DISTRIBUTION AND IDENTIFICATION KEY FOR SPECIES OF FRESHWATER LEECH GENUS ERPOBDELLA BLAINVILLE, 1818 (HIRUDINIDA: ARHYNCHOBDELLIDA: ERPOBDELLIFORMES: ERPOBDELLIDAE)Suneha Uttam and Seema LangerAbstract Genus Erpobdella (Family Erpobdellidae) comprises of freshwater predatory leeches, characterized by the presence of multiple testis sacs per somite, eyes arranged in two groups, presence of preatrial loops, location of gonopores in somite XII and lacking pharyngeal stylets. Despite being subjected to phylogentic analysis many a times, its taxonomic position is still not clear as some taxonomists still follow the old traditional method involving subdivision of annuli to distinguish between different genera within erpobdellidae. Some authors however, agree with the suppression of all old generic names (Dina, Trocheta, Nephelopsis, Mooreobdella, Motobdella and Croatobranchus) with genus Erpobdella as sole valid genus for all the species within the family. In the present paper, an attempt has been made to gather all the data regarding description of all species within this genus (after synonymization) which otherwise is not available in an organized way. A detailed procedure regarding method of study of this group and distributional data is also presented. Further, a dichotomous identification key for about 45 species of genus Erpobdella has been proposed with an aim that it would ease the identification process in future studies. |