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List of annelid families describes the taxa relationships in the phylum Annelida, which contains more than 17,000 extant species including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. [ 1 ] Class Polychaeta
Leeches are segmented parasitic or predatory worms that comprise the subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the oligochaetes , which include the earthworm , and like them have soft, muscular segmented bodies that can lengthen and contract.
Erpobdella lineata is a leech found in Europe. These leeches show a preference for calcic waters and have a tolerance to pollution. They have a digestive tract that consists of mouth, pharynx, esophagus, six-chambered stomach, three-chambered intestine, rectum, and an anus. Its nervous system contains 21 pairs of cell compartments. [2]
Each segment of the leech's body (and all leeches have 32) has three or four annuli. [2] [3]: 236 They are large leeches; one species, Pontobdella novaezealandiae, can grow as long as 20 centimetres. [3]: 236 [4]
"Jawed leeches" - termed "Gnathobdellae" or "Gnathobdellida" - are exclusively found among the Hirudiniformes, but the order contains a number of jawless families as well. The jawed, toothed forms make up the aquatic Hirudidae and the terrestrial Haemadipsidae and Xerobdellidae (sometimes included in the preceding but worthy of recognition as ...
The Erpobdelliformes are one of the currently-accepted suborders of the proboscisless leeches (Arhynchobdellida). It includes five families: [1] [2] [3] Americobdellidae; Erpobdellidae Blanchard, 1894; Gastrostomobdellidae Richardson, 1971; Orobdellidae Nakano, Ramlah & Hikida, 2012; Salifidae Johansson, 1910
Medical use of leeches was discussed by Avicenna in The Canon of Medicine (1020s), and by Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi in the 12th century. [citation needed] These sources indicated leech therapy for a wide variety of ailments, including edema, [12] "blood stasis", [13] and skin diseases. [14] Earthenware jar for holding medicinal leeches
This is a list of the Annelida recorded from Ireland. In Ireland the number of species is: Class Polychaeta 404 species; Class Clitellata; Subclass Oligochaeta 179 species; Subclass Hirudinea 32 species [1] Taxonomy Here the leeches and oligochaetes are placed together in the Class Clitellata. The marine Polychaeta are ranked as a Class.