A new quadrannulate species of Orobdella (Hirudinida: Arhynchobdellida: Orobdellidae) from Pingtung, Taiwan

Abstract

A quadrannulate leech species, Orobdella meisai sp. nov., from southern Taiwan is described. This new species is characterized by its camouflage coloration, which is unique among the known Orobdella species. Orobdella meisai is the second species of the genus to be described from Taiwan. Phylogenetic analyses using nuclear 18S rRNA, histone H3, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, tRNACys, tRNAMet, 12S rRNA, tRNAVal, 16S rRNA, tRNALeu and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 markers showed that O. meisai and another Taiwanese species, O. ketagalan Nakano and Lai, 2012, formed a supported clade. According to the results of the morphological examination and the phylogenetic position of O. meisai, morphological-phylogenetic relationships of this species and close congeners are briefly discussed.