in furrow b1/b2, the female in furrow b5/b6, genitale pores separated by three annuli; dorsal surface with numerous inconspicuous papillae; ovisacs curled in posterior parts .............. Dina latestriata Neubert & Nesemann, 1995

- Male genital pore situated in furrow b2/a2, the female in furrow b5/b6, genitale pores separated by 2 annuli; dorsal surface with numerous well visible yellowish papillae; ovisacs not curled .............................. Dina minuoculata Grosser, Moritz & Pešić, 2007

5 Male genital pore in furrow b2/a2, the female usually on b6; ovarian sacks elongated 2 somites after the female genital pore.......................... Dina lineata (O. F. Müller, 1774) ....................................................................................................................................... 6

- Male genital pore in furrow b2/a2, the female in furrow b5/b6, the genitale pores separated by two annuli; ovarian sacks various............................................................. 7

6 Female genital pore is usually situated on b6, in furrow c11/c12, the genital pores separated by 2.5 annuli; medium to large sized leeches up to 55 mm in length ............. ........................................................................ Dina lineata lineata (O. F. Müller, 1774)

- Female genital pore always situated on b6, but the position in the annulus is variable; small sized reaching a maximum 30 mm in length ..... Dina lineata lacustris Sket, 1968

7 Mouth opening small, upper lip of the oral sucker elongated ......................................... ................................................................................................ Dina montana Sket, 1968

- Mouth opening wide, upper lip of the oral sucker not elongated .................................. 8

8 Caudal sucker slightly narrower than the maximum body width; dorsal surface in anterior part of body medially with one bright stripe, bordered by two wide and dark greyish areas, in posterior part of body with one dark median and two dark paramedian longitudinal stripes; ovisacs curled in posterior parts.................................. .................................................................................... Dina sketi Grosser & Pešić, 2014

- Caudal cucker narrower than the maximum body width; longitudinal paramedian stripes on the dorsal surface well visible along the entire length, the mid-dorsal stripe with a brighter and darker part lacking; ovisacs curled in their entire course............... 9

9 Annulus b6 not or only very slightly subdivided, other annuli not subdivided; eyes reduced, only single eyes could be visible; small leech up to 27 mm in length (preserved); ovisacs reach to the fourth somite after the female genital pore ................. .................................................................................................... Dina prokletijaca n. sp.

- All annuli apart from b6 may be subdivided; eight eyes in pairs visible (a single eye could be reduced); medium to large up to 50 mm or more in length; ovisacs reach to the third somite after the female genital pore .......................... Dina dinarica Sket, 1968

Figures

Figures 2. Dina prokletijaca n. sp., holotype: A = dorsal view; B = lateral view; C = Habitus: left – D. prokletijica n. sp., holotype; right – D. montana, Štavna, Montenegro.

Figures 3. Dina prokletijaca n. sp., paratype: A = internal anatomy (Abbreviations: a, atrium; b, ovarian sacks; c, vas deferens; d, testisacs). B-C = atrium: B = ventral view, C = ventrolateral view.