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| Troglobdella guizhouensis Liu & Nakano, in K. Liu, Q. Li, Wu, Lin, H. Li, Nakano et Z. Liu, 2025. 贵州隐洞蛭 || DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.168628 |
Abstract
Accurate identification of leech species is critical for biodiversity conservation and evolutionary studies. However, due to the ambiguity and variability of some key characteristics, Salifidae remains a rather poorly known group of Erpobdelliformes. In this study, a new genus of salifid leech, Troglobdella gen. nov., is established, and a new species, Troglobdella guizhouensis sp. nov., is described based on specimens collected from a cave in Guizhou Province, Southwest China. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear 18S rRNA gene sequences reveal that Troglobdella guizhouensis represents a distinct lineage within a clade that also includes the troglobiotic species Shibabdella wulingensis Tang & Liu, 2025, and the terrestrial Odontobdella gaowangjiensis Yin & Liu, 2025, both of which are known from Hunan Province. This suggests that cave-related morphologies in Chinese salifid leeches may have evolved independently. The complete mitochondrial genome of the new species was assembled into a circular molecule of 15,732 bp, comprising 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs. This study contributes new insights into the taxonomy, systematics, and mitochondrial architecture of cave-adapted leeches.
Key Words: mitochondrial genome, phylogeny, Salifidae, taxonomy, Troglobdella guizhouensis, troglobiont
Taxonomy
Family Salifidae Johansson, 1910
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| Troglobdella guizhouensis B. The entrance of the cave; C. A leech living in the puddle. |
Troglobdella Liu & Nakano, gen. nov.
Troglobdella guizhouensis Liu & Nakano, sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Troglobdella guizhouensis can be distinguished from the other salifid genera as well as other species by the following combination of characters: body milky white with no pigments; without eyes; oral sucker well developed, distinctly laterally expanded; mid-body somites six-annulate; gonopores separated by four annuli; testisacs multiple; pharynx strepsilaematous; lacking preatrial loop of male paired ducts; paired atrial cornua conical, curved laterad; atrium short, globular; ovisacs descending to anterior of somite XIV, then turned several times in each of posterior parts, forming globular mass.
Etymology. The genus name Troglobdella is derived from the Ancient Greek “troglos” meaning “cave” and “bdella” meaning “leech” referring to the genus’ trait to subterranean habitats. We suggest the Chinese formal name as “yǐn dòng zhì shǔ” (隐洞蛭属). The species name “guizhouensis” is based Guizhou Province in China, where the species was discovered, with the suffix “-ensis” indicating geographical origin. We suggest the Chinese formal name as “guì zhōu yǐn dòng zhì” (贵州隐洞蛭).
Kaiqing Liu, Qing Li, Heqi Wu, Yiquan Lin, Hexiang Li, Takafumi Nakano, Zichao Liu. 2025. A New Genus and Species of Cave-dwelling Leech from China in the family Salifidae: Taxonomy, Phylogeny, and mitochondrial Genome Characterization. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 101(4): 2123-2132. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.168628
