Biodiversity of the Buffalo Leeches Genus (Arhynchobdellida, Hirudinidae) in Southern Thailand Revealed from DNA Barcoding.

Leeches in the genus Whitman, 1886, also known as buffalo leeches, are blood-sucking ectoparasites of vertebrates. Although they are widely distributed in Asia and had been highly abundant in the past, studies on diversity and taxonomy of this genus are still scarce. There is probably a large amount of cryptic diversity yet to be discovered, particularly from mainland Southeast Asia.