A new species of buffalo leech in the genusWhitman, 1886 (Arhynchobdellida, Hirudinidae) from Thailand.
Research article published in ZooKeys (2020)
Abstract
Hirudinaria manillensis (Lesson, 1842), commonly known as the buffalo leech, shows a polymorphism of two ventral colorations. The green color morph has a plain green ventral surface and the red color morph has a brick-red ventral surface with two black submarginal stripes. Based on molecular and morphological evidence in the present study, these two color morphs were revealed as two different species. The red color morph fits well with the description of H. manillensis, while the green color morph showed some distinctions, and therefore is described herein as Hirudinaria thailandica Jeratthitikul & Panha, sp. nov. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by the dark greenish or dark olive ventral surface and a round atrium with ventral insertion of ejaculatory ducts in the male reproductive organ. A phylogenetic tree based on concatenated data of COI and 28S genes supported the new species and further indicated it as a sister species to H. bpling Phillips, 2012.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Resumen
(Lesson, 1842), commonly known as the buffalo leech, shows a polymorphism of two ventral colorations. The green color morph has a plain green ventral surface and the red color morph has a brick-red ventral surface with two black submarginal stripes.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
Este estudio taxonómico utilizó evidencia molecular (genes COI y 28S) y morfológica para demostrar que dos morfos de color de la sanguijuela búfalo Hirudinaria manillensis son de hecho dos especies, describiendo formalmente el morfo verde como una nueva especie, Hirudinaria thailandica, hermana de H. bpling. Para ASH, esto constituye un contexto sobre la sistemática y la biodiversidad de las sanguijuelas, no evidencia clínica ni farmacológica: la sanguijuela búfalo Hirudinaria difiere de la sanguijuela medicinal Hirudo medicinalis utilizada en la hirudoterapia, y el resumen no reporta compuestos salivales, actividad anticoagulante ni uso médico. Como artículo de descripción de especies y filogenética, su relevancia se limita a la identificación correcta de los taxones de sanguijuelas, y no debe inferirse ninguna conclusión sobre hirudoterapia a partir de este.
Citación
A new species of buffalo leech in the genusWhitman, 1886 (Arhynchobdellida, Hirudinidae) from Thailand.
Jeratthitikul E et al. · ZooKeys, 2020
Contexto clínico relacionado
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: May 28, 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: June 18, 2026