Grube, 1850
Type genus Branchiobdella Henle, 1835
Three genera with eight species known in NWE:
Branchiobdella astaci Odier, 1823
Branchiobdella balcanica Moszynski, 1937
Branchiobdella hexodonta Gruber, 1883
Branchiobdella italica Canegallo, 1929
Branchiobdella parasita (Braun, 1805)
Branchiobdella pentodonta Whitman, 1882
Cambarincola mesochoreus Hoffman, 1963
Xironogiton instabilis (Moore, 1894)
Jump to the Text Key of this family Page 4: Family Branchiobdellidae.
Description
Small leech-shaped but unpigmented worms, without prostomium or chaetae. Anteriormost four segments fused to form head. Posterior end is modified as sucker-like adhesive disk; ventral edge of mouth also acting as adhesive organ. No peristomial tentacles. Two chitinized jaws (upper one and lower one) in mouth. One or two pairs of testes in the fifth, or in the fifth and sixth trunk segments. Vasa deferentia enter jointly single atrium (spermiducal gland). All branchiobdellidans (Order Branchiobdellida) were treated as a single family Branchiobdellidae until Holt, 1986 divided them into five families. The last operation is ignored in this guide since in NWE only one invasive species, Cambarincola mesochoreus, would represent another family, Cambarincolidae.
Crawling like leech on the body of crayfish.
Distribution
Holarctic, and the Amur-Japan Subregion of the Sino-Indian Region.
Ecology
In freshwater, living as commensals or/and parasites on the body surface and gills of crayfishes.
Reproduction
Sexual only. Eggs laid in cocoons attached with one end to body of crayfish.
Literature
Henle, 1835: 574-608; Grube, 1851: 114; Vejdovsky, 1884b: 38; Chekanovskaya, 1981: 471-473; Kasprzak, 1981: 213; Holt, 1986: 685.