New records of the chaetiferous leech-like annelid Paracanthobdella livanowi (Epshtein, 1966) (Annelida: Clitellata: Acanthobdellida) from Kamchatka, Russia.

Acanthobdellidans are unique in their organisation and phylogenetic relationships due to having transitional characters that combine features of oligochaetous and achaetous annelids. Alongside the relatively well-studied Acanthobdella peledina Grube, 1851, there is another member of the group, Paracanthobdella livanowi (Epshtein, 1966), with five rows of chaetae and an anterior sucker. It appears that the anterior sucker is weakly developed in small juveniles but acquires a deep cavity in adults. Smaller individuals of P. livanowi can be distinguished from A. peledina, which does not possess an anterior sucker, by the varying breadth of their chaetae. The mid-body segment consists of two doubled annuli in juveniles and is quadri-annulate in large individuals. In Kamchatka freshwaters, hosts of P. livanowi mostly include Salvelinus spp. and more rarely Gasterosteus aculeatus, Oncorhynchus mykiss and O. kisutch. New information on the distribution and the biology of P. livanowi is presented.

Phylogeny and phylogeography of medicinal leeches (genus Hirudo): fast dispersal and shallow genetic structure.

Medicinal leeches (Hirudo spp.) are among the best-studied invertebrates in many aspects of their biology. Yet, relatively little is known about their biogeography, ecology and evolution. Previous studies found vast ranges but suggested low genetic diversity for some species. To examine this apparent contradiction, the phylogeny and phylogeography of the widespread Hirudo verbana, Hirudo medicinalis and Hirudo orientalis were investigated in a comparative manner. Populations from across their ranges in Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and Central Asia, were analyzed by various phylogenetic and population genetic approaches using both mitochondrial (COI and 12S) and nuclear DNA sequences (ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2). The populations showed surprisingly little genetic differentiation despite vast ranges. The only clear structure was observed in H. verbana. This species is subdivided into an Eastern (southern Ukraine, North Caucasus, Turkey and Uzbekistan) and a Western phylogroup (Balkans and Italy). The two phylogroups do not overlap, suggesting distinct postglacial colonization from separate refugia. Leeches supplied by commercial facilities belong to the Eastern phylogroup of H. verbana; they originate from Turkey and the Krasnodar Territory in Russia, two leading areas of leech export. H. verbana and H. medicinalis have experienced recent rapid population growth and range expansion, while isolation by distance has shaped the genetic setup of H. orientalis. The habitat of the latter is patchy and scattered about inhospitable arid and alpine areas of Central Asia and Transcaucasia. Centuries of leech collecting and transport across Europe seem not to have affected the natural distribution of genetic diversity, as the observed patterns can be explained by a combination of historical factors and present day climatic influences.

Diverse molecular data demonstrate that commercially available medicinal leeches are not Hirudo medicinalis.

The European medicinal leech is one of vanishingly few animal species with direct application in modern medicine. In addition to the therapeutic potential held by many protease inhibitors purified from leech saliva, and notwithstanding the historical association with quackery, Hirudo medicinalis has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a prescription medical device. Accurate annotation of bioactive compounds relies on precise species determination. Interpretations of developmental and neurophysiological characteristics also presuppose uniformity within a model species used in laboratory settings. Here, we show, with mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellites, that there are at least three species of European medicinal leech, and that leeches marketed as H. medicinalis are actually Hirudo verbana. Beyond the obvious need for reconsideration of decades of biomedical research on this widely used model organism, these findings impact regulatory statutes and raise concerns for the conservation status of European medicinal leeches.

Celebrity with a neglected taxonomy: molecular systematics of the medicinal leech (genus Hirudo).

The medicinal leech is the most famous representative of the Hirudinea. It is one of few invertebrates widely used in medicine and as a scientific model object. It has recently been given considerable conservation effort. Despite all attention there is confusion regarding the taxonomic status of different morphological forms, with many different species described in the past, but only two generally accepted at present. The results of the phylogenetic analysis of a nuclear (ITS2+5.8S rRNA) and two mitochondrial gene sequences (12S rRNA, COI) suggest that the genus Hirudo is monophyletic. It consists, apart form the type Hirudo medicinalis and the East Asian Hirudo nipponia, of three other, neglected species. All of them have already been described either as species or morphological variety, and can readily be identified by their coloration pattern. The type species is in weakly supported sister relation with Hirudo sp. n. (described as variety orientalis) from Transcaucasia and Iran. Sister to them stands Hirudo verbana from southeastern Europe and Turkey, which is nowadays predominantly bred in leech farms and used as 'medicinal leech.' The North African Hirudo troctina is the sister taxon to this group of Western Eurasian species, whereas the basal split is between H. nipponia and the Western Palaearctic clade.

A new species of the medicinal leech (Oligochaeta, Hirudinida, Hirudo) from Transcaucasia and an identification key for the genus Hirudo.

A recent molecular phylogenetic study has suggested that the genus Hirudo contains a neglected species previously known as the orientalis coloration type of the medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis. In this paper, the new species is formally described as Hirudo orientalis sp. n. It can most readily be identified by the grass green coloration of the dorsum, segmentally arranged pairs of black quadrangular or rounded dots on its paramarginal dorsal stripes and similarly arranged, but less regular light-colored markings on the predominantly black venter. It has medium-sized epididymes and an evenly coiled vagina. H. orientalis is known from Transcaucasia, Iran, and Uzbekistan. It is widely used in medicine as the "medicinal leech." Very little is known about its exact distribution, specific habitat, and conservation status. The paper contains an identification key to all species of the genus Hirudo.