PLACOBDELLA PARASITICA (RHYNCHOBDELLIDA: GLOSSIPHONIIDAE) FROM THE EASTERN RIVER COOTER (CHELONIA: EMYDIDAE) IN OKLAHOMA

摘要

While the large glossiphoniid leech Placobdella parasitica (Say 1824) has been commonly reported throughout much of North America, distributional data on this species from the southern and western states remains poorly known (Sawyer 1972; Klemm 1982). On 15 March 1994, three adult specimens of P. parasitica were collected from the plastron of a single male specimen of the eastern river cooler Pseudemys concinna concinna (LeConte 1830) from Lake Texoma, Marshall County, Oklahoma. The length of the turtle's carapace was 21.5 cm and its width was 15.5 cm. All three leech specimens were dorsoventrally flattened with a greenish-brown dorsum, cream-colored mid-dorsal band of variable width, and irregular lateral patches. The ventrum of each exhibits 8 to 12 bluish-green longitudinal stripes. Specimens measured 2.0 cm, 3.2 cm and 3.5 cm in length. The crop ceca of all three specimens contained blood, indicating a natural association with the turtle.