Assessing the sensitivity of leeches as indicators of water quality.

The objective of this work was assessing the sensitivity of leeches to several water quality attributes in lowlands streams. We used occupancy modelling that account explicitly for detectability, to estimate the influence of four variables (dissolved oxygen, 5-days biochemicals oxygen demand, conductivity, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen) affecting nine species. We described the sensitivity as a change in the occupancy along the range of water quality attributes.

A new species of Helobdella (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae) from Oregon, USA.

Helobdella bowermani n. sp. is described from specimens collected in fine sediment of open water benthos of Upper Klamath Lake, Klamath County, Oregon.