Sinospelaeobdella Liu, Huang, and Liu, 2019

Huang, Taifu, Liu, Zhiwei, Gong, Xiaoyan, Wu, Tao, Liu, Hui, Deng, Jiaxin, Zhang, Youxiang, Peng, Qingzhong, Zhang, Libiao & Liu, Zhixiao, 2019, Vampire in the darkness: a new genus and species of land leech exclusively bloodsucking cave-dwelling bats from China (Hirudinda: Arhynchobdellida: Haemadipsidae), Zootaxa 4560 (2), pp. 257-272 : 261-262

Genus Sinospelaeobdella Liu, Huang, and Liu gen. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6C6D1652-EA38-4339-BD79-EA1A017B3AC3

Etymology: The name for the new genus derives from Σινων (Sinon), meaning Chinese / China, σπηλαιoν (spelaeon), cave, or subterranean, βδελλα (bdella), land leech, Sino-spelaeo-bdella = Sinospelaeobdella .

Type species: Sinospelaeobdella wulingensis Liu, Huang, and Liu , sp. n.

Diagnosis: Medium-sized, body covered with papillae, lacking pigmentation. Three jaws present

(trignathous), with tiny indistinct teeth. Five pairs of eyes, with anterior 4 pairs located dorsally on second, third, fourth, fifth annulus, respectively, forming a “V” shaped pattern, fifth pair on eighth annulus, very small in size, equally separated from each other as fourth pair. Gonopores separated by 2 annuli, with male gonopore in somite XII b2/a2 and female gonopore in somite XII b5/b6. One pair of auricular projection in somites XXV~XXVII. Last annulus dorsally with a very large median hemispherical projection; anus located at distal end of projection. Caudal sucker prominent, circular, ventrally with about 78 indistinct friction rays.

Remarks: Although originally described as a member of the Haemadipsa, Borda & Siddall (2010) suggested that a new genus should be erected for H. cavatuses on basis a phylogenetic analysis of the family Haemadipsidae (sensu Borda et al. 2008). However, these authors did not make the necessary taxonomic changes for several reasons, including no inclusion of materials of H. cavatuses from the type location. Within Haemadipsidae , the new genus, Haemadipsa and Tritetrabdella share the common morphological feature of having three jaws (trignathous) and can easily distinguished from the duognathous members of the family. The three trignathous genera can be further separated by the number of annuli separating gonopores ( Fig. 2 ), pigment and stripes on surface of body, friction rays, and several other morphological as well as biological characteristics ( Table 3).

Known species: Sinospelaeobdella cavatuses ( Yang, Mo & Wang, 2009) comb. n.; and Sinospelaeobdella wulingenesis sp. n.

Distribution: China: Yunnan ( Yang et al. 2009), Hunan (present study); Laos: Luang Namtha ( Borda & Siddall 2010), Vieng Phoukha, Phou Khoun, Vieng Thong ( Steiner 2013); Myanmar ( Steiner 2013). Photos from online (https://www.flickr.com/photos/alan_cressler/4239947572/in/photostream/[1/22/15, 12:30:21 PM]) suggests that the genus may be also distributed in Malaysia.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Comparison of reproductive gonopore locations between the three trignathous genera of Haemadipsidae sensu Borda & Siddall (2010), i.e., Haemadipsa (H. tianmushanensis) (A), Tritetrabdella (T. taiwana) [B (Nakano & Sung 2014)], and Sinospelaeobdella (S. wulingensis sp. n.) (C).