Description of two new species of freshwater leeches of the genus Helobdella (Hirudinea, Glossiphoniidae) from Mexico, with a redescription of Helobdella socimulcensis (Caballero, 1931)

By

Torres-Carrera, Gerardo
Duarte-De Lima, Lucas
Oceguera-Figueroa, Alejandro

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-11-26

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1261

Pages

141--164

Subjects

Freshwater leeches , Glossiphoniiformes , Mexico , new species , parental care

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1261.162279

 

Abstract

<br> Freshwater leeches of the genus<br> Helobdella<br> Blanchard, 1896 (Annelida: Clitellata) are widely distributed in the New World, with most of the species occurring in the neotropics and a single species native to Europe. Species of the genus are characterized by the presence of an eversible proboscis, dorsoventrally flattened body, presence of a single pair of eyespots, and a preference for feeding on the hemolymph of aquatic invertebrates. In this study, two new species of<br> Helobdella<br> are described based on specimens collected in Mexico,<br> Helobdella papilloprocta<br> sp. nov.<br> and<br> Helobdella gulloae<br> sp. nov.<br> These specimens were preliminarily identified as<br> H. socimulcensis<br> (Caballero, 1931), but detailed morphological and molecular analyses confirmed their status as separate species. In addition, a neotype for<br> Helobdella socimulcensis<br> is designated, and a redescription of the species is provided based on specimens from the type locality: Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico. Finally,<br> H. austinensis<br> in Nuevo León and<br> H. europaea<br> in Morelos, Mexico are reported for the first time, representing new records for the country. In total, ten species of<br> Helobdella<br> are known from Mexico.<br>