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

ABSTRACT: Freshwater leeches of the genus Helobdella 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 Helobdella are described based on specimens collected in Mexico, Helobdella papilloprocta sp. nov. and Helobdella gulloae sp. nov. These specimens were preliminarily identified as H. socimulcensis (Caballero, 1931), but detailed morphological and molecular analyses confirmed th

SUBMITTER: Torres-Carrera G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12676574 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature