Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 87 



THE LEECHES 



By J. PERCY MOORE, Professor of Zoology, University of 

 Pennsylvania 



The leeches form a fairly conspicuous part of the lake fauna. 

 Although quite abundant, the particular forms which attack human 

 beings do not seem to be common, and bathers are never troubled 

 with them. In Winona Lake, near Warsaw, Indiana, which has a 

 good deal of muddy bottom, there are places where one can not 

 enter the water and remain long without being attacked by numer- 

 ous leeches, the bites of which cause severe itching for days. This 

 condition was not noted at Lake Maxinkuckee except near the 

 Norris Inlet, where on one occasion (Aug. 1, 1906) the leeches 

 proved very voracious and troublesome. 



There are probably several species present besides those listed 

 in this paper. The long dark leech with yellowish stripes along 

 the sides, which is usually found in soft mud, was found in Green's 

 marsh and in the pond near the elevator. A good many fish- 

 leeches were obtained from various fishes during the summer of 

 1906, and appear to be different from those to be found on turtles. 



Economically considered, the fish-leeches are perhaps the most 

 important in the lake. They are especially common on catfishes, 

 and most catfishes caught have red sore spots on the chin where 

 the leeches have been attached. They do not appear to be abund- 

 ant or do much harm, a single fish rarely harboring more than two 

 or three at a time. - 



The animals most severely troubled by leeches are the turtles, 

 almost every one of which has one to several leeches attached. 

 The turtle-infecting leeches are broad flat animals and "play 

 'possum" when disturbed. The turtles which are at liberty appear 

 to be able to keep from being badly enough infected to do them 

 serious injury. A snapping turtle kept in a livebox,_however, was 

 found to be badly attacked. It was fairly clean when placed in the 

 livebox, but when taken out ten days later had a great bunch of 

 leeches 53 in number attached to the neck. These leeches oc- 

 casionally attack mussels, especially Anodontas, and are now and 

 then found inside the mussel shell, between the mantle and the 

 foot. A number of recently killed shells found near Norris Inlet 

 were covered with them; they were probably feeding upon mucus. 

 Small leeches are probably great enemies of snails, some small 

 examples of Planorbis were found to be swarming with them. The 

 leeches of all sorts spend a good deal of time under boards. One 

 found June 6, 1901, under a board had a good number of round, 



