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Annelida, Euhirudinea (leeches)
Citation:
Moser, W. E., F. R. Govedich, AND D. KLEMM. Annelida, Euhirudinea (leeches). Chapter 1, Gene E. Likens (ed.), Encyclopedia of Inland Waters. Elsevier Ltd, Oxford, Uk, 2:116-123, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
In freshwater systems, leeches are an integral benthic component, functioning as predators or ectoparasites. They are reliable indicators of aquatic chemistry and biodiversity, thus, the presence of specific leech species often are related closely to basic aquatic conditions and the presence of certain animals. However, leeches are largely ignored in many ecological investigations or simply identified only as Hirudinea.
Description:
Worldwide, there are over 600 species of leeches described which occur in freshwater, marine, estuarine, and moist-terrestrial ecosystems. Leeches are included in the Class Clitellata, Subclass Hirudinida, and Superorder Euhirudinea. Seven of the ten families of leeches occur in freshwater environments. Approximately half of the leech species are predaceous on invertebrates and the other half are blood-feeding.
URLs/Downloads:
Annelida, Euhirudinea (leeches)
DKLEMM-LEECHES_INLANDWATERS_BK CHAPT.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 47 KB, about PDF)