Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the internal and external morphological structures of two species of medicinal leeches ( and ).
Methods: Leech specimens were collected from various regions of Turkey between the years of 1995-2016. The leeches were first examined alive and later were stunned with 10% ethyl alcohol and fixed in 70% ethyl alcohol or 4% formaldehyde. After fixation, the internal morphology of leeches was examined by dissecting them under a stereo microscope.
Results: Both species of leeches are dorso-ventrally flattened. is larger and broader than has black, segmentally-arranged united ellipsoid and elongated spots, and a pair of zigzagged black longitudinal stripes in the dorso-lateral area of its body. The ventral surface of is greenish to brown in colour and has a small number of irregular black spots. has broad and diffuse, paramedian, orange stripes on the dorsal surface. Ventrally, has a greenish to yellow colour, and it is characterized by a pair of black ventro-lateral stripes.
Conclusion: Two of the six leech species ( and ) belonging to the genus found in the world are found in Turkey. These two leech species show significant differences from each other, morphologically.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.4274/tpd.galenos.2019.6422 | DOI Listing |
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