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Diversity in Reproduction and General Morphology between Two Glossiphonia Species (Hirudinea) in Lake Esrom, Denmark *
Author(s) -
DALL PETER C.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
zoologica scripta
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.204
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1463-6409
pISSN - 0300-3256
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-6409.1982.tb00525.x
Subject(s) - biology , fauna , reproduction , leech , zoology , ecology , systematics , offspring , sex ratio , taxonomy (biology) , sociology , pregnancy , population , genetics , demography , world wide web , computer science
According to Bennike (1943) the leech fauna in Lake Esrom, Denmark, includes two types of Glossiphonia complanata (L.), namely G. complanata typica Bennike, 1943 and G. complanata concolor (Apáthy, 1888). The results of the present investigation, which were based on material collected in 1975, 1976, and 1980, strongly indicated that we are dealing with two species in Lake Esrom, namely Glossiphonia complanata (L.) and G. (Clepsine) concolor (Apáthy). The two species have a rather similar life history, but G. complanata is on average larger than G. concolor . Differences in reproduction included size of eggs and timing of breeding, but the number of offspring seemed to be similar. Tank experiments revealed that all offspring of G. complanata had a conspecific parent, and likewise for G. concolor . The general appearance of the two species is significantly different, and the average ratio of body width to body height (W/H ratio) was ca. 30% higher for preserved individuals of G. complanata than for G. concolor . The ecological distribution of the two types, and the reliability of pigmentation as a diagnostical tool in leech systematics are discussed. Characters used for the identification of the species are included.