| Erpobdella mestrovi | |
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| Species: | E. mestrovi
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| Binomial name | |
| Erpobdella mestrovi | |
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Croatobranchus mestrovi Kerovec, Kučinić & Jalžić, 1999 | |
Erpobdella mestrovi, commonly known as the Velebit leech,[2] is a species of cave-dwelling leeches from the family Erpobdellidae.
Discovery edit
The first specimens of Velebit leeches were discovered during a caving expedition led by Branko Jalžić from July 30 to August 13, 1994 into the cave Lukina jama of the Velebit mountains of Croatia.[3] Lukina jama is part of a cave system linked with another nearby cave entrance, Trojama. The Lukina jama–Trojama cave system is the deepest in Croatia and one of the top twenty deepest caves in the world at a total measured depth of 1,421 m (4,662 ft), including submerged passages.[4] The leeches were first encountered at a depth of about 1,320 m (4,330 ft) from the entrance of Lukina jama by Ana Sutlović Bakšić, Tanja Bizjak, and Branko Jalžić.[5]
Description edit
Taxonomy edit
Distribution edit
References edit
- ^ Mark E. Siddall (2002). "Phylogeny of the leech family Erpobdellidae (Hirudinida : Oligochaeta)" (PDF). Invertebrate Systematics. 16: 1–6.
- ^ Irena Glavičić, Dubravka Kljajo, Irena Krušić, Svjetlana Lupret-Obradović, & Tea Šilić (2010). Nacionalni Park Sjeverni Velebit (PDF). Northern Velebit National Park Public Institution. ISBN 978-953-7552-05-3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Darko Bakšić (2008). "The History of Lukina Jama Exploration". Croatian Speleological Server.
- ^ The Speleological Committee of the Croatian Mountaineering Association (2008–2010). "Lukina jama (Pit): Cave System Lukina jama - Trojama". Croatian Speleological Server.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Boris Sket, Peter Dovć, Branco Jalžić, Mladen Kerovec, Mladen Kučinić & Peter Trontelj (2001). "A cave leech (Hirudinea, Erpobdellidae) from Croatia with unique morphological features". Zoologica Scripta. 30 (3): 223–229. doi:10.1046/j.1463-6409.2001.00065.x.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Category:Leeches Category:Endemic fauna of Croatia Category:Animals described in 1999