Glossiphonia sp. 1

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 : 41

Taxon classification Animalia Rhynchobdellea Glossiphoniidae

Glossiphonia sp. 1

New species records.

Kurma Bay, Lake Surkhaytor-Nur, Lake Zunduk, Lake Zama.

Morphological characteristics.

Length is up to 25 mm. Three pairs of eyes. On the dorsal side there are longitudinal rows of dark pigmentation (Fig. 2). Central pair of stripes is always brighter in comparison with the more lateral ones.

Ecological characteristics.

Specimens were collected in the littoral zone. Life cycle is typical for majority of the genus. It prefers to sit on the rocks, or slowly crawl. This leech feeds almost exclusively on molluscs, and sometimes on worms or larvae of insects. With its elastic proboscis, it pierces the delicate covers of the victim and sucks its blood. The Maloe More Glossiphonia sp. 1, like other glossiphoniids, takes care of its young.