Macrobdella is a genus of leeches[1] native to freshwater ecosystems of North America, especially Canada, Mexico, and the United States.[3] The genus is commonly referred to as North American medicinal leeches.
| Macrobdella | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Macrobdella decora, the North American medicinal leech, in Buckingham, Quebec | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
| Clade: | Sedentaria |
| Class: | Clitellata |
| Subclass: | Hirudinea |
| Order: | Arhynchobdellida |
| Suborder: | Hirudiniformes |
| Family: | Macrobdellidae |
| Genus: | Macrobdella Verrill, 1872[1][2] |
Species
editThere are five recognized species of Macrobdella.[1]
- Macrobdella decora (Say, 1824)[4][a]
- Macrobdella diplotertia Meyer, 1975[5]
- Macrobdella ditetra Moore, 1953[6]
- Macrobdella mimicus Phillips, Salas-Montiel, Kvist, Oceguera-Figueroa, 2019[7]
- Macrobdella sestertia Whitman, 1886[8]
Notes
edit- ↑ A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Macrobdella .
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Macrobdella Verrill, 1872". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ↑ "Macrobdella Verrill, 1872". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ↑ Oceguera-Figueroa, Alejandro; Salas-Montiel, Ricardo; Phillips, Anna J. (July 2016). "Distribution of the New England Medicinal Leech, Macrobdella sestertia Whitman, 1886 and redeterminations of specimens of Macrobdella (Annelida: Clitellata: Macrobdellidae) at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 129 (1): 103–113. doi:10.2988/0006-324X-129.Q2.103. ISSN 0006-324X.
- ↑ "Macrobdella decora (Say, 1824)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
- ↑ "Macrobdella diplotertia". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ↑ "Macrobdella ditetra". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ↑ Oceguera-Figueroa, Alejandro; Kvist, Sebastian; Salas-Montiel, Ricardo; Phillips, Anna J. (15 August 2019). "Phylogenetic Position and Description of a New Species of Medicinal Leech from the Eastern United States". Journal of Parasitology. 105 (4): 587–597. doi:10.1645/18-119. ISSN 0022-3395. PMID 31414949.
- ↑ "Macrobdella sestertia". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 9 December 2025.