Hirudo troctina Johnson, 1816

Ahmed, Raja Ben, Romdhane, Yasmina & Tekaya, Saïda, 2015, Checklist and Distribution of Marine and freshwater leeches (Annelida, Clitellata, Hirudinea) in Tunisia with identification key, Ecologica Montenegrina 2 (1), pp. 3-19 : 9

Hirudo troctina Johnson, 1816

( Fig. 3A,C)

Diagnosis: The colour of living animals is grass green. The dorsal surface shows six longitudinal bands of orange and black spots. The venter is greenish to yellow with large black spots. Laterally, there are two marginal longitudinal zigzag lines. This species has three muscular jaws. The anterior sucker has a parabolic arc of 10 eyespots and the genital gonopores are separated by five annuli.

Habitat: Found under stones and other submerged objects. It seems to prefer drainage basins and marshes. It was not found in springs.

Distribution: Seurat (1922) recorded it from Algeria (in Mitidja) and reported its presence in Spain, Portugal and Italy (Sardinia).

In Tunisia ( Fig. 5G), Blanchard (1908) recorded this species in two localities in the North West of the country Tabarka and Aïn Drahim (Jendouba governorate). Hetchel & Sawyer (2002) recorded it in North Africa ( Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia). Ben Ahmed et al. (2008a) collected this species from a new locality in Tunisia in Nabeul governorate: Lebna drainage basin. In the present study, we add new records in this later governorate: Aïn Oued Edheb (El Haouria); drainage basin Tebouda (37.30N, 11.036E) and Marsh sidi Ameur (37.3.0N, 11.0.33E) and we report its presence for the first time in Jendouba governorate ( Marsh in Fernena ) and in the south of the country: governorate of Tozeur (Chbika, 37.1912 N, 7.55588 E) ; Tamaghza (34.2248N, 7.570E).