Batracobdella kasmiana ( Oka, 1910 )

Sokolova, Svetlana E., 2017, Discovery and natural history of the mussel leech Batracobdella kasmiana (Oka, 1910) (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae) in Russia, Zootaxa 4319 (2), pp. 386-390 : 389

Batracobdella kasmiana ( Oka, 1910)

Hemiclepsis kasmiana Oka (1910) : 169; Gee (1919): 179; Oka (1928): 64; Shimazu (2014): 69.

Hemiclepsis casmiana Oka (1917) : 167; Moore (1924): 363; Lukin (1976): 224.

Batracobdella kasmiana ( Oka, 1910) : Soos (1967a): 233; Soos (1967b): 255; Yang (1996): 52; Yamauchi et al. (2008): 19; Lai &

Chen (2010): 15; Itoh (2012): 620.

Hemiclepsis marginata casmiana Oka (1917) : Lukin (1976): 223.

Morphology. Our sample fits well with the original description ( Oka 1910, 1928). Body elongate; dorsal side convex; ventral side flat; papillae lacking. Head slightly wider than the next area, with two pairs of eyespots; the first pair of eyespots strongly reduced, punctiform. Dorsal side brownish with five longitudinal yellow or whitish stripes; ventral side without bands or spots of another color. Anterior and posterior suckers circular; posterior sucker with pale brown radial bars dorsally. There are no similar species in the genus Batracobdella . Based on the morphological features, i.e., number and disposition of eyespots and clearly expressed pattern of markings, this species is closely related to Hemiclepsis marginata (Müller, 1774) and, especially, to its subspecies from northern India, H. marginata asiatica Moore, 1924 ( Moore 1924; Oka 1928). The primary difference of B. kasmiana from H. marginata asiatica is the specific lifestyle in the mantle cavity of mussels ( Oka 1928).

Distribution. Japan (Honshu), China (Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Taiwan), and the Far East of Russia (Primorsky Krai). Hosts: Unionidae ( Sinanodonta spp., Cristaria plicata , Nodularia douglasiae , and Middendorffinaia mongolica ), and Margaritiferidae ( Margaritifera dahurica ).

Remarks. With respect to morphological features, B. kasmiana appears to be a member of its original genus, Hemiclepsis Vejdovsky, 1884 , which has been incorrectly transferred to Batracobdella . However, this preliminary assumption needs to be confirmed using a molecular approach. Yang (1996) also found an external resemblance between B. kasmiana and H. marginata , but he notes that their internal structures are different.