Haemadipsa rjukjuana is a species of terrestrial blood-feeding leach in the family Haemadipsidae (order Arhynchobdellida).[1] They are mostly found in Taiwan, although they have also been confirmed from Gageo Island in South Korea.[2][3]
| Haemadipsa rjukjuana | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
| Clade: | Sedentaria |
| Class: | Clitellata |
| Subclass: | Hirudinea |
| Order: | Arhynchobdellida |
| Family: | Haemadipsidae |
| Genus: | Haemadipsa |
| Species: | H. rjukjuana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Haemadipsa rjukjuana (Oka, 1910)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Several pathogens have been reported from the leech, specifically Anaplasma, Bartonella, Borrelia, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Wolbachia. Haemadipsa rjukjuana was the first leech recorded to carry a Bartonella species.[3]
A 2011 study found that the species is genetically distinct from Haemadipsa japonica.[4]
Physical description edit
Haemadipsa rjukjuana is distinctive for its colourations on its back, having black splotches over a reddish, yellowish, or greyish background. Another distinguishing feature of its colouration is its thoroughly black underside and the lack of a clear median stripe on its back.[4]
H. rjukjuana typically grows between 14 and 37 mm long, with a width varying between 2.5 and 5.3 mm.[4]
References edit
- ^ "Haemadipsa rjukjuana Oka, 1910". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
- ^ Won, Sukhyun; Park, Bae Keun; Kim, Baek Jun; et al. (Apr 2014). "Molecular Identification of Haemadipsa rjukjuana (Hirudiniformes: Haemadipsidae) in Gageo Island, Korea". The Korean Journal of Parasitology. 52 (2): 169–75. doi:10.3347/kjp.2014.52.2.169. eISSN 1738-0006. ISSN 0023-4001. PMC 4028454. PMID 24850960. S2CID 7438642.
- ^ a b Kang, Jun-Gu; Won, Sohyun; Kim, Hye-Won; Kim, Baek-Jun; Park, Bae-Keun; Park, Tae-Seo; Seo, Hong-Yul; Chae, Joon-Seok (2016-06-07). "Molecular detection of Bartonella spp. in terrestrial leeches (Haemadipsa rjukjuana) feeding on human and animal blood in Gageo-do, Republic of Korea". Parasites & Vectors. 9 (1): 326. doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1613-3. ISSN 1756-3305. PMC 4897879. PMID 27267358.
- ^ a b c Lai, Yi-Te; Nakano, Takafumi; Chen, Jiun-Hong (2011-10-25). "Three species of land leeches from Taiwan, Haemadipsa rjukjuana comb. n., a new record for Haemadipsa picta Moore, and an updated description of Tritetrabdella taiwana (Oka)". ZooKeys (139): 1–22. doi:10.3897/zookeys.139.1711. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 3260908. PMID 22259307.